A good door installed badly is only a decoration. Security door installation covers fitting a new steel door, trellis door, security gate or set of burglar bars so that it closes smoothly, locks properly and cannot be levered out of the wall. Send us the sizes and your location, and installers who work in your area quote the fitting on its own or together with the door.
What a proper installation includes
A quote should list more than the door. Look for a site measure, removal and disposal of the old gate, drilling and anchoring, adjusting hinges and lock, painting touch-ups on the welds and making good the plaster. A sound fitting takes two installers a few hours for one door, and a half day for a double door or a set of bars. See security doors for the products themselves.
Reveal fix or face fix
The frame either sits inside the reveal, the recessed depth of the wall, or is fixed to the face of the wall around the opening.
- Reveal fix: neat and flush, but the opening must be square and the wall deep enough.
- Face fix: a wider frame or flange bolted to the wall, which hides uneven brickwork and suits old openings.
The installer will choose according to the brick, the plaster and the way your inner door swings. Expect them to check the hinge side for a gap of about 3 to 5 mm, so the door does not bind when the steel warms in summer sun.
Anchors and wall types
Brick and concrete take sleeve or through-bolt anchors, usually M10 or M12, about every 400 to 500 mm and near each hinge. Hollow concrete block needs chemical anchors or a bolt through the cavity into a plate. Old, soft plaster must be cut back to solid masonry. Timber and aluminium frames cannot carry a steel door on their own, so the load goes into the wall around them. Ask which anchor will be used, and avoid a quote that says only screws and plugs.
Making good and finishing
Drilling and chasing leave holes and chipped plaster. A professional installer fills and sands them, and paints the touch-up, though a full repaint is a separate job. Test the door before they leave: it must close without slamming, lock with the key from both sides and not rub the frame. Keep the guarantee note and ask for a spare key. Before the installer arrives, clear a metre around the opening, move curtains and furniture, and cover the floor. Agree the fitting date, the working hours and who pays for any extra anchors or a second visit. If your complex has a body corporate, get written approval first, since fitting a door over the common passage without it can mean having to take it off again. For old or damaged gates, see security gate repairs, or compare security door prices.
What to include in your request
- What you want fitted: door, gate, trellis or bars
- Width and height of each opening in mm
- Wall type: brick, concrete, hollow block or old plaster
- Whether an old gate or door must be removed
- Reveal or face fixing, and who supplies the door
Security Door Installation for different properties
- Houses: fitting a front and kitchen door and a set of window bars in one visit
- Townhouses and complexes: installation that follows the body corporate colour and fixing rules
- Flats and apartments: a neat fitting that does not damage common property
- Farms and smallholdings: on-site fitting with long travel, usually done in one trip
- Shops and restaurants: after-hours installation of a gate or door for a shopfront
- Offices and practices: fitting at reception or a store room, booked outside office hours
- Factories and warehouses: heavy gate and door installation with anchors into concrete
- Schools, clinics and churches: bulk installation across a school or clinic to a schedule
Frequently asked questions
How much does security door installation cost?
Can an installer fit a door I bought elsewhere?
How long does installation take?
Do I need to be at home?
Security Door Installation by province and city
- Johannesburg
- Pretoria
- Centurion
- Midrand
- Sandton
- Randburg
- Roodepoort
- Krugersdorp
- Randfontein
- Germiston
- Boksburg
- Benoni
- Kempton Park
- Alberton
- Vanderbijlpark
- Vereeniging
- Durban
- Pinetown
- Pietermaritzburg
- Richards Bay
- Newcastle
- Ladysmith
- Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth)
- East London
- Kariega (Uitenhage)
- Mthatha
- Cape Town
- Bellville
- Paarl
- Stellenbosch
- George
- Worcester
- eMalahleni (Witbank)
- Middelburg
- Secunda
- Mbombela (Nelspruit)
- Rustenburg
- Brits
- Klerksdorp
- Potchefstroom
- Mahikeng
- Polokwane
- Tzaneen
- Kimberley
- Upington
- Bloemfontein
- Welkom
- Sasolburg