Door warranties

Terms vary enormously by manufacturer and by product line within the same manufacturer, so do not rely on any general article — including this one — for what your specific door is covered for. Ask for the actual warranty document for the exact model before purchase, not after.

The questions that matter: how long does the product warranty run, and is the length different for the slab, the glass, the finish and the hardware (it often is)? Does it cover parts only or parts and labor? Is it transferable to the next owner, and does transfer require registration or a fee? What is the claim process, and does it require the original installer?

On the labor side: how long does the installer warranty their workmanship, is it in the contract or just spoken, and what happens if that company goes out of business? Many door failures are installation failures — water intrusion, an out-of-plumb hang — and those are the installer's, not the manufacturer's.

Common exclusion categories worth asking about explicitly: finishing requirements (many wood and some fiberglass warranties require the door to be finished within a set period and maintained on a schedule), exposure limits (some warranties are reduced or void without an overhang), storm doors (a storm door over a dark, sun-exposed door can cause heat build-up that some manufacturers exclude), and homeowner-supplied or self-installed units. Ask about each one by name; do not assume.

How to choose

Ask for the warranty document before purchase

Get the PDF for the exact model and line. Terms differ between product lines from the same brand, and a summary in a brochure is not the warranty.

Get the labor warranty in the contract

A spoken workmanship guarantee is worth nothing. Written length, and what it covers, belongs in the signed document.

Ask specifically about storm doors and overhangs

Heat build-up behind a storm door and lack of an overhang are two of the most common coverage exclusions. Ask before you add either condition.

Check transferability if you may sell

Some warranties transfer, some don't, some require registration within a window. It's a small selling point and a fast question.

Register the product immediately

Some coverage depends on registration within a set period after installation. Do it while you still have the model numbers in front of you.