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QBCC 1199847/Family owned, made in Cairns

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Cairns, QLD

Security Doors in Machans Beach

Made to measure security doors, screens and onsite repairs for the detached houses of Machans Beach, between the Coral Sea and the Barron River.

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Machans Beach sits on a narrow strip with the Coral Sea to the east. Background sources put the Barron River along its southern boundary, reaching the sea between Machans Beach and Aeroglen, with Redden Creek running from the Barron as a second outlet. Salt reaches a house here from more than one direction, and tropical humidity keeps it wet on the metal rather than letting it dry off. At the 2021 Census, 90.4 percent of occupied dwellings were separate houses and none were flats, so the openings here are house doors and windows rather than unit entries. Screens and doors are made to measure rather than to stock sizes, and we repair locks, rollers and tracks on doors already fitted. Book a measure.

Two storey modern home with security screens enclosing the poolside patio

Ask which screen on a Machans Beach house will mark first and most people point at the one facing the water. It is often the opposite, and which openings the rain actually reaches turns out to matter as much as which way they face. In a locality where 90.4 percent of occupied dwellings are separate houses and 69.2 percent are owner occupied, that is worth knowing early, because the person choosing the screen is usually the person still looking at it in ten years. This page covers what the salt here actually does, which screens it reaches, and what keeps them sound.

Why security doors matters in Machans Beach

Three things put salt on the metal of a Machans Beach house, and they do not take turns. The Coral Sea is on the east side of the locality. Background sources describe the Barron River as forming the southern boundary and reaching the sea between Machans Beach and Aeroglen, with Redden Creek running from the Barron as a second outlet, Barr Creek to the north and the Captain Cook Highway to the west; the Queensland gazetteer records the Barron River and Redden Creek among the features associated with the locality, and O'Shea Esplanade as the beachfront road inside it. No street here sits far from open water.

What turns that into a corrosion problem rather than a scenic fact is the humidity. Sea salt stays wet down to a very low relative humidity, so the surface it lands on stays wet and keeps corroding for longer, and high humidity such as a tropical climate combined with high temperature creates worse conditions for tea staining. The nearest long climate record, the Bureau of Meteorology station at Cairns Airport immediately south of the Barron mouth, gives mean 9am relative humidity of 72 percent across the year, rising to 78 percent through February, March and April, with a mean maximum of 29.1 degrees. Salt film plus warm damp air is the mechanism, and here it runs for months at a time.

That is the argument for grade rather than for price. ASSDA states that grade 316, or a grade with equivalent corrosion resistance, should be selected as a minimum within about five kilometres of the surf, and that lower alloyed grades such as 304 or 430 will probably become tea stained or suffer more severe corrosion in a marine environment. Our SCREENGUARD screens use 316 marine grade stainless mesh on T6 grade high tensile extruded aluminium frames, manufactured and finished in Queensland. Where the mesh is fibreglass rather than metal, as it is behind Diamond Grille and Colonial Casting screens and in flyscreens, that infill will not rust, rot or corrode, though the frame and the hardware around it still sit in the same air.

Brown speckling on stainless mesh that looks like the screen is rusting

ASSDA describes tea staining as discolouration of the surface of stainless steel by corrosion, most common within about five kilometres of the surf and progressively worse closer to the marine source. Sea salt is what aggravates it, because it stays wet down to a very low relative humidity, so the surface stays wet and keeps corroding. It reads as structural failure and it is not. ASSDA states that tea staining is a cosmetic issue that does not affect the structural integrity or the lifetime of the material. Owners who read the marks as the end of the screen replace something that needed washing. We specify 316 marine grade stainless mesh in SCREENGUARD screens, which is the minimum grade ASSDA nominates within about five kilometres of the surf, rather than a lower alloyed grade more likely to stain. We will also say plainly that correctly specified 316 can still mark near open surf, and what to do about it when it does.

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

The screens that mark first are the ones the rain never reaches

ASSDA states that poor drainage promotes corrosion, that conditions are very aggressive in rain sheltered areas such as the underside of sloping roofs, downpipes under eaves or a building rain shadow, and that areas which are sheltered or not rain washed are particularly susceptible. The Cairns Aero station records a mean annual rainfall of 2,025.5 mm, and none of it lands on a screen tucked under a deep eave. Owners inspect the water facing elevation and leave the sheltered side alone, which is the side quietly holding salt. Designs with corners or crevices can trap water and lead to corrosion more serious than tea staining, so the detail matters as much as the direction. At the measure we walk the whole house rather than the wall facing the water, and flag the openings sitting in a rain shadow so the wash routine can be aimed at them instead of spread evenly.

