Your front door not only protects your home but also makes the first impression on visitors. A damaged front door looks bad, but worse than that, it could also attract burglars, making it a safety risk for you and your family. Interior doors provide privacy for every member of your household. Damaged doors, handles, or locks can make the home less comfortable for everyone living there. Fortunately, there are things you can do to fix damaged doors.
Get Rid of Wood Rot
In damp climates, doors and window frames on older homes are prone to wood rot. Of course, this is most common on exterior doors, but leaks or high humidity could cause rot on doors inside of the home. If the rot is not extensive, you could repair it with an epoxy wood filler. However, if the wood rot is bad, you will likely need to replace your door frame entirely. Rather than replacing it with a new wood frame, choose a door frame made from a plastic composite material. Composite door frames are highly resistant to water damage.
Unstick Sticking Doors
A door that sticks could be caused by any of several reasons. It could be due to humidity warping the wood. Alternatively, it could be due to the house settling. Sticking doors are also often one of the first signs of structural damage in the home.
First, try tightening the screws on the hinges. If that doesn't work, try sanding or planing the edge of the door. This can take some time. If sanding the edge frees the door, finish the job up with a light coat of paint or varnish to make the door look uniform again.
However, doors that are sticking are often a symptom of bigger problems. So, if they become a recurring problem throughout your home, you might want to contact a professional to inspect your home.
Fix Hollow Core Doors
Interior doors are often hollow core doors, which can easily be damaged. Fowdy kids can accidentally dent or put holes in hollow doors while playing. Even banging against a doorstop or furniture can put a hole in a hollow door.
The hollow nature of interior doors makes repairing them difficult. You can try filling the hollow space behind the hole with spray foam. Once the foam is dried, use an epoxy filler to fill in the hole. When that is dried and cured, sand it down flush with the surface of the door, and paint or stain it to match the rest of the door.
Call a Professional
While door repair sounds simple, and often is, sometimes getting everything to line up just right is harder than it looks. Depending on your experience with home repair, you may be able to take care of it yourself. However, if the job looks too complicated for you, call a professional, like those at AMPM Door Service. If you don't know exactly what you are doing, chances are, you could make the problem worse. A professional can also help you ensure that there are no deeper problems causing the issue.
Completely replacing the door may be necessary if the damage cannot be easily fixed. The fact is, hanging a new door takes skill and more than one set of hands. Fortunately, professional door service is affordable. More importantly, you'll be able to rest assured that your door is solid and able to protect your home and your privacy.
