Exterior doors Toronto are essential elements in our homes that are primarily used to keep our homes safe. However, sometimes they stick when closing or opening them, and you have to use a lot of force on them. This is a common problem, and many people have different schools of thought about why this happens. But according to exterior door experts, why does this happen?
Many exterior doors are made of wood. One thing you will recall about wood is that it changes in form when exposed to weather elements for a long time. Regardless of what you do, wood will still absorb and lose moisture depending on weather conditions. During the summer, it is likely to expand due to high temperatures. In winter, it contracts. As you would imagine, when this happens, it leads to some changes, especially on the size of the door and this is usually considered the number one cause of the sticking of the exterior doors Toronto. However, we are not saying that is the one cause. Other causes could be your door frame. Since most frames are made of wood, they are also affected by weather elements. As such, the frame might make the hinges loose and make the door remain un-proportional with the frame. Those are some causes. Now what we are interested in is solving this problem.
- Locating the Issue.
Even if your door is sticking, there are slim chances that the entire door has the problem. There could be one or two parts that are causing your door to stick. That implies to solve this problem you should start by locating the origin of the problem
First, do a once-over the door. Here you will observe the perimeter of your door to identify the area(s) with friction or some signs that the door has been rubbing the frame.
If your eyes don’t seem to work well in this, you can opt to use a different technique. This involves snagging a piece of card and running it around the door perimeter while the door still closed. If there is enough gap between the frame and the window, you expect the card to move undeterred. However, if it is caught, know there is a problem at the part.
You may also need to assess your hinges. To know whether the issue is with the hinges, swing your door in and out. Listen to the sounds of the hinges. If you hear grating or creaking sounds, know there is an issue. You also want to know how they feel as you swing the door. Are they loose? Or do you feel pressure when closing or opening the door? If they are loose, that could mean that the screws are loose.
- Taking Care of Seasonal Problems.
We said that weather changes could result in sticky exterior doors. The best part of it is that this problem can be addressed easily.
The first thing you may do is to put soap on the sticking area. But note that this is a temporary solution. This solution will work as long as you keep applying the soap and moisturizing it on a regular basis.
Another solution you can opt for to get your exterior doors Toronto working normally is cracking your AC. By doing so, you will eliminate the excess moisture from your home. Your doors will get back to their normal shape, and you would have dealt with this issue.
However, your AC might not remove all the moisture as needed. That is when you should think about purchasing a dehumidifier. The main aim of these machines would be to eliminate all the moisture from your room, and this is a sure-fire way to get your exterior doors Toronto working as usual.
- Fixing Issues with Hinges.
With the hinges, you expect two things to happen. Either the hinge is seizing up, or it is loosening.
If when you assessed the door, you found out that the hinges are loosening, all you need to do is tighten them using a screwdriver.
If they are seizing up, you might need to utilise a different approach. Get some WD-40 from the local hardware and apply it on the hinges of your exterior doors. Remember that this lubricant might spoil everywhere so ensure you put up some newspapers down to avoid dirtying your floor.