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A key that jams, a handle gone stiff, a slider that bounces or jumps the track

These are the moving, crevice heavy parts, and ASSDA states that designs with corners or crevices trap water and lead to corrosion more serious than surface staining. The Queensland Reconstruction Authority's building guidance also asks for components and connections with higher corrosion resistance than normal on homes close to seawater, and Cairns is coastal and north of Bundaberg, the geography that guidance describes. The mesh can be sound while the door has stopped doing its job, because a door that will not close or lock properly is not a locked door. On a door that is otherwise sound the fix is the hardware rather than the screen, and it is done at the house instead of being quoted as a replacement. Send through what the door is doing, in the words you would use on the phone, and it usually identifies the part before anyone arrives.

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A warranty that quietly stops applying because nobody mentioned the washing

The SCREENGUARD stainless system carries a full 10 year manufacturer's warranty, and regular maintenance with SCREENGUARD Powawash is required to comply with it; PERFGUARD carries a 7 year product warranty from the date of installation, with conditions applying. In a salt loaded location the condition is the part that gets forgotten. That condition is not a manufacturer being awkward. ASSDA independently states that stainless steel is low maintenance but not maintenance free, that a light and regular wash is the right habit and natural rain washing may be sufficient, and if not, to wash the stainless when you wash an adjacent window. We go through the maintenance condition at handover rather than leaving it on a card, and we pass on the washing method ASSDA publishes: soap or mild detergent and warm water followed by a rinse with clean cold water, and never abrasive cleaners or anything containing chlorides or bleach, which damage the surface.

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SCREENGUARD 316 Marine Grade Stainless Mesh

Woven 316 marine grade stainless steel mesh security screens and doors on T6 grade high tensile extruded aluminium frames, manufactured and finished in Queensland in a range of colours. 316 is the grade ASSDA nominates as a minimum within about five kilometres of the surf, and lower alloyed grades such as 304 or 430 are the ones it expects to tea stain or corrode more severely in a marine atmosphere. On a Machans Beach house with the Coral Sea on one side and the Barron on the southern boundary, that is the specification to start from rather than the upgrade to think about later.

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

Diamond Grille

The diamond pattern security screen, and the cost effective option in the range. Diamond Grille is the cost effective option in the range. Where it earns its place at Machans Beach is on the openings that are not the showpiece: laundry doors, side entries and rear windows. A separate house has a lot of those, and with 90.4 percent of occupied dwellings here being separate houses, covering all of them in stainless is not always where the money is better spent. Fibreglass insect mesh sits behind the grille as standard and will not rust, rot or corrode.

PERFGUARD Perforated Aluminium

2mm perforated aluminium mesh, powder coated black, around 40 percent view through, suiting security doors, windows, patio enclosures, privacy and sun screening. PERFGUARD is the option for an opening you want screened without being on display: around 40 percent view through and powder coated black, so it reads as a dark panel from outside while you still see out. On a beachfront road such as O'Shea Esplanade that matters most on the front elevation. Its grilles and doors have passed dynamic impact, pull, jemmy, knife shear and probe tests, and the manufacturer describes the mesh as corrosion resistant, which is a product description rather than a promise about marine corrosion.

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

Colonial Casting

Decorative cast security doors in a modern or heritage style range, used on a front door or to enclose a patio. Enclosing a patio is the common job for this one, and it is worth knowing what an enclosed patio creates: a roofed, largely rain sheltered space, and rain sheltered areas are where ASSDA says conditions are very aggressive and significant tea staining occurs. Screen the patio by all means, then put it on the wash list rather than assuming the roof looks after it.

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

Flyscreens and the Mesh Range

Flyscreens plus the full mesh range: 316 marine grade woven stainless, fibreglass, perforated aluminium, DVA one way vision and pet mesh. Fibreglass mesh is the standard in flyscreens, Diamond Grille and Colonial Casting, and it will not rust, rot or corrode, which counts for something in this air, though the frame and hardware around it are a different question. Pet mesh is the thicker fibreglass with a little give, for households with pets or a high traffic door. In a locality of 462 dwellings that are almost entirely separate houses, the back door is usually the high traffic one.

