If you plan to start your own company building, selling and/or installing screen doors, first learn about screen doors basics and your competition to make sure you're offering consumers an in-demand quality product. Screen door suppliers offer screen doors to meet the needs of just about any home or business, so you should get familiar with all the options.

As a screen door supplier, seller or maker, you can target homes and businesses in need of security screen doors, retractable screen doors, sliding screen doors, old-fashioned wooden screen doors and screen doors for garages. While the garage screen door business remains small, it's definitely a market to exploit. Consider the following as you begin your research:

1. Warranties vary widely among screen door makers and providers, ranging from 30 days to life time, so earn customer trust with the best warranty policy you can afford.

2. Opt for charcoal-colored screens on your doors, and avoid screens of other colors since they tend to look dirty when used outdoors.

3. Avoid hidden costs with your screen doors by letting customers know the quoted price includes/doesn't include the door, installation, inspection, screen, threshold, lockset, delivery, weather stripping and any other service or material needed.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Learn about your competition's screen doors

You might decide to manufacture or sell custom security screen doors for homes and businesses. Retractable screen doors, growing in popularity during the last several years, present another possibility. Many screen door suppliers and manufacturers also deal with window screens and/or storm doors, so keep that in mind as you develop your complete product line.

I recommend: Local or chain home improvement stores carry basic screen door styles and could make for tough competition, but some smaller companies, like Columbus Aluminum Screen & Door also prefer focusing on simple screen doors and sliding screen doors. Others, like Garage Door Screens, specialize in one type of screen door. This particular screen door manufacturer/seller offers standard and custom garage door screens for self-installation. Southeast Retractable Systems focuses on retractable screen doors with a patented system ensuring doors retract fully without slamming or trapping fingers. Security screen door manufacturer Titan offers customers a traditional or laser-cut security screen door.

Identify services/guarantees of other screen door makers and suppliers

Before you set policies regarding services/warranties/guarantees, find out what your competitors are doing. You'll find some are successful without adding any extras, while others go out of their way to meet or exceed customer expectations.

I recommend: Old Goats doesn't accept returns for any custom designed wooden screen door, but does allow returns for standard doors. Vendors, not the screen door maker, handle hardware warranties. In addition to creating different types of screen doors (sliding, swinging and roll-away), the California Screen Door Company designer/creator of its Everlast1000 Sliding Screen Door System promises screen doors custom made and professionally fitted for each customer, free home delivery and installation (within local service areas) and free shipping/handling for customers located outside its service areas. The company also pledges to buy back a sliding screen door, no questions asked, from any unsatisfied customer.

Add installation instructions for screen doors to your company website

Many screen door sellers and manufacturers include dealer training or customer instructions for installation on their websites. While you might offer installation as a service, consider adding instructions on your website to assist those preferring to save on installation costs or customers who live outside your local area.

I recommend: Secret Screen offers step-by-step instructions with links to pictures and drawings for installing its screen doors that pull down from a small housing above eye level. Peekaview Screens offers measurement instructions and links to installation instructions for their different doors.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Possibilities for adding screen doors to small businesses, warehouses and manufacturing facilities abound, so consider creating/distributing a promotional flyer illustrating creative ways to enhance those companies with screen doors.

Screen doors serve a wide variety of purposes. They can allow the circulation of air while keeping insects outside, provide extra security or increase light levels, all while maintaining a decorative effect for your place of business.

Screen door makers are as various as the doors they sell, so you need to know specifically what you need and the best choices for getting it. You probably already have a good idea of what you want, but there may be benefits or helpful aspects of screen doors you haven't thought of. Consider these hints to finding the product you need to improve and secure your place of business:

1. Consider your building's structure when choosing screen doors.

2. Find the security screen doors that give you the best peace of mind.

3. Be aware of the aesthetics of any screen door you purchase.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Weigh your screen door options based on the functional architecture

Be aware of your choices. Are you looking for sliding screen doors or traditional swinging doors? Retractable screen doors will need adjacent wall space in which to slide, so make sure you have that room. A swinging screen door will most likely open opposite the regular door it is attached to, so make sure that space is open. Many screen door makers also supply double doors. The kind of screen door you want will depend on the layout of your building.

