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QBCC 1199847/Family owned, made in Cairns

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Cairns Security Doors
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Cairns, QLD

Security Doors Cairns

Made to measure in Cairns, fitted to your opening, and repaired onsite when the lock or the rollers give out.

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Four security screen ranges can look almost identical in a photo and behave nothing alike once they are fitted to a Cairns opening. This page sets them side by side: SCREENGUARD 316 marine grade stainless mesh, Diamond Grille, PERFGUARD perforated aluminium and Colonial Casting. Everything is made to measure rather than pulled from a stock size, and manufactured here in Cairns by a family owned business trading under QBCC licence 1199847. Each range is set out the same way: what it is tested for, what it costs you in view, and how it behaves in salt air. When you know which one suits the opening, ask us for a measure.

Two storey modern home with security screens enclosing the poolside patio

This page covers three things: a sliding door that will not lock any more, the kind of break-in a locked screen actually deters, and leaving the house open at night for the breeze without leaving it open to the street. Cairns runs a mean maximum of 29.1 C with 9am humidity around 72 percent, so airflow is not a minor consideration, and the Queensland Police Service notes that most break-ins are opportunistic and favour quick, easy entry. Which of the four ranges suits you depends less on the brochure photo than on the opening itself: what the existing frame is made of, how close the house sits to salt water, and how much of the view you are willing to trade. The standard also asks that occupant safety in a fire or other emergency be considered when a window screen is selected and installed, which is a question for the measure rather than the catalogue.

Why Cairns Security Doors for security doors

Start with the difference between a security screen and something that only looks like one. The Australian Standard covering security screen doors and window screens is blunt about it: these products are not intruder proof, and the security you actually get comes from four things working together, the screen, the adaptors and the method of fixing, the locking hardware, and the strength of the existing door or window frame. Screens that fall short of the performance requirements have their own name in the standard, non-security screens, which the trade sells as safety or barrier screens.

There is a check that costs nothing. A compliant screen carries a permanent, legible label naming the maker, the brand name, the statement of conformance and the security level it achieved, placed so it can still be read once the screen is installed. The national industry body's line is that an unlabelled product is not a security door. Two further questions come from the latest edition of the standard: which of its two graded impact levels the system passed, and whether it holds a current salt spray corrosion test, which runs for a minimum of 240 hours on the screen and again on the locksets and hardware. Corrosion testing was not required under the older editions at all, and in a city averaging 72 percent humidity at 9am that is a question worth asking.

The next decision is the infill, which the standard sorts by aperture. A medium aperture has to stop an arm passing through, and a diamond pattern is the standard's own example. A large aperture only has to stop a body, and cast panels are its example there. A small aperture has to stop limbs and most insects, which is where woven mesh and perforated sheet sit. That rule explains the price ladder, and why only the fine infills keep insects out.

Then there is where the house sits. Queensland's cyclone resilient building guidance asks for components, connections and fasteners with higher corrosion resistance than normal on homes close to seawater, and Cairns is a coastal city north of Bundaberg. The stainless steel industry body advises grade 316 as a minimum within five kilometres of the surf, and notes that high humidity tropical air combined with high temperatures makes surface corrosion worse. Around here the fasteners usually give out before the mesh does, which is the practical reason the measure happens at the house rather than over the phone.

You want the opening secured without staring at bars, and you want it to still look right after a few wet seasons

The objection the product page names first is that a screen spoils the outlook: no longer do you need to look at ugly grills, bars or similar obstructions that spoil your view. The second problem is the air. The stainless steel industry body advises grade 316 as a minimum within five kilometres of the surf and warns that hot, humid tropical conditions make surface corrosion worse, and Cairns averages 72 percent humidity at 9am against a mean maximum of 29.1 C. Tea staining is a cosmetic discolouration rather than a structural failure, so a lesser grade will usually keep working while looking neglected, which is the part nobody raises at the point of sale. It also decides how much washing the screen needs to keep its warranty intact. SCREENGUARD is a 316 marine grade stainless steel mesh system in T6 grade high tensile extruded aluminium frames, manufactured and finished in a variety of colours in Queensland, and tested for dynamic impact, knife shear, anti-jemmy, pull and probe. It carries a full 10 year manufacturer's warranty conditional on regular maintenance with SCREENGUARD Powawash, which is less a catch than the normal care for coastal stainless: the stainless steel industry body suggests washing the stainless whenever the window beside it needs washing.

