Impact Entry Doors Vs Non-Impact

Getting a new door, whether for your front entryway, side entry, or garage entry, can have a huge impact on your home’s security and curb appeal. The right doors don’t just look good, they can repel both nature’s wrath and would-be intruders. Impact entry doors are almost a must-have for any home in Florida, but you might be wondering why.

When comparing impact entry doors versus their non-impact counterparts, why is it worth the extra cost to get an impact door? Why do so many homes in Florida require them? Most importantly: which is best for your home?

Let’s go over what separates an impact entry door from a ‘standard’ door and why you should almost always use impact doors for all of your home’s exterior doorways.

What Makes a Door an Impact Entry Door?

So, what makes an impact door different from a standard door in the first place? On a casual visual inspection, it’s often difficult to spot the difference between an impact entry door and a non-impact door with a similar style. 

However, that impression typically doesn’t survive close observation.

An impact door will have a few key differences compared to a non-impact door. Some of these visual differences are easy to spot, while others might require a closer inspection:

• Reinforced Hardware. The hardware on an impact entry door (hinges, tracks, fasteners, etc.) tend to be thicker and heavier than the hardware that comes with a standard entry door. This is necessary to help ensure that the door cannot be ripped off its hinges or out of the frame by the intense wind pressure of a hurricane.
• Heavy-Duty Door Slabs. The door slab itself also tends to be thicker and heavier for an impact-rated door than a non-impact equivalent. The extra density helps make the door more resistant to forced entry attempts and flying debris impacts compared to a lighter-weight door slab.
• Door Glass. Whenever they include glass, impact entry doors use impact-rated glass packs instead of single panes of annealed (standard) glass. These glass packs often consist of three layers of safety glass, two of which are bonded together with a laminate interlayer to create an unbelievably tough barrier. The impact glass pack is able to withstand strong impacts and wind pressure without failing, offering superior protection.
• Comprehensive Testing. To be considered impact-rated, a door needs to pass several different certifications, such as the Large and Small Missile Impact Testing (D) certification. Even when a door is strong enough to pass the test, it cannot be declared as an impact entry door until it has undergone the appropriate testing and received a certification from an independent testing laboratory. It is this testing that verifies that the door can withstand hurricane conditions without failing.

These features (and the added testing) are what separate impact entry doors from their non-impact counterparts. 

Do Impact Entry Doors Cost More?

Yes. Impact entry doors, due to their heavier construction, additional required testing, and reinforced hardware, tend to cost more than standard entry doors of the same size and style. 

The exact price difference will vary depending on the make and model of the door, any modifications that are needed to make the rest of the door opening sufficiently secure, and other variables.

Do Impact Doors Reduce Insurance Costs?

A lot of people wonder if having impact doors can help them reduce the cost of their insurance premiums. After all, it’s an enhanced security measure that reduces risk for your home.

The short answer is: “Yes, if done as part of a larger wind mitigation strategy.”

Insurance companies in Florida are required to offer objectively measurable benefits to homeowners who install certified wind mitigation upgrades to their homes. According to Florida Statute 267.0629: 

“A rate filing for residential property insurance must include actuarially reasonable discounts, credits, or other rate differentials, or appropriate reductions in deductibles, for properties on which fixtures or construction techniques demonstrated to reduce the amount of loss in a windstorm have been installed or implemented.”

However, it’s up to the insurance company to determine if sufficient wind mitigation upgrades have been made to qualify for the discount. So, they’ll check your home’s permits to see if all the openings have had impact windows and doors installed as well as county inspection records.

If not all openings have impact protection, then the insurance company may deny the wind mitigation discount. 

Should Impact Doors Swing Out or In?

Outswing or inswing? Which is better for an impact door? In an impact entry door, outswing style is definitely the better option for pure wind and forced entry resistance. 

With an outswing door, the door swings to the exterior of the home. When something, whether it’s wind, flying storm debris, or a would-be intruder’s foot, presses on the door from the outside, it’s just pushing the door into the doorstop. With an inswing door, all of that pressure is applied to the door latch and deadbolt alone. 

This means that the outswing door does a better job of dispersing the impact force over a larger area, making it much less likely to fail in the face of extreme outside force. 

Hinges for outswing doors have non-removable pin setups which hold the pin in place with a set screw that can only be accessed when the door is open. 

What Are Impact Entry Doors Made Of?

Impact entry doors can be made of a variety of materials. The most common (and best) option for Florida homes is fiberglass.

Why fiberglass and not wood or steel?

Steel is a common option for commercial applications because of how durable it is, but isn’t generally used for residential homes. This is because steel is not only expensive and heavy, but because it’s an excellent conductor of heat compared to both wood and fiberglass.

Though not as bad as aluminum with its thermal conductivity of 237 W/m*K, carbon steel has a thermal conductivity between 43 and 54 W/m*K (Source: Engineering Toolbox). This is still hundreds of times higher than either wood or fiberglass, both of which have a thermal conductivity below  0.2 W/m*K.

What this means is that a home with a steel front door, in addition to having a heavy, hard-to-operate door, will heat up much more quickly than a home with fiberglass or wood doors.

Wood isn’t generally used in modern Florida homes because of its susceptibility to rotting and pest infestation. If some moisture gets into the wood, it can warp and rot, ruining the door and attracting pests like termites. This compromises both the look and strength of the door.

Fiberglass wins by providing the best combination of thermal insulation, durability, and impact resistance all at once. 

Impact Entry Doors vs Non-Impact: Which Is Better?

If you live anywhere in Tampa Bay, the answer should be obvious: Impact entry doors are far and above superior to non-impact doors. In fact, they may be required by your municipal building codes if you live in a wind-borne debris region (WBD). Which, by the way, much of Tampa Bay is in a WBD zone. 

Impact doors are tougher, better at protecting your home from heavy winds, rain, and forced entry attempts, provide strong insulation, and give you peace of mind knowing that you have solid protection between your home and whatever may be outside.

They are more than worth the extra cost over non-impact doors.

Does Installation Matter That Much for Impact Entry Doors?

Yes! The quality of your install can make or break the efficacy of your impact entry doors. Even the best-made impact doors won’t be able to protect your home effectively if they’re poorly installed. 

For example, say that you get new doors put in, but the installer didn’t sufficiently secure the new door frame to your opening. Even a strong door can get pushed down if the frame surrounding it isn’t firmly attached to the frame of the home.

That’s why it’s important to get your impact door replacement from a company that specializes in installing impact-rated products. One that:

• Is certified as a specialist by the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR).
• Has decades of experience installing impact windows and doors.
• Employs highly trained in-house installation techs and NEVER outsources installs to unreliable third party contractors.
• Is so confident in the quality of their work that they back it up with a lifetime labor warranty.

Protect your home from the worst weather conditions Florida can throw at it! Reach out to Karoly Windows & Doors today to get started!