Hurricane Reinforcements

Did you know that over 80% of damage to homes starts with wind entry through garage doors? Your garage door is the largest and weakest opening in your home. FEMA recommends that your door be reinforced even before shutters are installed on your windows. Your existing garage door can be reinforced to be as strong as a new door for a fraction of the cost. As with anything, there is a correct way and incorrect way to reinforce your garage door.

Incorrect methods:

Using 2x4 lumber or angle iron - These are simply not strong enough.

Backing a vehicle to the door - This will result in having your door buckle in and wrap around your vehicle.

Vertical braces - These braces sold by the shutter companies and hardware stores are not designed to be used independently, but to be used in conjunction with lateral reinforcements.

Our reinforcing method:

We first begin by ensuring the lumber the track is attached to is securely anchored into the block or wood-frame walls.

Install two additional jamb brackets to each track to anchor the track to the lumber.

Install new heavy-duty rollers to prevent the door from being pushed out of the tracks.

Install 3" structural reinforcements to each panel to supply the main strength of the system. This is the key element in the reinforcement of the door. We install one brace per panel for 100 m.p.h. reinforcement, and two braces per panel for 130 m.p.h. reinforcement.

Install new heavy-duty galvanized springs to properly counterbalance the door with the additional added weight.

Install heavy-duty hinges on each end of door and secure with 8 screws per hinge.

This is a complete package, which must be installed properly and as a whole in order for the true protection to be achieved. Be aware of our competitors who install smaller reinforcements, no jamb brackets or rollers, or claim they can "re-tension" your existing springs.

Our reinforcement package does not cause any extra strain on your automatic operator. In fact, with the new springs and rollers installed, there is less flex and drag from the door, resulting in easier opener operation.

Vertical post reinforcements can be used in addition to our permanent hurricane package. The posts provide additional strength, but have to be manually installed before a storm and renders the door inoperable until they are removed. Our permanent reinforcements will provide up to 130 m.p.h. of protection in the event you are not home or unable to install the vertical posts. When the posts are installed, you can have the peace of mind knowing your garage door will withstand any category wind-speeds. And when your garage door can survive a hurricane, you dramatically increase the odds of your home still standing after the storm.

Doors with windows can still be reinforced. There is simply not enough wind that can enter through broken windows to cause the updraft to remove your roof. We offer free no pressure estimates and demonstrations for our Hurricane Reinforcement Packages. More hurricane Health & Safety information can be obtained from FEMA and the Florida Division of Emergency Management.