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View from inside a home through black-framed security screens to a tropical garden with palms and a rock-edged pool

Stainless mesh prices the job out of reach, or the opening does not justify it

Diamond Grille is the cost effective option in the range. Under the standard's aperture classes, a diamond pattern is a medium aperture infill, which has to stop an arm passing through rather than a 3 mm probe. That is a genuine security product and a genuine step down in outlook, which is the trade the buyer is actually making. It also means the grille on its own will not keep insects out, so what sits behind it matters in a city that averages 2,025.5 mm of rain a year. Diamond Grille screens are made to measure and use fibreglass mesh as standard behind the grille, which will not rust, rot or corrode. Where privacy is part of the brief, the grille can be paired with DVA one way vision mesh instead. We would rather fit a grille that suits the opening properly than a stainless screen the budget cannot carry.

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The room faces the footpath or takes the afternoon sun, and a clear mesh does nothing about either

In the denser city suburbs and the unit stock, where 15.7 percent of Cairns dwellings are flats or apartments, a screen has to earn its place as privacy and shade as well as security. Perforated sheet is a small aperture infill, so it stops limbs and most insects the way woven mesh does, but it reads as a near solid panel from outside and gives up some of the outlook to do it. PERFGUARD is a 2 mm thick powder coated black aluminium perforated mesh with 40 percent view through, described as corrosion resistant and used on security doors, windows, patio enclosures and for privacy or sun screening. Window grilles and hinged and sliding doors have passed dynamic impact, pull, jemmy, knife shear and probe testing, with the doors tested using three point locking hardware, which the national industry body treats as standard on a security door rather than an add-on. The warranty is 7 years from the date of installation with conditions, three years shorter than the stainless line, and that is a fair thing to weigh.

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Side by side comparison of a garden view seen directly and through black perforated aluminium screen mesh

A period entry or a patio you want closed in, without the look of a plain screen

Colonial Casting is the decorative range, offered in a modern stylish look or a heritage style, for a front door or to enclose a patio. Cast panels are the standard's own example of a large aperture infill, which only has to stop a body passing, so it is a different class of product from a fine mesh, and a large aperture screen may not satisfy the building code's fall prevention requirement where a bedroom window sits two metres or more above the surface below, which is a call for the building certifier on the job rather than the screen installer. Cast alloys carry a materials caution too: the standard's note on the 300 series of aluminium casting alloys is that they have only moderate corrosion resistance and should be used only after weighing the application and the environment. We go through the panel, the finish and the mesh behind it before quoting, including whether fibreglass or one way vision sits behind the casting. Where different metals meet they have to be galvanically compatible or isolated, and near the water the fixings need more corrosion resistance than a standard job, which is a decision made at the house rather than in a catalogue. If the screen is going on an upstairs bedroom window, say so early, because the aperture question changes the answer.

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Five cream cast aluminium decorative security screens across a wide patio door opening

One household, three demands on the same screen: privacy from the footpath, a dog that leans on it, and insects kept out

The infill is the decision most people have not thought about before the measure, and it is where the mesh range answers the two questions asked most often, privacy and pets. One of those answers has a hard edge. DVA one way vision mesh lets you see out while reducing visibility into the house from outside, but it is not considered a security product in itself, so it is combined with a Diamond Grille or Colonial Casting screen rather than used instead of one. The range covers 316 marine grade woven stainless, fibreglass as standard in flyscreens, Diamond Grille and Colonial Casting screens because it will not rust, rot or corrode, perforated aluminium, DVA one way vision, and pet mesh, a stronger thicker fibreglass that gives a little where there are animals or high traffic. The infill gets matched to the room and the household rather than to the price list.

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Close-up of woven marine-grade stainless steel security mesh

The sliding door jumps off its track, the key jams, or the lock has stopped catching

Those are the symptoms customers actually ring about, and they are wear items: rollers, tracks, cylinders, closers and hinges take load every day, and coastal air is hard on the hardware and fixings holding a door square. A security door that will not lock is not doing the job, and for the 35.0 percent of Cairns dwellings that are rented it is also a compliance matter, because Queensland's minimum housing standards require functioning locks or latches on external doors and windows reachable without a ladder, assessed property by property. Most break-ins are opportunistic and favour quick, easy entry, which is what a door that no longer latches offers. Repairs happen onsite rather than coming back as a replacement quote. Pet doors are fitted to existing security doors too, with one thing said upfront: the national industry body's position is that once a pet door is installed within a security door, that door is no longer compliant with Australian Standards, because the opening compromises the security of the door. Plenty of households still choose it knowing that. The alternatives are pet mesh in a high traffic area, or a pet door in a screen that was never a security screen.

