Preserving the life of your home’s exterior entry doors is important to protect your investment and the interior. It can also help you to keep your home looking good for years. Here are a few easy steps that will extend the life of your exterior doors:
Do a routine checkup.
To start, examine your door’s hinges. Make sure they’re secure and not loose. If they are loose, tighten them with an adjustable wrench or pliers.
Next, check the door’s latch. Does it work smoothly? Is there any rust or corrosion on it? If so, clean it with a lint-free cloth and apply some WD-40 or another lubricant to lubricate the parts that need it most (usually the pins).
Now, look at your weather stripping around the bottom of your exterior door frame. The weather stripping helps keep the air in and bugs out of your home or apartment building. Check for gaps in this seal before you install new weather stripping—you may just need to replace some old strips with new ones!
Use the proper finish and work with the weather.
It’s always important to use a high-quality finish on your exterior entry door. This is a key step to extending the life of your door. A good quality paint or stain will protect your siding from sun damage and prevent it from fading or cracking. You’ll also want to make sure that you choose a finish that is compatible with the environment where you live, as well as one that can handle the weather conditions there too.
In Connecticut, with harsh winters and hot summers, it’s important to get this step right. Please feel free to contact us at any time! We’re happy to lend our expertise in choosing door finishes that are right for you!
Anchor the door to the frame.
You can also anchor the door to the frame. Hinges are a great way to keep your door in place and prevent damage from wind or storms, but they don’t offer much security. To add more protection, you may want to install a deadbolt on your door so that it can be locked with a key—it’s better than nothing!
Another option is using a strike plate by drilling into the frame at each hinge location and screwing in the strike plate. This will keep anyone from being able to force open your exterior doors easily because they’ll have no leverage when trying to pry open the door from its hinges.
Practice proper operation.
Practice proper operation. You can extend the life of your exterior entry doors by practicing proper operation. Always use the right technique to open and close your doors, and make sure you’re using the right key or combination lock. Never force a door open or closed if it gets stuck in mid-operation—this can damage the hinges and other moving parts, leading to rusting that will quickly eat away at them.
Keep the seal tight.
Keep the seal tight. Check the weather stripping around your exterior door at least once a year to make sure it’s still in good shape and hasn’t torn or worn out. If you find damage, replace it right away so that moisture doesn’t get into your house.
Taking care of your exterior doors means they will last longer and stay in better condition
Taking care of your exterior doors means they will last longer and stay in better condition.
We hope that you’ve found this guide helpful, and we encourage you to contact us if you have any questions or need some help with choosing your home’s new entry door!