Non standard height door solution

Non standard height doors are quite common

There are solutions to solving height issues when changing out non standard height doors. This is quite common when the original door was a Benchmark 8 ft exterior door. This manufacturer, now closed for business, made their 8 ft exterior doors about 2.25″ shorter than the average 8 ft exterior door. This was a marketing plan to keep homeowners using their doors rather than a competitor when the need arose.

How to replace a non standard height door

The best solution is creating a custom transom above the new prehung door that compensates for the difference in height between a standard 6’8″ door and the existing opening for the non standard height doors in an 8 ft opening. This is actually a great option because the only other solution is to cut and rerail the new door which would void any manufacturer warranty. It also exposes wood since so much of the new door has to be cut to prehang.

Rerailing the door bottom edge solves non standard height door issues

Rerailing means cutting the door shorter and reinstalling a fiberglass piece to reseal and protect the bottom of the door. The normal solution when rerailing the bottom of a non standard height fiberglass door is to put the fiberglass edge on the bottom (rerailing kit) so no moisture is in contact with the frame inside the door.

Building a Custom Transom for 8 ft door Replacement

Since the Plastpro 8ft door have steel in them, the rerailing kit cannot go fully from one side to the other. This is where the full rail support would be exposed. This is why building a custom height transom works in this situation. It is used over a standard height 6’8″ door and the height of the custom transom makes up the difference in height to fill the opening completely.

The 6’8″ door do not have the steel inside so this is not usually a problem for the standard height doors that also need rerailing from time to time. Manufacture warranties problems does arise when more than 3″ needs to be taken off the height of the door.

In case you need to change the swing or handing of the doors here is a door handing chart so we can order your door with the correct door swing

Fiberglass doors do not rust

Plastpro doors will never rust causing you to need to replace the exterior doors. The doors are all fiberglass on all edges plus the frame that the doors hang from. This is truly a no rot door system that will prove to be much less maintenance than steel or wood doors. You will also enjoy the energy efficiency of Plastpro fiberglass door.

Our fiberglass doors use the fiberglass composite frame all the way around the door. Not just 6″ at the bottom of the door frame. This is a huge difference between big box store offerings and independent door companies. We want your home remodel project to last. And if it is installed correctly, it will.