What type of door is best for maintenance?

PVC: These doors are also low maintenance. PVC doors are very resistant to weather damage and corrosion, very sturdy, with steel reinforcement inside, and good insulation properties.

squareone.ca - Doors | Types, Maintenance, Repairs and More - Square One Insurance

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Can I build my own shed?

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What is a door?

A door is a structure that opens and closes to allow access to your home, or to various rooms in your home. Doors can swing on hinges, or they can slide or even fold. They can open to the left or the right, depending on what fits the structure of your home. But if you think that allowing access to your home is a door’s only function, think again. Doors help keep the weather out, and keep the heat in. They also act as a barrier against fire, as well as unwanted intruders. They are a pretty important part of your home. When selecting a door for your home, you not only want to consider its appearance, but also the security provided, and the energy efficiency. Doors can be made of a variety of materials, commonly steel, aluminum, wood, PVC, or fibreglass. In Canada, any exterior door must have some type of insulation; otherwise, in many areas of the country, you are going to get frost on the inside of your door. Normally, exterior doors will have a foam insulation injected into the door.

How do doors work?

There are all kinds of doors, so let’s take a look at a few types, and how they operate:

Hinged doors

When you think of a door, you’re probably picturing a standard hinged entrance door. This type of door can be made of a single piece of solid wood, or it can have a hollow core. There are normally two or three hinges, attaching the door to the jamb. The number of hinges is usually related to the height and weight of the door. Depending on where the door is situated, and its purpose, it may have a door knob or lever type opener, which may or may not lock. A regular hinged door is definitely the most common type of door you’ll see, and can be used as an interior or exterior door. These can be very inexpensive, simple to install, can be made of virtually any material, and can be as simple or as impressive as you want. These doors are either pushed or pulled open on the “handing” side (not the side with the hinges). They swing open in one direction (inwards or outwards) on the hinges to allow entry or exit. It’s important to note, when installing a door, that clearance space is needed behind the door to allow room for it to open. Some doors can swing both in and out, but these are not usually seen in homes, but more likely in a commercial establishment, like a restaurant.

French doors

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These are really just a set of two hinged doors, usually made of glass with a wood frame. They normally swing inward, and are locked with bolts at the top and bottom, as well as a regular lock on the knob or lever. These are great for letting in lots of light, and are often used to lead onto a deck or patio. However, a lot of glass usually means a lot of heat loss, unless you get double glazed or low-e glass. And to make this more secure, Plexiglass or Lexan are good options instead of regular glass.

Bi-fold doors

These are a beautiful way of opening your home to the outdoors. You often see this type of door on closets, but they can also be used as exterior doors. These are similar to a regular hinged door, but are usually made of a transparent material (glass or other) and have an extra set of hinges in the middle, with a track at the top and bottom. The door opens accordion-style and slides out of the way on the track, allowing you to have a large entranceway to your patio, and really bring the outdoors in. This type of door, made of wood, metal, or another material can also be used inside your home instead of a regular hinged door, when space is at a premium. Because of the extra set of hinges in the middle, only half as much clearance is needed.

Sliding doors

These doors are often used to open to patios or decks. They can have a track on the bottom, and a track on the top, and at least one of the panels slides to allow entry. The panel that moves is called the “active leaf”, while the fixed panel is the “inactive leaf”. Normally, there is a stopper at each end of the track, so the door won’t slide right off. These doors allow you to have a great view of the outdoors(when made of glass) , they close tightly to provide a good seal against the weather, and they’re space-saving; they don’t require clearance, as a hinged door would, for instance. Sometimes, sliding doors will actually slide right into a wall; great space savers called “Pocket doors”.

squareone.ca - Doors | Types, Maintenance, Repairs and More - Square One Insurance

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How do you straighten a bowed door?

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