Wooden Front Door Maintenance
If you’ve bought a wooden door recently then you may be under the impression that you need do nothing more. However, this isn’t the case at all. It’s important to make sure you maintain exterior wooden doors so they give you more life. A wooden exterior door is a beautiful thing, and it can really increase the market value of your property. But every few years you need to check that it’s still in excellent condition.
A Full Inspection of Your Door Every Few Years
You need to carry out a full inspection of the door regardless of whether you’ve painted over it or just left it with a good finish. Of course it helps if you know what to look for when you’re carrying out an inspection. It’s only natural that the weather will have a great impact on your door and especially if it doesn’t have the protection of a porch.
Keep an eye out for the following:
Large cracks
Peeling surfaces
Dark streaks
What’s next, what can you do?
The best step is to make sure your door is prepared for your repairs. Clean it thoroughly first before you do anything else. You can also give your door a new lease of life by painting over any spots, stains or chips to the door.
If you find there are some major problems, then dealing with them will have to be carried out by removing the door from the frame. Remove hinges, door knobs, and any locksets before starting work.
Remove, Strip, Primer, Repaint
Remove the old finish thoroughly with a paint stripper and then sand it using a grain. Once stripped, clean it again and let it dry. Once you’ve done this you can place primer on the door first, much as you would if you were to paint the interior walls of your house over a bright colour. This is only if you are going to repaint it of course. Always follow the manufacturer’s instructions when using any primer, finish or paint stripper, if you’re unsure, ask someone.
Once you’re door is nice and dry you can rehang it to the door frame.
Ask a Professional to Hang Your Door
Even if you have a pretty good idea how to hang, prepare and install a wooden external door, it is a good idea to let a professional joiner to fit it. It is a challenge to put one up yourself and that’s fine if you want to give it a go, but keep in mind that if anything goes wrong you may find it difficult to undo what you’ve done.
Keep Checking Your Front Door Regularly For Damage
Once you’ve repaired your door that’s not quite the end. It’s important to keep checking your wooden external door as often as possible. This is especially important after bad weather. It’s a good idea if you recoat your door every few years and wash it regularly, as often as you would your internal doors.
We hope you found our post this week on maintenance for wooden front doors helpful and interesting. If you have any further questions on this or any other matter, get in touch with us here at The Replacement Door Company, we’ll be happy to help.