10-Point Checklist to Ensure your Doors and Windows Are Properly Installed

10. Complete Visual Inspection

Once your door installation – or window installation – completed, take the necessary time with the installer to perform a thorough visual inspection to check the quality of the work done and also to discuss care products specifically recommended for your fenestration product. Pay attention to details and don’t be afraid to ask as many questions as needed.

9. Complete Interior Finish

As part of the buying process with your door and window provider, make sure their installation also comprises the interior finish, door trims included. Nothing is more irritating than a magnificent new door, or window, lacking interior finishing trims. Avoid potential pitfalls and incomplete jobs by doing business with a specialized door and window manufacturer and their team of professional installers.

8. Top Quality Sealant

Faulty installations may occur from the use of cheap low-end installation products, as can be the case with sealants. It is truly essential to use top quality sealants in order to have top quality caulking joints. These sealing joints play a major role in making your door or window system airtight and waterproof, which is why they definitely cannot be neglected.

7. No Air Infiltration

A quick way of detecting an air leak problem is to pass a lighter or match around your door and window frames. If there is an infiltration of air, the flame will start to move or even get blown out.

6. Quiet and Effortless Operating

All new doors and windows should operate normally, i.e. you should be able to open and close them (and lock them, if applicable) effortlessly and without any unexpected sounds.

Once again: the final performance of any fenestration product, regardless of the quality of its materials and assembling, greatly depends on the quality of its installation. Even a signature luxury entry door, if improperly installed, will not operate easily and quietly.

So do not skip this step in your installation verification checklist: make sure to open and close your door or window several times before your installer takes their leave to ensure your standards are met.

5. Level and Square

Always verify the horizontal alignment of your fenestration product using a level. For an entry door, the height difference between both sill ends should be no more than 2 mm (1/16 in.).

Doors and windows must also be installed square (height and width). A space of 1/8 in. must be left around a door slab or window frame to ensure proper functioning and, as such, avoid long-term damage to the product.

4. Prevent Water Infiltration

In order to prevent water infiltration, it is important to create a 5-degree downward slope toward the exterior for every opening. Additionally, an insulating waterproof self-adhesive membrane must be installed across the sill and up the lower part of the jambs (over 12 in.).

3. Insulating Materials

For top quality insulation, use both mineral wool and polyurethane spray foam.

The mineral wool must not be compacted, otherwise it will lose its primary function, which is to insulate. If too compact, it may also exert pressure on the frame. The wool must also be applied in successive layers. For polyurethane spray foam, it must be applied at least 40 mm (1½ in.) thick to prevent water vapour. The foam should not exert any pressure on the frame either.

2. Taking Accurate Measurements

This installation tip might seem obvious, yet it must still be followed carefully. It is crucial to take accurate measurements, both inside and outside, for an optimal door and window installation.

To ensure sufficient space between the frame and the opening, it is important to first measure both diagonals to verify that the opening is square (they should be equal).

You must then measure the opening vertically at three different points. The product’s final vertical dimension must correspond to the smallest opening dimension minus the required tolerance.

Finally, you must measure the opening horizontally at three different points. The product’s finished horizontal dimension must correspond to the smallest opening dimension minus the required tolerance.

1. Call on the Professional Installation Team of a Specialized Door and Window Fabricant

Ultimately, if we only had one tip to offer to ensure a proper installation, it would be to call on professional installers! Contact a specialized door and window manufacturer and ask for the help of their installation experts. This way, your product will be installed correctly, meticulously, and quickly, in accordance with the best construction and renovation standards.

For more information on door and window installation, contact Portatec. A fabricant specialized in premium custom entry doors since 1984, Portatec offers a wide selection of unique superior quality fenestration products.