External doors are prisoners to the elements, and let’s face it they see a lot of action. They need to be strong, secure and be able to withstand anything the British weather throws at it. Of course, we have to play our part too, for in order for our external doors to help us fight off the elements we need to take good care of them. This post is all about maintenance and how you can keep your external doors in tip-top condition. 

External Door Treatment

To kick us off, we’re going to look at sealing and treating your external doors. By doing this you’ll be giving your doors a fighting chance of surviving whatever the weather throws at it. As you can imagine there’s always going to be little cracks around your doors, especially over time, so it’s therefore important to seal them in and stop any leaks before they happen. Measure frame, and width of your door and make sure you cut the appropriate amount of seal for it. It should fasten to the door relatively easily, make any adjustments where you see there are still some potential leakages. You also need to make sure your door is still able to close and open properly. 

Wooden External Doors

Wooden doors are always going to come with a necessary amount of treatment and maintenance because of the very nature of the material it’s made from. Many think it’s worth it though, and rightly so. Wood is sustainable, beautifully hard wearing and can be made to fit in with a contemporary or more classic architectural style. What can you do to maintain its appearance though?

Treatments for wooden doors can either be a water-based on or oil-based. Oil will last longer and offers added protection from the sun and looks beautiful once it’s dried, giving a waxy, glossy appearance. Varnish is great for wooden doors made from oak but will need an annual application to keep up its appearance. Oil will last longer so the choice is up to you.

Once you’ve applied your treatments you’ll need to paint them. It should be a fairly simple job but it’s all in the quality of paint you use and whether it’s the right one for the right type door. A layer of primer is best for wooden doors before applying the paint, you can also get paint that provides a waterproof seal so that’s something to consider.. 

Security

This is of paramount importance as an external door may be tried by burglars before they go near the windows. They should be secure and tight and you can do other things to do improve the level of security they provie. A five lever mortice lock is popular because of its inability to be broken through. You could also add a spy hole because these provide an excellent way of seeing who’s at the door before opening it. A door chain is another excellent way to give you that added bit of security if you open the door and the person isn’t who they say there then you at least have the chain to prevent entry.

The Replacement Door Company - For Quality External Doors

If you want to replace your current external doors for whatever reason, take a look around our website to see the wide variety of quality external doors we provide. You could go with a uPVC or composite door which will require very little in the way of maintenance apart from cleaning, or you may prefer a wooden external door. We can help you with your style choice, and answer any questions you may have regarding maintenance. Take a look around, and then contact us with any queries or for a quote