What is a Retractable Door?

What is a retractable screen door? It's the product that put Heartlands on the map but has actually been around since the 1920s. I've heard there are some original units still in use too! It fills the need to have screens on an opening when you want to let fresh air in, without having them be there when you don't. It's especially useful on French doors, where you might have done without screens in the past.

Basically, retractable screens work in a similar way to the old roll up shades many of us grew up with. An extruded aluminum housing is mounted on the side door frame. A pull bar with a handle, is attached to the screen which is attached to a spring loaded tube inside the housing. Tracks are mounted on the top of the door frame and inside a sill adapter at the bottom, and the pull bar, followed by the screen, glide through those tracks. On the opposite side, a magnet is mounted which catches and holds to a magnet hidden inside the pullbar. When not in use, the screen is protected from the elements and is out of sight whenever you don’t need it. In the case of a French door, there are units mounted on either side of the door frame and the pullbars meet in the middle, secured by hidden magnets inside each pullbar. It's a great solution for a front door where you think a screen door is unsightly or would block an attractive door or the beautiful wreaths you hang there year-round. A retractable screen is also a great solution for a sliding glass door. How often have you been frustrated by that sliding screen that sticks and is ever present on one side or the other, blocking your view? On sliding glass doors, the housing is mounted in the center where the frames overlap, out of sight.

Heartlands sells and installs the Clearview brand of retractable screen door which has a patented, hydraulic speed reducer, ensuring the doors retract without danger of a slamming return. The housing is powder coated and available in 11 different colors. You can also get it with a super screen that is resistant to pet claws and other punctures or solar screen which can block up to 60% of the sun's heat. Watch for our upcoming discount during the HBA Home Show and through the month of March!