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Why choose a pivot door?

How to create a luxurious feeling from the first moment you step inside a home? With a pivot door, of course. Here to show you its features, functionalities, and the design details that ease installation are the Modern Craftsman podcasters. In this video, Tyler Grace and Nick Schiffer give a closeup look at our Pivot Door, which is the finishing touch on a condo project by Mullen Building.

The takeaway: A pivot door operates on a pivot box, rather than on hinges. This allows for larger sizes and functionality that’s more like that of a commercial door, as Grace notes. This means it has a smooth and easy operation to match its showstopping good looks, and that’s not all it has going for it.

Keep reading for details on specifying this door, installation tips, and links to more resources.

Beauty to match your design

The doors in this project have a contemporary feel with a large expanse of glass and a nearly flush installation that almost creates a floating effect. But you can also customize our Pivot Doors to match your project’s design, since they come with an array of options. Here’s what you should know:

Sizing: Our Pivot Doors can be up to 16 feet tall with just a single piece of glass.
Materials: Choose from an all-wood door, all-aluminum door, or aluminum-clad wood door.
Finishes: More than 50 exteriors colors are available along with custom colors. Other options include anodized aluminum and a variety of wood species.
Hardware: Made to match the luxurious feel of these doors and create effortless operation, there are an array of hardware styles and finishes available, including designer hardware from FSB^®.
Configurations: Single and double Pivot Doors are available and can include integrated sidelights. In addition, you can also create a pivot wall with multiple doors joined together.

Find more selection details via the link below.

Get the Pivot Door info sheet

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Performance you can trust

In Conway, New Hampshire, where this project is being built, doors need to keep out rain and snow, that’s why they chose a high-performance water management flush sill. Whatever your local conditions, our Pivot Doors can perform in a way that meets your needs. Here’s what you should know:

Sills: Various sill options are available, including those that help units certify to PG60,* those designed to meet ADA/FFHA requirements, those that have a high-performance flush sill with water management, and more.
Glass: All of our low-emissivity (Low-E) glass coatings are available. It’s also possible to get triple-pane glass with up to two Low-E coatings added.
Coastal performance: Our Stormwatch® protection is available as an option, as is impact-resistant glass and monolithic laminated glass.

More details on performance are available below.

^{*Performance Grade (PG) rating will depend on the exact size and configuration chosen.}

Coastal Pivot Doors

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Design to ease your install

There are a few features designed into our Pivot Doors that make for an easier installation. Here's what you should know:

Screws at the top of the frame making pluming the pivot point easy. Adjustments are made at the top of the frame where two screws can be used to move the pin that connects with the door panel. One screw moves the pin up and down and a second screw moves it from right to left. One tip shared in the video was lining up a laser with the bottom pin so it’s easy to see where the top pin should go. And don’t forget to retract that top pin before installing the panel — this gets it out of the way during that critical moment.
Jacking screws take the place of shims to ease proper frame installation. When dry fitting the frame into the rough opening, the jacking screws are extended in place. Then, #10 screws are threaded into the jacking screws and embedded 1½ inches into the rough opening. And don’t forget that the closer box has built-in leveling screws and a bubble level to aid in installation accuracy.
The closer box makes it easy to adjust for optimal operation. The closer box allows for independent adjustment of both speed and power, so you can achieve the correct closing speed and latch. We recommend 5 to 7 seconds to go from a 90° open position to closed. After adjusting for speed, check the latch. The side adjustment gears on the closer can help the panel latch, as opposed to changing speed and power. Adjust ¼ turn at a time, and keep in mind that if large temperature changes occur, the closer may need to be readjusted for speed and power.

A couple of other installation tips to keep in mind include:

Adding a strip of painter’s tape at the top and bottom of the panel and marking on the tape exactly where the pin will insert makes it easier to install the panel into the frame.
The screws that control the top pin can be adjusted left or right, post construction. So, if you run into any weatherstripping or latching issues once the dust has settled, it’s easy to adjust for perfect operation.
It’s essential to know your finished floor height before installation so your threshold lines up with it correctly.

Ready for the nitty-gritty details?

Pivot Door installation instructions

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chris galvin doing a podcast with modern craftsmen

chris galvin doing a podcast with modern craftsmen

DON'T MISS OUT. LISTEN IN!

Andersen &
Modern Craftsman

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More about this project

Part I

Inside a panelization project
How to install a window in a panelized wall with exterior insulation? The Modern Craftsman podcasters are taking us for a behind-the-scenes peek at the process of building panelized walls for a new high-performance condo project by Mullen Building.

Learn more

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Pivot Door

Builder

Installation

High performance

Multifamily residential

Product Details