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Corner detail of a security screen door showing the mesh held in the aluminium frame

SCREENGUARD 316 Stainless Mesh Doors and Window Screens

Woven 316 marine grade stainless steel mesh in T6 grade high tensile extruded aluminium frames, made to measure for doors, windows and patio openings. Much of the service area, from Machans Beach up to Palm Cove, sits inside the five kilometre band from the surf where the stainless steel industry body sets grade 316 as the minimum, and it notes that hot, humid tropical air makes surface corrosion worse. Cairns averages 72 percent humidity at 9am, so the grade is the thing to settle first rather than the upgrade to think about later.

Ask about stainless mesh
Dark security screens on the sliding door and windows of a white painted brick home with a tropical garden bed

Diamond Grille Security Screens

The cost effective diamond pattern grille, made to measure, with fibreglass insect mesh fitted behind as standard. The grille stops an arm, the mesh behind it stops the insects, and in a city averaging 2,025.5 mm of rain a year the second job counts as much as the first.

PERFGUARD Perforated Aluminium Screens

Powder coated black perforated aluminium sheet, 2 mm thick, for security doors, windows, patio enclosures, privacy and sun screening. 40 percent view through is the honest number: this is the range for a room facing the footpath or copping the afternoon sun, rather than the one to put on the side of the house with the outlook.

Colonial Casting Security Doors

Decorative cast panel doors in a modern stylish look or a heritage style, for a front entry or to enclose a patio. It suits an older Queenslander entry, and because every door is made to measure it can be built to an opening that has long since stopped being square. Ask about the casting alloy and the finish before it goes on a street near the water.

Pair of cream decorative cast security screen doors with a scroll pattern over timber windows

Flyscreens, Pet Mesh and One Way Vision

Fibreglass flyscreen mesh, pet mesh, DVA one way vision and woven stainless, matched to the opening. Fibreglass will not rust, rot or corrode, and pet mesh is the thicker one that gives a little where a dog leans on it or the kids push through it. DVA is the privacy option, and it pairs with a Diamond Grille or Colonial Casting screen.

Open plan living room looking through black-framed security screen doors to a pool and palms

Onsite Repairs and Hardware Replacement

Lock cylinders and complete locks, sliding door wheels and tracks, door closers, hinges, triple locks, patio bolts and pet door fitting, done at the property. 35.0 percent of Cairns dwellings are rented, and on a rented house a lock that no longer catches is a compliance item rather than an optional repair: Queensland's minimum housing standards require functioning locks or latches on all external doors and windows reachable without a ladder, assessed property by property.

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Hinged security screen door fitted over a grey front door on a brick home entry
Licensed, tested, locally made

Credentials you can check

On product claims, ask to be shown rather than told. Request the current test certificate for the range you are weighing up, and read the permanent label on any screen you are quoted, ours included, because the national industry body's position is that an unlabelled product is not a security door. Every door and screen is made to measure rather than supplied in a stock size, which is what an out of square opening on an older Queenslander or a non standard unit reveal actually needs, and there is no showroom and no counter to visit, so the measure happens at the house. The business side is checkable in the same way. Cairns Security Doors trades as a family owned business under ABN 37 916 171 681 and QBCC licence 1199847, and positions itself site wide as local family owned, operated and manufactured in Cairns Queensland. Fabricating and installing security screens and doors is licensed building work in Queensland, with the scope published by the QBCC and the licence register open to the public, so anyone quoting on your door should be findable on it.

QBCC Licensed Contractor
Queensland Building and Construction Commission licence 1199847
Verify this
Tested Security Screens
SCREENGUARD states its stainless steel mesh screens pass dynamic impact, knife shear, anti-jemmy, and pull and probe testing. PERFGUARD adds a probe test, with hinged and sliding doors tested using three point locking hardware.
10 Year Manufacturer's Warranty
SCREENGUARD products carry a full 10 year manufacturer's warranty. Regular maintenance with SCREENGUARD Powawash is required to comply.
Locally Made
Family owned and operated. Doors and screens are made to measure and manufactured in Cairns; SCREENGUARD frames are manufactured and finished in Queensland.

