Heritage and decorative security doors for character homes

The short answer: choose the pattern, then check the label

Style and security are two separate questions, and a door can pass the first and fail the second. You'll see a decorative door every time you walk up the front steps, so the style deserves real thought, but it tells you nothing about what the door is made to stop.

The National Security Screen Association (NSSA) says the term security door can only be used if the door can be shown to meet the Australian Standards. Its test for buyers is blunt: if the door isn't labelled, it isn't a security door. The NSSA adds that a barrier or safety door does not meet the same safety and performance testing and standards.

So on a heritage entry, work through the questions in order. Which pattern suits the house? Is that exact product tested and labelled? What sits behind the panel for insects? How will the finish cope with salt air? And does your address sit in a character area?

Common decorative patterns: scroll, filigree, geometric and arched

The Colonial Casting catalogue plates we choose designs from fall into a handful of families:

• Scroll patterns, with curling motifs across the panel.
• Lattice and filigree patterns.
• Geometric designs, some of them arched at the top.
• Panels with a mid-rail motif, a band of detail across the middle of the door.
• Doors with leadlight glass panels set into the design.
• Designs sized for sliding door openings, so a patio slider can match the front door.

What a decorative panel does, and what sits behind it

A decorative panel is the security layer, and the mesh behind it does a different job. In a Colonial Casting door, the cast panel at the front carries the security work. The fibreglass mesh fitted behind it, standard on our cast and grille screens, is there to keep insects out. On its own, that fibreglass would only be an insect screen.

The Australian Standard for security screens shows why the second layer is needed. It sorts infills by the size of their gaps. Woven wire mesh and perforated sheet are small aperture, where nothing thicker than a 3 mm probe gets through. Diamond screens are medium aperture and must stop an arm. Cast panels are one of the standard's examples of large aperture, which only has to stop a body.

That class says nothing about insects, which is where the fibreglass comes in. It won't rust, rot or corrode. For privacy as well, DVA one way vision mesh can be paired with a Colonial Casting panel. We fit DVA combined with a Colonial Casting panel rather than on its own, so the panel still does the security.

Cast panel, grille or stainless mesh: look, view and limits

A cast panel gives the most decorative look and woven stainless gives the clearest view, so the choice turns on whether you want the door to be seen or to fade back. A diamond grille sits between them.

Colonial Casting is our decorative range, with cast panels in modern and heritage designs for a front entry or to close in a patio. Its limit: of the three, a cast panel sits in the largest aperture class in the standard, so the fibreglass behind it is essential, and the pattern stays in your outlook every time you look out.

Diamond Grille is the cost effective option in our range, a visible diamond pattern rather than a fine mesh. Its limits are that the diamond is a geometric pattern rather than a period motif, and like a cast panel it needs fibreglass behind it for insects.

SCREENGUARD is the stainless mesh system we make our stainless doors with. Its owner, Darley Aluminium, supplies the system to security fabricators rather than selling it flat packed, and we measure, make and fit the door. It's the woven 316 marine grade stainless people choose when keeping the view matters, and SCREENGUARD states its hinged doors keep views, natural light and fresh airflow without compromising security or insect protection. Its limits are that there's no decorative pattern to echo period detail, and SCREENGUARD makes its warranty conditional on a care schedule, covered in the salt air section below.

PERFGUARD perforated mesh is another range we build with.

The NSSA lists decorative steel, aluminium grille, perforated aluminium sheet and stainless steel mesh as security door infills. Every door we make is built to measure, so a cast front door with stainless on the back slider is a fair way to split the house.

Matching the door to the house: proportion and colour

A door matches the house most easily when it's chosen standing in front of the house, which is why colour, finish and range get decided at the measure, against your walls, roof and frontage rather than a catalogue page.

Start with proportion. Openings in older Cairns houses are rarely square. That's why each of our doors is measured on site and made to that exact opening, rather than trimmed down from a stock size.

Then colour. SCREENGUARD states its frames are powder coated in Dulux and Interpon colours. For Colonial Casting and Diamond Grille, the colour is chosen at the measure against your trim. Settle it before the door is made, and ask how a later repaint would affect the finish and warranty.

Salt air and upkeep: ask about the alloy, then wash on a schedule

A decorative door near the sea lasts better when the materials suit the setting and the finish is washed on a schedule. The Australian Standard for security screens notes that some aluminium casting alloys have only moderate corrosion resistance, and should be used only after weighing the application and the environment. So the alloy question is worth asking before you buy.

For stainless doors, SCREENGUARD sets the schedule. It states its 10 year warranty runs from installation provided its care and maintenance schedule has been kept, and that regular maintenance with SCREENGUARD PowaWash is required to comply. In its severe or coastal band, 5 km from coastal or marine areas, that means maintenance every 2 weeks. For stainless, the Australian Stainless Steel Development Association (ASSDA) notes that sheltered spots rain doesn't wash are particularly susceptible to tea staining.

For powder coated cast panels and grilles, A&L Windows, a window and door maker, gives cleaning guidance for its own powder coated aluminium. It isn't written for security doors, but it's a useful comparison. A short owner checklist:

• Ask which alloy the panel is cast from and what finish is on it, and get the care and warranty terms in writing.
• Near the water, ask about the fixings: where different metals meet, they need to be compatible or kept apart.
• On powder coat, A&L Windows suggests warm water and a non-abrasive, pH neutral detergent on a soft cloth, sponge or soft brush, then a good rinse, and no solvents, caustic or abrasive cleaners.
• A&L Windows also suggests the sprinkle setting on the hose, aimed downwards, rather than a strong jet.
• On stainless, SCREENGUARD says to avoid abrasive pads, scourers and steel wool, and to keep the bottom track and drainage clear.
• On stainless, give extra attention to doors under a deep verandah or behind heavy planting, where rain rarely washes the salt off.
• If you're choosing stainless mesh within five kilometres of the surf, ASSDA's minimum is grade 316 or a grade with equivalent corrosion resistance.
• A sagging door or a lock that won't catch is a repair job, not a cleaning one.

What sets the price of a decorative door

Every door is quoted after a measure at your property, because each one is made to that opening and there's no showroom or stock size to price from. Within our range, Diamond Grille is the cost effective option and Colonial Casting is the decorative one.

If you're weighing up a cast front door against a plainer one, ask for both in the same quote.

Character areas and council rules: check your address with council

Cairns Regional Council is the place to check whether character rules touch your house, and the answer depends on the exact property. Council maps neighbourhood character areas under CairnsPlan 2016. Freshwater, for example, is Neighbourhood character area 6, one of twelve across the region. Our Freshwater security doors page sets out what council has written about that area.

To see what applies to your own address, use council's CairnsPlan 2016 Property Report tool. It gives a summary of the zones, local plans and overlays that apply to a specific property, with maps. Council is clear that the report is for general reference only. It doesn't replace a Planning and Development Certificate or professional legal or town planning advice.

We don't tell anyone they need approval for a screen, and we don't lodge planning applications. If you're also thinking about closing in a verandah or patio, take that question to council before you book a measure.

Next step: book a measure and quote

To get a price for your entry, request a quote through the form on our contact page or give us a call, and we'll book a measure at your place.

At the measure, we'll go through colour, finish and range against what's already there, then measure the opening and make the door to that measurement in Cairns. Still weighing up a grille against stainless? Our guide to diamond grille and stainless steel mesh compares the two.

Keeping an old decorative door a while longer is an option too. We replace lock cylinders and complete locks, plus door closers, hinges, triple locks and patio bolts.