I recommend: If your architecture requires retractable screen doors, Larson has several choices as well as information about installation, and Alpine Screens has an online measurement tool you can use to check your building's door dimensions. Wizard also has retractable doors and has a dealer locator so that you can find suppliers in your area. Screendoors.com features hinged, primarily wooden screen doors and has pricing information to give you an idea about your costs.

Secure your business' safety with a protective screen door

Not all screen doors are flexible mesh. Many are built for security, made of sturdy metals and with heavy locks to better protect your business and its assets while remaining decorative. They are usually in the category of swinging doors, fitting into the door frame outside the regular door and providing an extra level of protection. Increase your confidence in the safety of your business by installing one of these security screen doors.

I recommend: Titan Security has a variety of security screen doors to choose from, and also has a "Build Your Door" function where you can design custom security screen doors, choosing your own color, design and hardware. Columbia Manufacturing also stocks several different choices that you can evaluate to pick the security screen door that fits your needs.

Keep the looks of your business in mind when choosing screen doors

Screen doors are all designed to look good, but you still have to consider the look of your existing building and decide what doors will match its decor. Consider material, color, style and design. Will wooden screen doors match it? If so, would a full-view or half-view door look better? Do you want a traditional ranch-style design or something more modern? If you have it custom-made, consider incorporating a company logo or some other relevant representation into the design.

I recommend: You can evaluate various styles of screen doors at Screentight or the Wooden Screen Door Co. Also, if a wooden door is what you're looking for, you can find some tips on selecting the right one at Touchstone Woodworks, where you can also get a price quote for your choice.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Take all appropriate measurements, such as the door frame and any existing door thicknesses and hinge placements, before contacting any screen door suppliers. That way, you can have them readily available to give to the representative.

Whether you are installing wooden screen doors, security screen doors, sliding screen doors or standard screen doors, having the right tools, resources and know-how to properly install the door can save you time, energy and money. There are many tutorials available to help walk you through the process of installing a screen door, and watching, reading or following along to what those resources shares can help make your process go much smoother.

Some people can read written instructions and easily install their own screen doors, while other require drawn out diagrams. Others do better viewing streaming video content that walks them through the entire process step by step. Whichever method works best for you, there is a wide variety of screen doors installation education and training materials available to you.

1. Start with screen door suppliers and the instructions that they offer.

2. Move to television show screen door installation resources.

3. See what other screen door makers have to add.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Find easy installations instructions from screen door suppliers

Screen door makers can supply do it yourselfers and small business owners easy to follow instructions for screen door, security screen door and wooden screen door installation.

I recommend: Check out the screen door instructions and tips from Screentight Better Board. Screen King also offers screen door installation and sliding screen door replacement instructions and diagram help. Screen door maker Old Goats also offers helpful and easy to follow instructions for the installation of screen doors.

Use television resources for finding screen doors' installation instructions

Many television programs offer video or step-by-step instructions that follow along with their television programming for the stay-at-home viewer of their programming, in this case installation of screen doors. Take advantage of advice from the experts, and see how the professionals use a hands on approach to making their finished product look complete.

I recommend: Take advantage of the video available on screen door installation from BobVila.com. From HGTV.com, Steve Watson shows a homeowner about installations of screen doors.

Find even more resources on installation of screen doors

Locate additional resources on screen doors education and training from additional vendors.

I recommend: Find out the basics of wooden screen door installation from Screen Door Blog.Org. Use the sliding screen patio door instructions from DiDIORGIO for their EverLast Sliding Screen Door.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  When using online videos of installation of screen doors, don't be afraid to pause the video stop it mid stream in the middle of your project to let yourself get caught up. They are experts at what they do and obviously are much faster than you. Go at your own pace, and don't rush yourself. You may also look to see if there is a written transcript of the video as well.