Common Door Issues And How To Repair Them
Most people don't give their home's exterior doors a second thought, as doors are common and generally function as they're supposed to. Daily wear and other incidents can cause damage to doors. If your home's door is damaged and evidencing any of these issues, here are ways that common door problems can be repaired.
Gap Along the Door's Edge
The edges of doors sometimes gap, creating a space where air can enter or escape. Heaving as a home settles can cause the issue, as can wood's normal contraction and expansion when seasonal temperatures change. Regardless of which is the cause of gapping along a door's edge, the issue won't naturally fix itself — it'll only worsen if not fixed.
How much of a problem a gap along your door's edge is depends on the size of the gap. Small gaps might be insignificant and ignored until they do worsen. Gaps that you can feel air flowing through all cold air or warm air in, though, and that'll reduce your home's efficiency some. Gaps that are large enough to see light through could also be entryways into your home for mice.
The easiest way to fix a gaping door is to place weatherstripping where the gap is. Weatherstripping is a thin, insulated section of material that'll block a gap. It can prevent the exchange of air and the entry of vermin.
Termite Damage Inside the Door
In areas that have termites, the insects can infest a door and eat it from the inside out. Termites must first be exterminated if they get into a door, then the section that's eaten out must be filled in. Cans of expanding insulation are available and can be squeezed into the interior of a door. As the insulation expands, it'll fill in the empty space that termites created.
Rotting Wood in Door
Wooden doors are prone to rot, especially at the top where water can seep onto them as it drips down a house. Rotten doors can be treated much like termite-damaged doors, although there are some slight differences in the repair.
To repair a door that has rotten or softwood, the damaged wood must first be dug out. This can be done with a screwdriver or other implement that's able to break up and scoop out the softwood. Canned expanding insulation can then be used to fill in where the wood was dug out
For more information on door repair, contact a company like AM PM Door Service.
