Vault Door Mounting Instructions And General Information
Rough Opening
Make your opening a minimum of 5/8" to 3/4" (total) extra room from side to side and 1/2" extra room from top to bottom. Make it a 1/4" larger than that if you do not have much faith in your cement guy. If you ordered a custom sized vault door from our website for a preexisting opening, we automatically reduce the vault to meet your rough opening dimension. When mounted, and the door open, figure a minimum of 9/16" worth of clearance from the bottom of the door, to the floor, so keep in mind the thickness of your carpet, tile, etc, to determine if you need to create more of a threshold.
What You Need to Purchase
For standard size vault doors, purchase 10 anchors that are 1/2" to 5/8" in diameter and 3-4" in length. Custom sized vaults will have a different amount depending on the size purchased. You will also need to purchase high PSI mortar, shims, sledge hammer, roto hammer drill and wedging blocks.
General Mounting Info
If you purchased a Panic Button, make sure it's disengaged (pulled out) while installing. Only engage it when you want to lock yourself inside. You are basically hanging it like any pre-hung door, with the exception that it's too heavy to shift around as easy. It allows total adjustment of the frame to match the hang attitude of the door. There are no flanges, so you can recess the door as far in the opening as your opening depth will allow. Here is a forum where a customer shows how he built his vault room and talks about how he installed his Sturdy Vault.
WARNING!- OUR VAULT DOORS SHOULD NOT BE LEFT OPEN, OR UNLOCKED, WITH CHILDREN UNATTENDED. THIS IS A COMMERCIAL VAULT DOOR AND OUR TOLERANCES ARE VERY TIGHT, WHICH WILL PINCH FINGERS OFF.
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 Once erect, at least one man will need to be on the inside. Position it in the doorway the way you want it. Do not worry about the attitude of the door at this time. Put some marks around the frame on the cement door entry way. Then, you will need a few guys to help open and stabilize the door. The door might drag around the framing when opening at this point, but no worries. You will likely need a pry bar or 2x4 to pry the door up (and out) to a 90 degree angle. To not loose fingers, be cautious of pinch points. As the door swings open, lift and pull the door at the same time, stabilizing the frame. |
 Once open, the door will need support on the outside corner, to help hold it up and to move frame back into the marked position (remember the marks you put on the cement door way). |
 This is a bad example picture, but place an anchor stud ONLY in the frames anchor holes near the top and bottom hinge. Now that the frame is secure on one side, there should be a gap on the other side. If the door doesn't match up, hammer the frame in or out, and then wedge it (with wedging blocks) into marked position. Open and close the door, and check the attitude of the door compared to it's steel frame. Carefully close the door. Once closed, determine which direction you should shim the frame (between cement and frame). If the door is fitting well into the frame, both center locking lugs should engage and disengage with perhaps a little bit of clearance. If these conditions are good, skip to the last pictures instructions. |
 You should be reading this section because the frame may require adjustments with shims. Where you insert the shims will depend on what part of the frame is sticking out. For example, when you shut the door, and the door hits on the top first, and doesn't quite close on the bottom, you would loosen up the top anchor, and slide a 1/8" (or thicker/thinner) shim in between the frame and the wall, and place the shim about an inch away from the upper anchor bolt. Tighten the anchor back up and make sure the frame is fitting good. This may require more tapping with a big hammer and wedging into position. If you have an outswing vault door, adjust the gap in between the frame and door, by removing the square tubing that is located about 4ft up, and in the way of the walk through area. If the door is rubbing on the bottom, loosen the bottom stud, and place a shim all the way across, just below the stud. When you tighten it up, it will drive the frame upward on the open side. |
 Now that the frame is fitting good, go ahead and fill the gap between the frame and cement wall, which should be about 5/8" to 3/4" with high PSI mortar. Let it cure, then remove the wedges, and fill in the wedge gaps with mortar. Test to see if the door open and closes properly. Finish installing the rest of the anchor studs at this point. If you need anymore tips, please give us a call. |
Read the entire instructions before beginning! Be cautious and use good judgment. These instruction are just an outline and installation of the vaults are recommended to be done by a professional. We will not be liable for death, injury, or damage to property. Put the vault into position as shown here. Be sure to have it laid down on some type of support so the dial and handle does not get damaged.