Questions we get asked

How can I tell whether the screen already on my house is a security screen?

Look for the label. A security screen carries a permanent, legible label naming the manufacturer, the brand, the statement of conformance and the security level it achieved, and the national industry body's position is that an unlabelled product is not a security door. If there is no label, what you have is probably what the standard calls a non-security screen, sold in the trade as a safety or barrier screen. Send us a photo of the frame and we will tell you what it is.

Will a security door stop someone breaking in?

No screen is intruder proof, and the Australian Standard for security screen doors and window screens says so directly: what you get is a degree of security for an occupied home, not a barrier. The Queensland Police Service notes that most break-ins are opportunistic, favouring quick and easy entry, and that is the entry a locked screen removes. It only works as a system though: screen, fixings, locking hardware and the frame behind it.

What should the installer check before quoting on my door or window?

The frame. The standard puts an obligation on the installer to assess the strength and suitability of the existing door or window frame, not simply to fit the screen neatly, because a good screen fixed into a tired frame with the wrong fastenings undoes itself. On a coastal house the fixings matter twice over: Queensland's cyclone resilient building guidance asks for higher corrosion resistance in components and connections near seawater, and dissimilar metals in contact have to be galvanically compatible or isolated.

What locking hardware should a security screen door come with?

A three point lock, treated as standard rather than an add-on, is the national industry body's position, because it stops the top or bottom of the door being wrenched open. The standard sets a five pin cylinder as the minimum, with the key not removable unless the door is deadlocked, hinge pins that cannot be pulled out, and tamper-resistant fasteners anywhere they can be reached from outside. Those four points are a fair way to compare two quotes line by line.

Is a security screen required by law on a Queensland home?

No. On a private home a security screen is a choice. What Queensland does require is functioning locks or latches on all external doors and windows of a rental property that can be reached without a ladder, assessed property by property, and the Queensland Police Service phrases security screen doors as something to consider rather than something mandated. A security door that will not lock is a locks and latches problem though, and that is often where our repair work starts.

Are cast panel doors a sensible choice close to the water?

It depends on the alloy and the finish, and it is a fair question to put to any supplier. Casting alloys differ in how well they hold up, and the standard asks that the application and the environment both be weighed before one is chosen. Near the surf the stainless steel industry body's guidance is grade 316 as a minimum, and it warns that hot humid air makes surface corrosion worse. So the answer turns on the specification rather than the range: ask for the alloy and the finish, and we go through that for your street at the measure.

Do you make window screens as well as doors, and are they tested the same way?

Both, and the standard covers security screen doors and window screens together. PERFGUARD window grilles are tested for dynamic impact, pull, jemmy, knife shear and probe, and the hinged and sliding doors are tested the same way with three point locking hardware fitted, which the national industry body treats as standard on a security door rather than an extra. Screens are also categorised by whether they are fixed, movable, removable or both, so say at the measure which windows need to open.

How are your security doors tested?

SCREENGUARD stainless steel mesh doors are put through dynamic impact, knife shear, anti-jemmy, and pull and probe testing. PERFGUARD window grilles and hinged and sliding doors pass the same set plus a probe test, with the doors tested using three point locking hardware. Ask us for the current test certificate for whichever product you are considering and we will pass it on.

What warranty comes with your security doors?

SCREENGUARD products carry a full 10 year manufacturer's warranty, and the warranty card is provided at the time of installation. Regular maintenance with SCREENGUARD Powawash is required to keep that warranty valid. PERFGUARD products carry a 7 year warranty from the date of installation. Conditions apply to both, and we will go through them with you.

Can you repair my existing security door?

Yes, and we repair onsite. The common jobs are replacing a lock cylinder or the complete lock when a door will not close properly or the key jams, and replacing the wheels or track work on sliding doors that bounce, jam, or jump off the track. We also replace door closers, hinges, triple locks and patio bolts.

Related services

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Tell us the suburb and what you need measured. Every door and screen is made to measure, so the more detail you give us the more accurate the quote.

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Need security doors?

The useful next step is a measure, because the frame a screen fixes into decides how much of the tested performance survives the installation. Ask us to bring the current test certificate for whichever range you are weighing up, stainless mesh, Diamond Grille, perforated aluminium or cast, and to read the permanent label with you while we are there, because an unlabelled product is not a security door. Call (07) 4057 5443 or 0456 622 443, or use the quote form to list the doors and windows you are thinking about and the ranges you are comparing.

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