Doors are a crucial addition to your home. They offer privacy and security to various spaces. Like any other element in your property, you expect your door to serve you for many years. However, this isn’t always the case. Your doors will need repairs and replacements after some period of time.
However, it doesn’t mean you can’t achieve longevity with your doors. There are practices you can adopt to extend their lifespan. These are discussed in this article, so read on!
1. Address Issues In Their Early Stages
It’s easier to handle issues when they’re minimal, unlike when they’ve already blown out of proportion. Apply the same concept to your doors.
Door parts to check regularly include hinges, handles, jointing, air leaks, etc. A hinge could be loose or missing some bolts—in such cases, make sure to replace and tightly secure them. In terms of handles, different types require different maintenance needs. You can first read a recommended article online about door handles to get to know them better. This way, you’ll know the best maintenance practices for your door handles at home.
Suppose your door has sealants in some sections, and the sealant is losing its adhesive property. Consider reapplying the sealant on the affected areas. For air leaks, seal them using weather-stripping materials to prevent insulation issues in your space. Should your door creak when opening, lubricate the hinges using oil for smooth door opening and closing.
By addressing minor door issues in their initial stages, you prevent them from being extensive, avoiding an entire door replacement. A complete replacement is more expensive than minor repairs.
2. Handle Your Door With Care
How you handle your doors will determine their longevity. Wrong handling and your door will cease function, defeating its purpose in your home. In most cases, mishandling your doors means banging or kicking them during opening and closing.
The repercussions of banging and kicking are that the hinges might become loose, or the doors might chip, especially if they’re wooden. Thus, consider adopting door closers and stoppers to prevent banging. Door closers will assist in closing, especially if a door experiences high traffic. On the other hand, door stoppers prevent doors from hitting the wall in case of a forceful opening. These accessories will minimize, if not eliminate, door injuries due to impact, increasing longevity.
In addition, it’d help sensitize your household members to the importance of proper door care. Adequate sensitization will reduce and eliminate rough door handling.
3. Eliminate Moisture
Eliminating moisture is a maintenance technique if you have wooden or painted doors. Moisture is an enemy of wooden components, in this case, your doors. Prolonged exposure to moisture will make your doors absorb it, causing them to swell. In extreme situations, your wooden doors might warp, with others rotting if they aren’t sealed adequately. On the other hand, moisture causes the paint on your doors to peel off. This increases the maintenance needs of your doors.
You can use a moisture meter to measure your space’s humidity level. If the levels are high, reduce them using a dehumidifier and ventilating your space.
4. Regularly Clean Your Doors
One of the simple ways of maintaining your doors for longevity is cleaning them. The aim is to prevent dirt accumulation that could stain your door surfaces. Otherwise, the stains will affect your doors’ beauty, and their removal might tamper with the doors’ finishes, requiring you to replace them.
You can choose to clean your doors weekly and monthly, or quarterly. Weekly cleaning should only involve dusting with a piece of dry cloth; monthly and quarterly cleaning, on the one hand, requires cleaning solutions. What’s great is that you can easily make a homemade cleaning solution that’s as effective as a store-bought one.
As you use cleaning solutions, it’s crucial to understand your door type, especially concerning its finish. Some solutions might be too strong that they’ll interfere with your door’s finish. For instance, a chlorine bleach solution isn’t ideal for a wooden door. It might cause its brown appearance to fade, affecting its aesthetics. Instead, use mild solutions with dish soap; they won’t alter your doors’ features.
Conclusion
Ensuring the longevity of your interior and exterior doors is as easy as ABC. This article has divulged how to go about it so you can care for your doors the best way possible. In situations where you aren’t sure what to do, consider seeking the Internet’s help or hiring an expert to address the issues. These experts know the best solutions for your door issues, eliminating a wrong diagnosis that could worsen the doors’ condition.
Author’s Bio: Kimberly C. Bock is a construction enthusiast with a degree in construction management. She runs a small interior design company, where she does renovation projects for clients and advises them on best practices to adopt in their homes. During her free time, Kimberly loves cooking and reading a good book.