Atrium Doors
December 28th, 2006
The original Atrium hinged door was introduced about 1976 and was discontinued about 1997. The Atrium name became a common way of referring to any manufacturer that made that particular style of door (like Coke for soft drinks or Kleenex for facial tissue).
Glass Stops
Made out of wood. There are two different outside glass stops used on this door. The profile is different depending if the insulated glass was 1/2 inch or 3/4 inch thick. If the existing glass needs to be replaced the glass stops can normally be removed and reused. Vinyl glass stops In 1988 they used vinyl glass stops for 1 year and had problems. These stops are no longer available.
Lock Hardware:
Atrium used what is commonly refered to as a single point mortise lock. The original locksets were available in a polished brass finish. or antique brass. In the early 1990?s they introduced a multi-point lock.
The door was mortised ( cut out ) and the lock body / case fits into the door. The inside and outside trim plates are installed next, then handles and finally the keyed profile cylinder is installed.
The single point lock hardware is still available in Polished Brass or Chrome finishes.
The Multi-point lock was made by a French company called Ferco. The lock was one continuos piece from the top to bottom and parts are not available. There is an aftermarket lock made by another company that is assembled in 3 pieces. The lock body / case is made to accept extensions to allow for several heights and can be used with several doors, including the Atrium.
Hinges:
The Atrium hinge was 3-1/2 x 3-1/2 inches with a 1/4 inch radius. The original hinges were embossed with the Atrium name and were available in a polished brass or antique brass finish.
Patio Door Screen (sizes are not guaranteed)
The industry has seen different sizes of atrium screen doors. this might be due to slight changes in door designs or possilbly the outsourcing of screens made by different companies at different times. The majority of widths seem to be on the 1/2 inch and heights on the 3/4 inch.
Screen door kits are available in white or bronze finish and can be shipped unassembled / knocked-down (KD) . The KD kits are easier and less expensive to ship and can be taken to most hardware stores for assembly and screening.The original screen door rollers are still available. Patio Screen Roller Internet part # 11086.
Patio Door Screen Track
The original Atrium brand door used a plastic track that was fitted into the oak sill. In the mid 1980?s they changed to an aluminum strip that was screwed to the oak and a plastic cap snapped over the aluminum to give a similar look. This was used to replace the original track that was easily broken.
There are several replacement tracks that will replace either of these. The most common is an extruded aluminum that can be cut to length and installed after removing the original ones.
Threshold / Sill
The original OAK thresholds were replaceable with the new improved aluminum ones. However, the bevel on the new aluminum sill was different than on the oak and required modification. The aluminum sill was discontinued in 1997 is no longer available.
Entry Filed under: Atrium
