Doors

• Wood doors come in many types. Some are solid; others may be solid panels, or hollow core. Wood doors commonly used in closet spaces are bi-fold, solid, and sometimes louvered sliding units.

• These doors are becoming quite popular, especially as main entry doors to the residence and as the fire separator door from the attached garage to the living space. Fire-rated door requirements also includes fire-rated jambs. Check the door to see that it is properly fitted in the frame and that the weather stripping is appropriately mounted. Quite often, magnetic weather stripping is utilized in these doors. Check for poor fitting doors, locking hardware and hinge problems. Other things to look out for is: threshold height; that it is fit properly to the door and is secure; condition of the weather stripping; dents; scratches; and signs of rust or other oxidation.

• Sliding glass door has a wood, metal, and/or vinyl frame and casing with two (single or double pane) glass panels. The door slides on a track and usually has a thermal-break to reduce condensation.

• A pocket door is a sliding door door that when closed, slides into a cavity between two walls. These doors can be found in older homes separating living rooms, dining rooms and family rooms. They can also be found in newer homes where there isn’t room for a swinging door.

• Locking mechanisms are secured with different types of locking mechanisms, these types may include, key-in-knob, thumb latch and dead bolts, security bars on patio windows and pins inserted through window casings, etc.

• Binding from movement or improper fitting. Doors should be checked for binding, which can usually be corrected by planing and sanding, however, some situations may require cutting or trimming the door. Shimming the hinges may be necessary for better alignment.bullet Missing hardware. The most frequently discovered defects are missing or misaligned strike plates and loose locksets.
• Holes or dents in the doors. Doors should be evaluated on both sides to detect holes or dents, particularly in paneled and hollow-core doors.
• Rot/deterioration. Rot/deterioration from moisture and insects most frequently exists at exterior door jambs, sills and thresholds.
• Weather Stripping. A good method to check for weather stripping is to close the door during daylight hours,and observe from the interior. Signs of light reflecting through at the door-sill or jambs suggest that the door seals are not sealing as intended and may be a source of heat loss.

Note: Interior doors are often hollow core or builders line quality. Exterior doors are built and glued for exterior use. It is important that interior doors not be used for exterior applications. Interior doors have a tendency to delaminate when exposed to exterior elements. Delamination of an interior door is typically caused by moisture, however, poor manufacturing may be the cause in some cases.