Replace your exterior door if it’s showing signs of extensive damage from exposure to the elements. This article outlines best practices for keeping your home’s entryways looking pristine and functioning smoothly for years to come.
Regular Cleaning and Dusting
Gently dust your exterior doors about once a week to maintain their pristine appearance and protect the finish. Use a soft, dry microfiber cloth or brush to wipe the surfaces instead of harsh scrubbing or abrasive cleaners that could scratch the finish. Moreover, pay close attention to corners, crevices, and decorative details as they are very sensitive to dirt.
This simple weekly effort keeps your exterior doors looking their best while also preventing damage from long-term exposure to the elements.
Deep Cleaning
Despite your weekly dusting, your home’s exterior doors will inevitably need deep clean occasionally. Decorative door trims and handles slowly build up grime in their small crevices. To restore its shine, do a thorough cleaning of your exterior two to three times a year. However, use the manufacturer’s care instructions for your specific door type before cleaning.
Most of the time, a mild detergent diluted in warm water works like magic. Gently scrub away any dirt in the crevices and carvings using a soft bristle brush. Afterward, rinse all soap residue thoroughly. Finally, dry using a soft towel to prevent water spots.
By restoring your home’s curb appeal with sparkling clean entryways, you will make great first impressions on your guests. Pristine-looking doors also reflect well on you as a homeowner.
Inspecting and Maintaining
Visually check for any dings, cracks, and corrosion during your weekly cleaning sessions. Detecting minor damage early on allows for quick repairs before problems accumulate.
It’s essential to pay particular attention to the door’s hardware. Check if hinges and locks function properly. If you encounter any sticking or grinding, use powdered graphite or silicone spray to lubricate the hardware with. Avoid sagging by tightening any loose screws.
If you have wood doors, watch for bubbling or cracking finishes that could be a sign of potential water damage below the surface. To treat small scratches, use touch-up markers as this prevents exposed areas from absorbing moisture.
Weather Stripping
Effective weatherstripping at least twice a year helps stop drafts, dust, and moisture from sneaking into your home preventing cooled or heated air from escaping. Not paying attention to this can drive up energy bills.
When inspecting, test the seal by simply closing the door on a piece of paper. If you can easily pull it out, you should replace the seal.
The process of weatherstripping is straightforward and requires only basic tools that any DIYer can use. Start by carefully removing the old stripping and cleaning the channel. Next, you should measure and cut strips to size following the instructions set out by the manufacturer.
Finally, align and secure the new weatherstripping properly. However, gaps can persist. In that case, consider upgrading to a thicker style or switching to different strips; either brush or magnetic ones will do the trick.
Refinishing and Repainting
Although wood exterior doors enhance the curb appeal, diligent care is required to withstand the elements. Years of exposure to the sun, rain, snow, and other temperature swings can slowly degrade the door’s protective finishes. This leads to glossy varnishes becoming dull and faded.
Paint also begins cracking and peeling. Time and weather steal your door’s beauty but refinishing or repainting before extensive damage occurs can preserve both appearance and integrity.
Considering this, you should do a full refinishing or repainting every 2-3 years. If the door is exposed to harsher conditions such as intense sun and precipitation, do the procedure more often.
First, start by stripping or sanding away all loose and peeling finish. Before applying a high-quality exterior primer, make sure to inspect the door for any underlying rot in the wood itself. And finally, paint with 2-3 coats of exterior-grade paint. Leave the paint to dry in between coats.
Lubricating
Periodic lubrication of all moving parts is essential to keep your exterior doors operating smoothly for years.
Friction from repetitive opening and closing motions can gradually lead to squeaking, grinding, and sticking of the hinges and locks. Taking the time to lubricate the door hardware every 3-6 months can work wonders. Make sure to use a lubricant formulated specifically for metal components. In addition, for locks and hinges use powdered graphite. However, if you have sticky handles, apply a thin coat of silicone spray.
Properly lubricating the surface prevents the corrosion and wear that comes as a result of untreated metal-on-metal friction. Although this routine maintenance takes only a few minutes, it provides lasting benefits extending the usable life of hardware components.
Adding a Protective Overhang
Intense exposure to blazing afternoon sun can rapidly degrade wood finishes, causing them to fade, darken, and crack. You can fight the prolonged sun damage that steals the natural beauty of the wood grain by installing a protective overhang.
This doesn’t have to be an expensive process. Portico, canopy, or awning are some of the options you can choose from that provide cost-effective protection.
The overhang covering casts cooling shade and blocks the harsh UV rays helping maintain the visual appeal of the door. In addition, it prevents the finish from prematurely deteriorating.
There is still hope even for doors that are already showing signs of sun damage. Using an exterior-grade stain or paint formulated with UV blockers can restore the door’s beauty while also preventing it from fading any further. Coats containing UV inhibitions act like sunscreen for wood so make sure to combine new UV-blocking finishes with a shady overhang for maximum protection.
While regular home maintenance DIY can be rewarding, some exterior door issues require calling in a licensed contractor if your doors suffer extensive unfixable damage from years of exposure.
Conclusion
Nurture your home’s first impression – its exterior doors- with simple DIY care. Extensive issues deserve an expert’s eye, but otherwise, tending your entryways with time and TLC will be rewarded with long-lasting curb appeal.