New doors don’t come cheap. Having a new front door installed can set you back up to $5,000 or more if you want sidelights and other surrounding requirements! Milgard also offers wood doors with their Essence Line (discontinued) which comes with the additional benefits of a fiberglass exterior.
These types of doors are a lot of money by anyone’s standards. As you can see, it literally pays to keep your Milgard doors in good working condition. Taking good care of them will increase their lifespan and reduce the need for costly repairs and replacements.
The exact maintenance work required will depend entirely on the door’s material.
Wooden doors, in particular, come with a specific set of care instructions! These doors are popular around the country for their aesthetics and functionality.
However, it’s crucial to keep them well looked after. Wondering how to do it?
Keep reading to discover exactly how to care properly for your wood doors.
Wooden doors can be susceptible to environmental damage.
That’s especially true when they’re exposed to the elements. For instance, house doors without a protective porch or overhang will generally experience greater wear and tear in less time.
It’s important to regularly inspect them for damage.
The same goes for covered doors too, though! A periodic examination of their quality is always beneficial. Keep an eye out for cracks, splits, and streaks. These can indicate potential problems. Spotting them early will limit the damage.
The following tips will prolong door quality and provide advice on how to handle issues that arise.
Many people are diligent dusters of their home’s interior.
However, it’s all too easy to forget about the front door (or an interior door, for that matter).
The dusting of doors is one of the simplest ways to ensure their longevity. After all, they’re popular places for dust and cobwebs to accrue. Make it your job to clear them away at every opportunity!
Don’t, and you risk having all manner of creepy crawlies gathering at your door! This can cause serious problems with particular insects, such as termites. Similarly, over time, dust gathers to a degree that can actually stain the wood. Keeping it clear prevents that happening.
Here’s a full list of insects that can damage your wood doors to watch out for.
With the dust gone, it’s time to give the door a wash down.
You’ll need warm water, mild dish soap, and a nonabrasive sponge. With these tools at your disposal, it’s a simple matter of scrubbing the surface of the door of any dirt and grime.
Try not to leave any soapy deposits on the surface. This can actually be detrimental to the door if it’s left behind. Be sure to rinse the door free of it.
Struggling to get into the nooks and crannies of the door? Try using a smaller brush (toothbrushes always do the trick) to clean out the crevices!
Finally, take a damp cloth and go back over all the edges and the doorframe too. These areas of the door (i.e. the faces you can see when it’s open) are particularly susceptible to dirt. Be sure to spend enough time cleaning it.
Liquid furniture polish is a nice and easy means of clearing your doors of dirt.
With the door freshly cleaned, use a fresh cloth to apply it to the wood. Don’t have any polish lying around? No worries, you can usually pick it up from hardware stores at very little expense.
It serves a great dual purpose: clearing any leftover dirt away and restoring the aesthetic of the wood to former glory.
Wood and moisture tend not to combine too well!
If the water penetrates the surface, the material can warp and stain. The aesthetic of the door can change for the worse. That’s why it’s so important to dry your doors whenever you clean them.
After you’ve washed the door, we recommend taking a moment to wipe down the door with a dry towel. Next up, consider using a fan to dry the door out more thoroughly. Obviously, front doors are more likely to dry naturally in the air.
However, interior surfaces don’t have the same luxury. This is where a fan could be put to good effect.
This might sound counterintuitive.
After all, why would you want to stain the door you’ve been trying hard to clean?
You’ll be happy to know we’re talking about an altogether different form for staining! Finishing stain, as it’s sometimes known, is a sealant that protects the wood from the elements.
It makes the ideal addition to your doors. However, it doesn’t last forever. That’s why it’s important to re-stain the door every so often.
The right stain for you will depend on the specific door. For instance, an interior door of a certain color will need an indoor stain to match. However, this would be inappropriate for an exterior door of a different color.
The process of applying stain is simple. Essentially, scrape and sand the door to remove existing varnish. Next, wipe the door down with a cloth. Finally, apply an even coat of stain/varnish with a brush and let it dry out completely.
It’s important to clean all the door fixtures as well.
In general, that means regularly cleaning the doorknobs. Remember, this is where the majority of bacteria gathers. After all, it’s coming into contact with peoples’ hands! The transfer of bacteria from one to the other, and back again, is inevitable.
Cleaning with an all-purpose cleaning solution will get the job done.
There you have it: a complete guide to caring for your wood doors.
Replacing doors in your house is an expensive endeavor. That’s why it’s so important to care properly for them. Regular upkeep increases their life span and prevents wear and tear becoming a growing problem.
Wooden doors can be a particular challenge for homeowners to care for effectively. Hopefully, this post has provided all the information you need to do get started.
Did you like this article? Are you interested in having new doors fitted on your property? Be sure to contact us today to see how we can help.
.jpg)