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

Onsite Security Door Repairs

Onsite repair of existing security doors and screens: lock cylinders and complete locks, sliding door wheels and tracks, door closers, hinges, triple locks, patio bolts, and pet doors fitted to existing doors. With 69.2 percent of Machans Beach dwellings owner occupied, most doors here have been lived with for a while, so the first question is usually whether the hardware can be replaced rather than the door: a jamming key, a broken handle, a slider that bounces or jumps off the track.

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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

The product facts are the ones to check first here. SCREENGUARD screens are 316 marine grade stainless mesh on T6 grade high tensile extruded aluminium frames, manufactured and finished in Queensland, and they have passed dynamic impact, knife shear, anti-jemmy, pull and probe testing. PERFGUARD window grilles and hinged and sliding doors have passed dynamic impact, pull, jemmy, knife shear and probe tests, with the doors tested using three point locking hardware. If you want the test documentation for a particular product line, ask and we will get it. Everything is made to measure rather than supplied in a stock size, and the business is family owned, operated and manufacturing in Cairns. QBCC licence number 1199847 is displayed in the header and footer of our own site and can be looked up on the QBCC online licence search, and Cairns Security Doors is the trading name of a Queensland sole trader, ABN 37 916 171 681, active since October 2013 and registered for GST since January 2020, with Cairns Security Doors and Cairns Security Doors and Windows both registered as business names.

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

Will 316 stainless mesh still rust at Machans Beach?

It should not rust through, but near open surf it can develop tea staining, which is brown discolouration on the surface. ASSDA calls tea staining a cosmetic issue that does not affect the structural integrity or the lifetime of the material, and says it occurs most commonly within about five kilometres of the surf and worsens closer to the marine source. That is why 316 is the grade to specify here: lower alloyed grades such as 304 or 430 are expected to stain or corrode more severely in marine air. Washing keeps it off.

How should I wash security screens on a house this close to the water?

Soap or mild detergent and warm water, then a rinse with clean cold water. Never use abrasive cleaners or anything containing chlorides or bleach, because they damage the surface. ASSDA treats it as a light and regular habit rather than a big job, and suggests a practical trigger: wash the stainless when you wash the window next to it. On openings the rain actually reaches, natural rain washing may be sufficient on its own. Washing is what removes the salt deposits that cause the corrosion in the first place.

Will a security screen wreck the outlook?

It is the objection the business answers on its own product page, and it is a fair one on a strip this narrow: you should not have to look at ugly grills, bars or similar obstructions that spoil the view. Woven stainless mesh is the fine option, so a screened opening keeps the outlook rather than framing it in bars. Where privacy or the afternoon sun matters more than the view, PERFGUARD perforated aluminium reads as a dark panel from outside while you still see out. Which one suits which opening is worth settling at the measure, because on most houses the front and the back do not get the same answer.

Does being near the Barron River mouth change anything on a beachfront street?

It adds sources rather than changing the mechanism. Background sources describe the Barron River as forming the southern boundary of the locality and reaching the sea between Machans Beach and Aeroglen, with Redden Creek running from the Barron as a second outlet, and the Coral Sea on the east side; the gazetteer records the Barron River and Redden Creek among the locality's features. What compounds it is humid air: sea salt stays wet down to a very low relative humidity, and high humidity with high temperature creates worse conditions for tea staining. The nearest long record, at Cairns Airport just south of the river mouth, shows mean 9am humidity of 78 percent from February to April.

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.

Are your security doors made to measure?

Yes. Every door and screen is made to measure rather than bought off the shelf, and it is manufactured here in Cairns. SCREENGUARD aluminium frames use T6 grade high tensile extruded aluminium, manufactured and finished in Queensland in a range of colours. Get in touch to arrange a measure for your doors or windows.

Which Cairns suburbs do you service?

We service Cairns and the surrounding areas. That covers the northern beaches from Machans Beach up to Palm Cove, the northern suburbs around Smithfield, Redlynch and Freshwater, the Cairns city suburbs, and the southside through to Gordonvale. Check our service areas page for the full list of suburbs, or call us to confirm your street.

Nearby suburbs we cover

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Need security doors in Machans Beach?

If you are choosing a screen for a Machans Beach house, ask at the measure which of your openings the rain never actually reaches, because that is where the wash routine has to be aimed rather than spread evenly. If you already have screens and one has started to stiffen, stain or jump its track, ask about a repair first: that is done at the house rather than quoted as a replacement. Call us or send the quote form and we will come out to measure, anywhere in the locality from O'Shea Esplanade to Machan Street. There is no showroom, so the measure happens at your own doors and windows.

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