Airbrushed figurine

A four-step PCA proprietary process used to hand-paint aluminum cast figurines.

The process starts with a coat of automotive primer, followed by a base coat, then the figurine is airbrushed by an artist; the last step in the process is three coats of clear coat.

Albright In-Swing Handle

The screen door handle designed by PCA to be used when your door needs to swing in to an area, rather than out (often used to avoid a door swinging open over stairs). The Albright In-Swing Handle is named after the Albright Grove loop trail, found in the Smoky Mountain National Park located near PCA Products.

Astragal Kit - French Door

An astragal is a piece of hardware that is used on a pair of doors to seal the gap between the doors when they are closed.

PCA’s exclusive French Door Astragal Kit allows you to open both doors leaving no obstructions in the opening. And with no center post, you can easily move furniture in and out and have a larger entrance for accessing outdoor patios or entertaining.

Flush Bolts located at the top and bottom of the Astragal are easy to operate and provide a quick and effective way to open and close your “fixed” screen door.

BIM

Building Information Modeling (BIM) is an intelligent 3D model-based process that gives architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) professionals the insight and tools to more efficiently plan, design, construct, and manage buildings and infrastructure. PCA Products has a Revit Library to provide BIM support and help architects make better design decisions, improve building performance. We put our leading screen door designs in the library. These screen doors, and related BIM content, are ready to meet the most stringent project specifications.

Brick molding

Exterior trim that is used on all types of doors whether the house is brick or not

Bug sweep

Located at the bottom of a screen door; designed to seal the gap between the bottom of the door and top of the floor or threshold in order to keep bugs out

Bug sweep channel

Aluminum adjustable U channel material that mounts to the bottom of the screen door; it provides a means to seal the area under the screen door when a slope exists or the floor is uneven

Bug sweep wool pile

Premium wool pile material used in a bug sweep; it seals better than vinyl and allows the screen door to open more smoothly

Build My Enclosure tool

An online tool designed by PCA Products that allows a user to design a custom front entry screen enclosure

Butt Hinge

Individual hinges used to mount a screen door. Not as secure as using a Full Length Piano Hinge. They are commonly found on residential doors. They are generally used in sets of threes or fours, they are mortised into both the door and the frame and joined together with a pin.

Casting

The process used to create durable decorative components as in the Finial, Scrolls and Figurines. See also Sand Cast Aluminum. "Casting" is also referred to as "sand mold casting." It is a metal casting process characterized by using sand as the mold material.

Closer Tube 

A tube that retracts the screen door into the closed position automatically

Closer tube bracket

A bracket that attaches a closer tube to the screen door

Complete Packaging

A particular and specific benefit of PCA Products is that the screen door and all of the necessary installation components come shrink wrapped together in a single package. There are no parts required to be purchased as with other screen doors. Everything is included for seamless installation.

Corner Braces

Decorative braces mounted on the corners of the door as on the Cottage screen door add structural strength and beauty.

Door jamb

The vertical portion of the door frame onto which a door is secured

Entry Screen Door

An Entry Screen Door is a screen door that is situated within the same framework as the front door itself. This could include porches, patios, pool cages, garages or home entry doors.

EZ Pull handle

A handle that opens with a simple pull motion; the EZ Pull handle was designed by PCA Products to be easy on the hands, especially for those suffering from arthritis

EZ Strike

A screen door latch that can be installed without any fasteners, speeding up the installation process. It is the latch portion of the EZ pull handle that attaches to the door jam.

Filler strip

A strip of trim material necessary if a void is present behind the face of the Z-bar when installing a screen door on exterior door trim

Finial - Die Cast

A Finial is a distinctive ornament at the top, end or corner of an object. On PCA screen doors a finial is a die cast decorative tip, installed at the top of a picket or sidelight.

Flush bolts

Flush bolts are the lever-operated pins in a French door astragal that protrude from the top and bottom of the stationary door to secure it in place

French door astragal kit

Used in French door installations to secure the stationary door in place when not in use

Front Entry Screen Enclosure

A Front Entry Screen Enclosure is a front porch style entry or a vestibule type front entry enclosed with a screen door or screen system that may include sidelight and/or a sunburst. This term is primarily used in Florida as the style of homes often feature a vestibule area prior to the main door.

