When you choose our pre-install service, hardware is attached to the doors before they are shipped to the jobsite. This makes installing the doors much easier and can save you time, money, and headaches. We’ve compiled and answered some of our most frequently asked questions about pre-install.

What can you expect when shipping pre-installed doors?

LaForce uses dedicated shipping methods to eliminate potential damage caused at transfer stations. Since we control the shipments, there is less wait time and more flexibility to receive your doors right when you need them. While there is a cost for this service, there will be no surprises; it will always be accounted for in your pre-install quote.

What items can be pre-installed?

When it comes to door hardware, we can pre-install exit devices, locksets, electric locksets, hinges, closers, flushbolts, kickplates, and overhead stops. As for electrified hardware, we can connect and test all the wiring for exit devices, electric strikes, programmable locks, special applications, and accessories. Door hardware with locations that are determined by field conditions (sweeps, surface door bottoms, astragals, etc.) are not pre-installed.

How do the doors get into the building?

Just like slab door deliveries, the building will determine how the doors are unloaded; loading docks, double doors, and large windows make the process much easier. Our skids are custom engineered to be accessible on all 4 sides, making delivery quick and easy. Typically, the pallets are off-loaded with a skyjack or forklift and the doors are individually loaded in groups of three onto drywall carts. Although this may initially require more trips, you will still be saving time by not having to make multiple trips to the hardware room while cross-referencing the door schedule.

What field labor is needed to install a pre-installed door?

This is also determined by the jobsite, but we usually estimate around 1-1.5 hours for each door to get from the truck to hanging in the door opening. This is less than half the estimated 4 hours it takes to field install a door that does not already have the hardware pre-installed.

Does pre-installation take work away from carpenters?

No, because pre-installed doors still require time for hanging, shimming, adjusting, and attaching hardware that cannot be pre-installed. However, because pre-installed doors take less time and manpower to install, you can swing more doors per day with fewer people. Less installation time and fewer hands on deck means you can better allocate certain resources to other tasks on the jobsite.

What if the hardware is missing or doesn’t operate correctly upon delivery?

Our pre-installers quality control check each door before loading it onto the pallet. An installer is responsible for signing off on the completed door before it leaves LaForce’s shop. Human error can happen, and if it does we will send an installer to the site to correct the issue or arrange to have the issue fixed in the field at your convenience.

Will pre-installed doors help me pass a field inspection?

With an increase in manufacturers doing their own field inspections, LaForce guarantees you will pass, and the building owner will receive the hardware warranty.

Does pre-install help frame installation?

To be installed efficiently, pre-installed doors must be installed into a correctly installed frame. Pre-installed doors still need to be shimmed and adjusted per SDI recommendations.

If you have any other questions about pre-install that weren’t answered, check out these other blog posts for more information: Pre-Installed Hardware: How It Saves Time and Money and Pre-Installed Hardware: Save Time, Save Money. To get started with pre-installation, contact us today!