Iron and steel doors are known for their strength and durability. In general, people buy these doors for their security first and their looks and other benefits second. Once installed, these doors can amazingly last more than 30 years! However, just because they’re strong doesn’t mean you can neglect taking care of them.
Maintaining your iron and steel doors is relatively simple once installed, especially compared to other doors. But what about when it’s not installed? You could have plenty of reasons for transporting or temporarily storing your doors. For example, maybe you’re moving homes and want to bring your door with you, as you know it’ll be a good fit for your new house. Make your doors last by properly caring for them when you need to store or move them.
Packaging and Shipping Iron and Steel Doors
Transporting anything runs the risk of having that item being damaged during the journey. Although wrought iron and steel are rigid materials, mishandling these doors while shipping them can cause them damage. Taking suitable precautions when packaging iron doors and packaging steel doors will significantly reduce the risk of your door being broken during travel. Also, ensuring that the actual shipping is being done carefully will nearly guarantee the sound arrival of your iron or steel doors.
Transporting the Doors on Your Own
Packaging and moving the door on your own is undoubtedly the most cost-efficient method of shipping your door. However, it’s essential to take the utmost care with the actual packaging and transporting, as it would be a tragedy for your door to get damaged in the process.
Safety First
Iron and steel doors are heavy and unforgiving and can easily hurt you if they fall on you. That’s why multiple people need to pack and move these doors at a time. You should have at least three able-bodied persons available for lifting the door, but four people would be preferable. Also, each person helping lift these doors must wear steel-toed boots to protect their feet from getting hurt.
Package with Care
How well the doors are packaged can make a big difference in how well they can handle rougher care during travel. While a poorly packaged door may dent relatively easily during a bumpy journey, a well-packaged door should be able to sustain being tossed around in a truck full of other items for quite a while.
There are plenty of ways you can package an iron or steel door well, and how you want to do it may primarily depend on the materials you can most easily get your hands on. Generally, it’s advised to have your door wrapped in many layers of protective paddings, such as bubble wrap, plastic film, and cardboard. It’s also a good idea to have the wrapped door placed in a wooden crate designed explicitly for the door. This will help prevent it from moving around a lot and directly bumping into other objects.
Drive Safely
While you should always be driving carefully for your own safety, taking extra care while on the road with your packaged doors will help you make sure they arrive in the same condition they were packaged in. This could be as simple as just leaving a bit of extra space between yourself and the cars in front of you so that you’re less likely to need to brake quickly.
Letting the Professionals Handle It
If you don’t want to deal with the trouble of shipping iron doors or shipping steel doors yourself, or you’re just unable to for any reason, you always have the option of letting professionals arrange that for you. What’s essential here is to research shipping companies in your area so you know you’ll be hiring someone who will actually take care of your package rather than just throw things around carelessly. Also, always get insurance! You never know what can happen during shipping, and your iron and steel doors are valuable. Many shipping companies can also manage the packaging for you, lessening your own hassle even more.
Storing Iron and Steel Doors
Although their materials are slightly different, the requirements are the same for storing iron doors and storing steel doors. The best way to make them last is to keep them in conditions that are perfect for iron and steel.
Storing Them in the Right Conditions
Because iron and steel can oxidize, it’s essential to keep iron and steel doors away from moisture and salt. This means storing them in a dry environment that is well ventilated. A controlled temperature room is also important, as high heat in an enclosed space can create condensation, which will make the doors wet. Additionally, it’s a good idea to cover the doors to prevent them from getting dirty. But be careful with what you’re using for a cover; a non-vented plastic or canvas can create humidity traps that damage the doors.
Where to Store Iron and Steel Doors
While many people would immediately opt to store their doors in their basements, that’s actually not an ideal location for iron and steel doors. Basements are humid by nature, and holding your doors there can lead to them rusting. You can take care of the rust if this happens, but it would be better to store your doors in a more ideal location. A dedicated storage area that’s dry and ventilated is the best option for your door. If you keep your basement dry, such as with a dehumidifier, that would be an okay environment.
If you don’t have anywhere perfectly suitable for your iron or steel doors, that’s okay as well. In this case, you need to check on your door every so often to ensure it isn’t rusting. If you find you are having an issue with some rust, there are some steps you can take to prevent that from happening even in a humid room. Aside from that, the best thing you could do is to regularly clean your door, even while in storage, to help maintain it for the long term.
Bighorn Iron Doors Ships and Handles with Care
If you’re in the market for a new iron or steel door, you can rest comfortably knowing that we treat our products with care at Bighorn Iron Doors. Our iron and steel doors are stored in the best conditions for them, and we always package them with enough padding to keep them safe. To be extra careful for you, we choose a trusted shipping company that we know will be unlikely to harm your specially crafted door.
At Bighorn Iron Doors, we pride ourselves on quality craftsmanship and quality customer service. Contact our friendly team to learn more about iron and steel doors and how you can order your own custom made door.
