Rockwood Protective Plates, Edge Guards & Trim
When securing your new doors, it’s important to also think about protecting against damage. Essential door protection hardware provides a shield against scuffs, nicks, weather, and other damage from everyday wear and tear. Your door corners and edges can always look as good as new with the right kick plate or edge guard.
What is Door Protection Hardware
Door protection hardware includes door plates, edge guards, corner guards, latch protectors, kick plates, and any other hardware that secures and protects your door from damage.
Large kick plates can protect doors from scuffs, dents, scratches, and more.
When applied to the surface of a door, door protection hardware prevents damage to the door and the surface finish. Essential door protection hardware is typically found in commercial, medical, and institutional buildings.
Damage comes in all forms, such as scuffs from accidentally kicking a door, or rough use that constantly corrodes your edges. With the right guards and plates in place, your door doesn’t degrade over time.
Types of Door Protection Hardware and Benefits
There are a number of different ways to prevent damage to your doors. Most facility managers have installed a door protection plate. However, there are also guards, strikes, and latch protectors to consider.
Door protection hardware is typically made from metal or plastic. Rockwood essential door protection hardware, such as kick plates and edge guards, are made from stainless steel.
In addition, you may want to install door protection plates and guards with a rating of NFPA 80 Standard for Fire Doors and Other Opening Protectives. These are applied to the bottom 16” of your door panel on one or both sides.
Note: Plates that are over 16” in height can affect fire protection, but these are allowed by fire code inspectors if tested and approved. These doors require a label on the protection plate if the top of the plate is at 16” or more from the bottom of the door.
Protective Plates
Commercial buildings see a lot of wear and tear at the bottom and lower section of the door, which is why protective plates are so popular. You’ll commonly find a protection plate covering either one or both sides of the door, and depending on the type of plate, it can cover most of the lower section to prevent damage.
Protection Plate Width
Typically, protection plates are installed on single doors and sized to be 2 inches less than the width of the door. Placement of the plate depends on the door width, but it’s always centered on the door panel.
When installing plates on a pair of doors, they may be cut to be 1” less than the door panel width.
However, angle kick plates are installed over the enter bottom and edge, as well as the door panel.
Angle Plates
Angle plates prevent damage to the surface of the door as well as the bottom corners. These differ from a regular kick plate because it has built-in corner guards.
Some of Rockwood's best angle plates include:
Kick Plates
When doors are often pushed open with a foot, kick plates offer protection against scuffs and dents. These are attached to the push-side of the door, but you’ll typically find kick plates installed on both sides for high traffic doors in commercial buildings.
Kick plates also can be installed in a variety of heights, ranging from 10” to 16” tall.
Rockwood designs a variety of door plates and kick plates, including:
Shaped Kick Plates
Door Edges
Most door edges are typically applied to the surface, but you may want to mortise into the door so that the edge is flush with the face of the door. However, when surface applied, door ledges can be shaped to overlap kick plates.
See the latest Rockwood door edge plates and more:
Corner Guards
These are L-shaped guards that will protect a single corner of your door edge. There are also caps that are U-shaped and protect both corners of the door edge.
See more information on Rockwood Corner Guards and different corners to match:
- Rockwood 290 & 295 [Square Corners]
- Rockwood 291 & 296 [Rounded Corners]
Edge Guards
Edge guards typically go around the door’s edges. These are made with stainless steel from Rockwood, but you’ll find them in a variety of finishes. These edgers can be L-shaped, U-shaped, mortised, or non-mortised.
When you want to protect the ends of a door panel, you may use a door edge guard. These are especially useful when doors are generally held open or if objects are constantly knocking against the door.
FYI: Do you have a hinge, latch, or bolt that might interfere with a door plate? No need to worry, most door edges have cut-outs for other hardware.
Trim
When you need custom protection and door guards to protect your trim, then you’ll want something that covers your exact dimensions.
Rockwood Custom Strikes
Rockwood creates custom strikes that allow you to specify the exact dimensions, quantity, lip, finish, and screws you need to protect any door system.
Latches
Door protection is also about security, which is why latch guards or latch protectors are also an important piece of hardware for any external doors as well as private or locked entryways.
Latch guards cover the gap where the bolt of the lock is located, so that it’s nearly impossible to sneak any lockpicking tool through the gap.
Outswing doors typically will have a latch protector installed, as these can be installed on the outside of the door and prevents any tampering.
Latch Protectors
Generally, latch guards are made from metal, which is installed on the exterior side of the door. While installed mostly on outswing doors, inswing doors use a different latch protection that’s made from two pieces of metal in a U-shaped design to protect against tampering.
Here are a few of the top Rockwood latch protectors to consider for your door:
Protector Bars
Rockwood protector bars offer more protection for heavy traffic doors. This metal hardware is used to deflect traffic safely away from exit devices, door knobs, levers, and other trim.
These protector bars offer a number of finishes, see all of them by clicking below:
Door Protection Hardware Materials
The best door protection hardware is made with stainless steel. These plates provide the strongest, long-term prevention against damage. However, you’ll also find door protection hardware materials include aluminum, brass, or diamond plate.
Plastic door protection isn’t recommended, but you’ll also find PVC or acrylic door protection hardware.
Thickness will vary depending on the type of plate, but you’ll want a door plate that’sa between .1 and .125” thick for most applications with heavy traffic. Guards are typically around 0.4” thick.
Door Protection Hardware Finishes
To see all finishes, head to Rockwood Protective Plates, Edges, & Trim.
Most door plates don’t come with a custom finish. For kick plates and angle plates from Rockwood, satin stainless steel is the standard.
For protector bars and custom strikes, Rockwood provides a number of door protection hardware finishes. Depending on the type of plate or guard, you’ll find dark oxidized stain bronze, black suede, white suede, and satin stainless steel.
Edge guards and corner guards also have a number of finishes including bright brass, satin brass, satin bronze, dark oxidized satin bronze (oil-rubbed) and satin stainless steel.
Door protection hardware finishes really depend on the type of plate or guard. The gallery below provides links to each product and finishes.
Need help finding the right door protection hardware? Contact Rockwood or see all protect plates, edges, and trim guards.