Are your doors falling apart? Handles and locks keep not working and get broken? Doors can be frustrating when they begin to have issues that might have it end up getting replaced. In this guide, we explore the signs that tell you that you need to change your internal doors.
Doors Don’t Open or Close Properly
Doors that fail to open and close smoothly or lack flush closure against the frame are in need of replacement. Over time, door hinges may become loose or detached from the frame, causing the door to sink downwards. This leads to uneven gaps along the top of the door or scraping noises when opening and closing.
Due to house settling or expansion/contraction of materials, doors can begin to stick against the frame with friction. Jiggling, excessive force or multiple attempts to open/close indicate a sticking issue. Some doors have automatic latching mechanisms built into the knob or handle. When this mechanism fails, the door will swing freely and won’t stay closed without constant monitoring. Malfunctioning latches are a security risk.
Locks or Handles Don’t Function
Malfunctioning hardware like this poses major security risks and allows unwanted access between rooms. Damaged locks can also undermine privacy by allowing doors to be opened easily which means the house could be unsafe.
Replacing worn out locks and handles requires drilling out old locksets and installing new ones – so if your hardware is defective, it’s an opportune time to replace the entire door. New pre-hung interior doors come with matching, fully functional locks and handles already installed.
If you need new doors, premium indoor doors could be the option for you as they last longer, and you won’t need to continually replace them or get new parts.
Draftiness
If you feel cold air flowing or see daylight peeking through the edges of your interior doors, draftiness is a definite sign it’s time for a new door. Drafty doors mean air and energy is leaking out around the seals. This results in higher energy bills as your heating/cooling systems work harder to maintain temperature.
If you start noticing your rooms feel colder near the door or feel a breeze or air current flowing through the cracks, this could be a sign of needing to get your door replaced. Some more signs could be if you start hearing a whistling noise when it’s windy outside or could see pieces of paper flutter when pinned to the door.
Drafty doors tend to not seal properly when closed fully due to warping, shrinkage or damage. Adjusting hinges and trimming door edges rarely fixes underlying alignment issues causing the leaks, so replacement is the best remedy.
Aesthetic Issues
Then again, maybe you just know from looking at your doors that they need replaced. Your interior doors may start to look old-fashioned and out of style with the current décor or style of your house over time, or maybe your doors themselves show noticeable signs of usage, which makes them visually undesirable in your home.