Hey everyone! I'm located in California and I've run into some confusion regarding fire-rated doors. My contractor mentioned that a fire-rated door is needed between my garage and my living space. However, since this door would be in my living room, I'm curious if it's possible to install a frameless design that consists of a 20-minute fire-rated slab door with concealed fire-rated hinges, a door closer, and an aluminum jamb. My local door dealer insists that I must buy a complete pre-hung assembly, which has those prominent spring hinges, for it to be considered "fire-rated." I've checked the codes, and they seem a bit conflicting—especially since it looks like I could use a solid wood door since I have fire sprinklers. Are solid wood slab doors even available, or just solid core ones?
2 Answers
You might also want to consider if the door is classified as interior or exterior since that can influence your requirements. When we replaced our door, we used standard interior doors since they didn’t have thresholds. Since you're remodeling, it may be wise to consult your fire inspector to ensure you're adhering to the latest codes, especially since they might require specific types of installations.
From what I’ve gathered, the fire rating actually hinges on the entire door setup—the door, frame, hinges, and closer all need to meet the standards. Unfortunately, going with a frameless door or hidden hinges might not satisfy those fire rating requirements. While solid core doors could be an option because of your sprinkler system, solid wood doors are pretty hard to find. Pre-hung fire-rated doors are generally the safest bet for such installations.