# Exterior steel door



## woody_diy (Jan 22, 2008)

I need to replace an old wooden door that goes into my unfinished basement.  I want to replace with something sturdy that will be weather resistant.  I'm thinking that a steel door would probably do the trick.  This needs to be a plain, sturdy door, nothing fancy, because it's in the back of the house and will not be seen.

I'm having trouble finding a source for a plain exterior door like this.  Does anybody have suggestions where to look?  I live in the Atlanta area.


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## Tru_blue (Feb 4, 2008)

Maybe I'm missing some info.  A steel door is available through any mass merchandiser (Menards, Lowes, Home Depot, etc.) and any lumber yard.  The most basic steel doors are either flush doors or six-panel doors.  They would be prehung in a door frame.  I'm not sure why you're having difficulty finding one.  Where have you looked?  Or what is it you're looking for that doesn't match the above description?


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## guyod (Feb 4, 2008)

Are you looking for a light duty steel commercial steel framed door? They are less common but I have seen them in select Home depot/lowes stores. Depends on the demagraphics for the area.. But any one will be able to order it for you it will just cost more money. I dont blame you for wanting a steel frame the wooden frames they make today are very weak i dont even see the point of a lock. One small kick and you are in.. at least if the door isnt locked you wont need a new door just a tv...


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## ToolGuy (Feb 4, 2008)

One drawback to replacing a wooden door, especially an older one, with steel is that steel cannot be trimmed to size. Most of the time I have to rip out the jambs and all, and replace it with the prehung, usually having to modify the framing as well. 

If you don't care what the door looks like, you could get some galvanized sheet metal and cover it, using a gazillion screws to make it solid.


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## woody_diy (Feb 5, 2008)

ToolGuy said:


> One drawback to replacing a wooden door, especially an older one, with steel is that steel cannot be trimmed to size. Most of the time I have to rip out the jambs and all, and replace it with the prehung, usually having to modify the framing as well.
> 
> If you don't care what the door looks like, you could get some galvanized sheet metal and cover it, using a gazillion screws to make it solid.



That might be a good approach.  A wooden door would be lighter and easier to hang and I could trim to fit.  Covering in with steel would not be pretty, but would do the job.  If I painted over the metal, it wouldn't look too bad.

In answer to earlier questions, I looked on the websites for Lowes, HD, etc., and didn't see the kind of light, cheap steel door I was looking for.  Maybe they have them as special orders in the stores, though.

Thanks for all of the suggestions!


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