Grease pencil

Writing tool made of hardened wax

Hold open washer

A washer that slides onto a closure tube providing a means to temporarily "hold open" a screen door

House Proper

The main entrance to a home that does not include an enclosed area, and does not include areas such as a garage, patio or front entry screen enclosure.

In-swing bracket and closer tube

A specially designed bracket used when a closer tube is required for in-swing applications; without this bracket the closer tube would be installed on the outside of the screen door

Jamb bracket

A bracket that attaches a closure tube to the door jamb

Kephart screen door deadlock 

Kephart Deadlock - A screen door lock that can be opened with a key from the outside or a twist knob on the inside.

Key cylinder

The key lock mechanism used in the Tasman double keyed locking security handle

Kick Plate

By adding a screen porch kick plate or screen enclosure kick plate panel to your screen door you help keep dust and dirt out of porches and enclosures and add a design feature. Kick Plate Accessory

Kick Rail

The heavy aluminum extrusion at the top of the Kick Plate if Kick Plate has been installed.

Magna Pet Door

Brand name of the pet doors used in PCA screen doors.

Mortise

A mortise is a hole or recess cut into a part designed to received a corresponding projection on another part so as to join or lock the parts together. A mortise lock is a lock that requires a pocket—the mortise—to be cut into the door or jamb as with the Tasman Security Lock Upgrade.

Nature door series

Handcrafted line of PCA screen doors which feature various nature figurines for decorative purposes (Click here to see the collection)

Night lock 

Sliding pin used to lock the EZ Pull handle from the inside

No-see-ums

Very small biting insects which can get through most screen mesh

Piano hinge 

Sometimes referred to as continuous hinges, they run the entire length of PCA screen doors; they feature a pin joining two leafs, one attaches to the door and the other to the door jamb

Powder-coated scrolls and spears

Decorative aluminum castings and finials that are powder-coated by hand

Pushbar

Horizontal cross member that is just off center in a screen door, as seen on the Westmore A-500 screen door.

Sand Cast Aluminum

Sand casting, also known as sand molded casting, is a metal casting process characterized by using sand as the mold material.

PCA uses only sand cast aluminum for all of its decorative accents for durability – no plastic. This includes Corner Scrolls, Victorian Scrolls, Finials and Figurines.

Self-Locking Screen System

PCA's screen system engineered to lock the screen in place when pressure is applied, which has been tested to hold over 550lbs of pressure. See an example of our Self-Locking Screen System. In PCA screen doors this means that the screen actually gets tighter with applied pressure.

Side expander

U-shaped aluminum extrusion that slides onto the hinge side of the screen door providing adjustment in the width

Sidelights

Present in some front entry screen enclosures where the opening is wider than the screen door; the vertical sections of the enclosure to the right and left of the screen door. Sidelight details.

SNIB

The catch that holds the bolt on a lock. In PCA products it is the small toggle on the inside of the Tasman Security handle. Its function is to allow the handle to be locked or unlocked quickly from the inside without the use of a key.

Stationary door

In a French screen door installation, there are two screen doors, one is the operable or primary screen door used and the other is the stationary door (which can be secured in place with the PCA Astragal kit)

Stile

The vertical members of the screen door frame. They combine with rails at top and bottom to complete the door.

Strike

The latch portion of EZ Pull handle that attaches to the door jamb

Sunburst

Sometime referred to as a transom, it is the area above the screen door in a front entry screen enclosure

Tasman security lock

Lever style security handle that features a double key locking mechanism

Tek screws

Self-drilling screws that don’t require a drill bit to be used before installing

Threshold

The bottom of the doorway

Thru-Lock System

Thru-Lock System – exclusive manufacturing process for connecting two intersecting (cross members) ¾” square aluminum pickets, very strong and clean in appearance. Used in many screen door styles that we offer: The Mediterranean, Broadway, Bourbon Street, Ocean Avenue, Falling Water and Embassy collections.

Z-Bar

Z-shaped material used when installing a screen door in a door opening, it provides a stop for the screen door to close against

Z-Bar Notch

A notch that allows two Z-bars to join in a corner