Free Doors repair information

How to take care of an old friend

Have someone help you take the door off the hinges. Doors are generally heavy or at least awkward to move or lift. Set up some sawhorses with either a towel on each one or a piece of clean carpeting, so that you don't scratch the doors surface when you lay it down on them! Old Carpenter's trick!

Cohb Ireland Doors (Cove)

Look at the bottom of the door. Is it worn or is the rubber gone on the seal or door bottom that is screwed to it. If so take it off by unscrewing it. Take it to the warehouse store and match it up. You will see many kinds and colors so just get what you would like that is at least the same length ( if longer it can be cut off with tin snipes or a hacksaw) and make sure it is about the same thickness the other one was originally. Then cut it to length and screw it back on unless the door needs to be sanded and painted or stained. Do those things first.

Old Doors

If you have an old door that has side pieces that can be moved but will go back tight when taped with a block of wood and a hammer.

Always use a block to tap on, never hammer on the wood itself, it will damage it. If you can move the side style out just enough to get some exterior wood glue in the crack between them and put a clamp on it until the glue sets up and lightly sand it and seal , stain or paint it to match what is already on the surface of the door. It is a good time to change the color if you want something different. If you don't have a clamp that is long enough then you can use a strap that you can adjust or tighten. Another way is to screw a block of wood to the sawhorse on both sides of the door and then tap a wedge or shingle between the door and the block to tighten up the piece you fixed and let it dry!

Just Some of Many Exterior Doors

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These Are Standard 6 panel Doors Above. They are Pre-Primed and Pre- hung at the Factory.

Southwest Pine & Copper Doors

Doors like this can be ordered. It was made from pine and has copper inlays on the exterior to add a southwest look to the home. Well worth the money if you want it to fit the motif.

Fiberglass Doors

These are a very good doors but can be cracked if hit hard enough. That is fairly unlikely to happen. Now there are kits that you can purchase and stains that can be used to make them look just like wood. If on the hot side of the house they have been known to wrap a little and then they will have a closing problem. But those problems don't happen very often. Paint or stain them a light color for best performance!

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Planked Outside Doors

One of the most important parts of your home today are the exterior doors. They can be made of hardwood, (Oak, maple, birch, teak, cocoa, birdseye maple, walnut and many more) or Soft wood, (pine, fir, poplar, etc.). Now there are the metal, PVC and fiberglass type also. They may be painted, stained or raw if your weather will not damage it. Some climates just weather the door and that is the look of that area. I know in Arizona they like to just put tongue oil on their doors and give it the natural look and in places like Colorado they have to put lots of sealers on them, because of the cold climate or the door will come apart.

Check out the condition of your doors

Check out the exterior of those doors at your home, look at the bottom of the doors, if it is wood of any kind. On the face of the door is it peeling or a different color than the rest. Does it need a good sanding and a fresh coat of paint or if stained, does it need shellac applied ( clear coat to keep the weather out of it)? Does it close right and not to tight or loose. Do the locks work smoothly or at all? When closed do they seal out the air or is there a draft coming under or around it? Well here are some things I have always done to keep them in top shape and weather resistant! Apply new weather stripping when you feel a draft around the door frame. Sand and paint your door every 3 years. Clear coats should be applied every 2 years at least. Check your locks for good working order and fit and adjust as necessary. If your hinges squeak, pull them out one at a time and rub a candle on them.

What about windows in my Doors

Windows in doors look very nice! If they are within 18 inches of the floor, they should be temper glass. Tempered glass breaks into very small pieces so that it won't hurt you. Where as regular glass breaks in large sharp pieces that are very dangerous. Tempered glass is a little bit higher in cost for the glass, but well worth it. It can be broken but it can not be cut really easy without the whole piece breaking and alerting neighbors from the sound! Which now days is a good thing eh?

Security Doors

These metal framed doors I have installed many times. You need the special tool to put in and take out the long screws that hold the frame in place. You can put it on the outside of the wall over the door opening or within the confines of the door frame if you can find one that fits exactly. They are easy to install but measure your opening and remember you can not cut them to fit. On some homes you may have to put on wood trim first so that you will have something to bolt them to that is solid.

Clad doors

Doors that have a skin on the outside such as metal clad , vinyl clad, or wood clad are good for weather that is cool or hot. You can have a stainable or paintable inside cover and still have a metal clad on the outside which you can have matched to your new window frame color and will keep the weather from beating up the outside of your doors. The inside can be painted or stained to match your inside doors.

	Inside same Doors

Metal door are strong !

But they only keep the honest out.

Be careful when removing or lay down a metal door, because you can dent them. The only way to fix that dent is to fill it with auto body filler, sand and paint. Some do have a wood frame inside that can rot so check that out. You should be able to see the wood frame at the bottom or sides. If you can't replace the rotted frame then you will have to replace the door.