Do Pull-Up Bars Damage Door Frames? (Somewhat!)

During the pandemic of Covid 19, fitness fanatic popularized the use of pull-up bars and maintain their right shape to keep immunity scores as high as possible. Exercising with a high intensity tool like this is actually pretty awesome. Until you discover a small crack in the door frame.

Before you ask do pull up bars damage door frames, know that there are several factors to consider for concluding the answer! Typically, there is a chance that it will occur due to weight, cheap quality of bars, weak construction of the frame, wrong fitting, and so on.

So if you are fearing such sort of harm to your door frames, verifying is the best thing to do. In that purpose, I’ll share the reasons of potential damages plus ways to identify them. I will also proceed with ideas to prevent them, and help you install the pull-up bars in the right way.

Is Your Pull-Up Bar Causing Damage to Your Door? Find Out Here

It’s possible that the door frames will get damaged when using pull-up bars. It probably happens due to 6 reasons which I’ve mentioned below. Scroll down to read:

Overweight

The door frames in a house have a specific limitation to hold the weight which is up to 250 – 300 lbs. (90 – 130 kgs). That’s how much weight can a door frame hold!

If you put the pull-up bars on top of the door frames, then they will start to bear more loads than the limited amount (equipment weight + human weight > door frame weight).

You might not see the outcome of overload instantly but the door frame will eventually get damaged.

Quality Of Pull Up Bars

A lot of times the quality of equipment can cause the door frames to become damaged quickly. To understand it better, check the hooks and pull-up bar quality.

If these seem strong and offer better support to be fitted on door frames, then the damage level will be less than cheap quality pull-up bars.

Material Of Door Frame

Another reason the door frames face harm when using pull-up bars is the material. If the door frames are made of plastic or weak elements and you put the pull-up bars, then they will show bad surface issues.

Then again, the door frames built out of wood or metal material will cause no serious issues (but 1 mm scratches) if using the pull-up bars.

Incorrect Installation

During the fitting process, a lot of folks make mistake by not considering the instruction manual or doesn’t pick the right spot to insert the new equipment.

And, the wrong installation of pull-up bars causes the door frames to get severely damaged which is visible.

Number of Nails Used

Since most use up to 3 – 4 tiny nails to secure the door frames, they are considered fragile. Due to the frame’s weakness, they still can hold the pull-up bars.

Even though they might seem okay for a short-term while, the door frames will eventually show damage like big cracks over time.

This happens when the weight of bars creates torque directly that hugs the door frame. It will go on through the human force (when you start to do pull-ups).

Other Reasons

The door frames can get damaged if not using the right type of pull-up bars. Most folks suffer after deciding on the equipment and fit on the frames. You need to think of the width and depth of the door frames before using any pull-up bars.

Moreover, folks who don’t use protective pads in the equipment and attach them to the frames get to face massive damage on the surface.

How To Know If The Pull-Up Bars Are Damaging Door Frames

There’s a simple trick that helps to detect whether the pull-up bars damaging the door frames or not. Here’s how you can figure out:

• Go near the pull-up bars on your door frames (one after another). If you haven’t installed them yet, then go ahead and insert them.
• Perform 10 – 20 pullups and then take a break.
• Note the edges of the pull-up bars to find small cracks or dents. If you find some, it indicates that the equipment is damaging the door frames.
• Inspect the paint over the frame. If it seems damaged, that means the equipment is slowly harming the door frames.
• If you hear a crack or breaking sound from the door frames during pull-ups, this indicates the bars harming them deeply.

Keep Pull-Up Bars Away From Damaging Door Frames!

• Think of the weight limit of door frames to use the right type of pull-up bars on top of them.
• Get quality pull-up bars that are well-known for their performance like the Iron Gym Pull-Up Bar. This kind of quality equipment will make less harm to the door frames.
• Ensure to install the pull-up bars are in the right way to prevent damage to the door frames.
• Consider the nail numbers and material used to construct the door frames to understand how bulky or lightweight pull-up bars can be used on top of them.
• Buy proper size pull-up bars that match the width and depth of the door frames of your house.
• Use 2 protective pads, washcloths, or rags on the edge of pull-up bars that meets the door frames. This will prevent the corner side of the equipment from harming the frames.

Learn How To Install Pull Up Bar Without Damaging Door Frame?

• Place the added safety wedge in the mid-point of (includes on the package) the top door frame opening side. Secure it with screws if needed. Just be sure it is fit on the hinge side of the door opening in a secure way.
• Then, align the bottom edge of the plastic bag in the safety wedge.
• After that, put the pull-up bar down until the edges of the bottom side rest on the top of the door frame. Try to pull the equipment to know if it is placed properly or not.
• Next, ensure the pull-up bar’s 2 foam end pieces sit on the opposite side of the door frame. They should rest against the two sides of the molding. Done!

Wrapping Up

So do pull-up bars damage door frames? I hope you have an explanation in your mind now.

But keep in mind, it’s certain that pull up bars are not strong enough to break the frames. It may cause some minor issues. Despite that, no one would like their door frame showing cracks, dents, or peeling due to home workouts with pull-up bars.

To prevent that, you should follow the correct way of installing the equipment and take actions where it’s possible and prevent bars from damaging the frame. Good Luck On That!