Read This before You Repair, Replace or Refinish Your Front Door

Take a look at your front door. Is it rotted or otherwise in disrepair? In fact, replacing it might be the best thing you can do, not only for safety but because it might add value to your home. In addition, a front door that doesn't function properly can give you drafts and be less energy-efficient, and the lock won't work properly, either. It's very frustrating if you're living in a house with an exterior door that's worn and old. Perhaps your exterior glass door has foggy glass that you can't see through, which only makes you more frustrated. The problem is, you either need to repair that door, replace door it or refinish door. Which do you do?

There are several things to consider before you decide to repair door, replace door or refinish your door. Why does it need to be repaired or replaced? What may have caused the disrepair besides age that has made it look so worn out and do? If the front entry door is made of wood, if it's been stained and is fading, what type of sun exposure does the door have? If the door is stained and has a polyurethane finish, fading may have occurred because it's been exposed to sun beyond industry standards. About 15 years ago, the polyurethane that was used on exterior doors was much more effective than today's polyurethane coatings. Because of that, that used as little as 15 years ago stood up better to the sun's rays as today's polyurethane coatings do. In addition, if your door is stained a red color, such as red mahogany or cherry, in fact the sun first pulls that color out so that that color is in fact the first to fade. This turns the color from red mahogany or cherry to a more "brown" color in a few months. This may mean that your door still looks good, but eventually, that red pigment is going to be bleached out by the sun.

More importantly, though, no longer is the polyurethane coating doing what it's meant to do, which is to protect your wood door. This may not be obvious at first, but it is indeed happening. First, small cracks may develop in the polyurethane coating, which allows moisture to penetrate. This in turn makes the lumber swell, crack or split. In fact, it doesn't really make any difference what the lumber is. If it's cedar, cherry, oak or pine, it's still not going to stand up to this type of wear and tear. Once the polyurethane coating has worn down and if it is not maintained, it will indeed fail in this way. In order to have this type of protection maintained, you'll need to redo it two or three times a year with this type of polyurethane coating for any species of wood.

If the door itself is painted and you've painted it several times, it may still be rotting. Again, sun exposure is the most likely culprit for this type of wear and tear. The wood itself also expands and contracts with exposure to heat and cold, rain and snow. Nonetheless, the sun is still the biggest reason for wear and tear on your door. If you paint over a peeling door, it will make the door look nicer, true, but it still won't correct the problem. Even with this effort, moisture will find a way to penetrate the cracks that have happened and that you can't see with your naked eye. The sun is the reason for this, whether you use paint or stain, and eventually it will make the wood rot. In turn, this will eventually make your door completely fail as a means of protection for your abode.

As with the stained door, you still need to maintain a painted door that's exposed to the sun. Using polyurethane for a stained door or paint for a painted door is absolutely necessary. Another option for a stained door is to use a topcoat of marine wax. With each change of the season, wax the door to protect it, much like you might wax your car. This will help keep those cracks you can see with your naked eye from developing. If you can see them, you can be sure that they've been there for a while and that you had better move to repair your door quickly.

Again, it's important to understand that sun exposure is the most pervasive reason for damage to your door over a lengthy period of time. Imagine what might happen to wood furniture of yours that you've left unprotected on your back deck after just a few weeks. You need constant maintenance on any type of wood furniture or product to protect it from UV rays. How can you tell if your door is exposed for long periods of time to the sun to the point where it exceeds industry standards?

The direction your door faces and is important. Stand in your door and take note of where the sun rises and sets. Because the sun rises in the east and sets in the west, you should be able to tell which direction your door faces. If the door faces south, west or southwest, it gets extended exposure to the sun and will likely have a problem. The sun is at its most damaging in the late afternoon. If your door faces either west or southwest, it will get the most exposure to the sun and therefore will have the most difficulty.

Most door manufacturers require that you have an overhang that's equal in size from the bottom of your door to the bottom of the overhang. For example, if your door is 7 feet and your overhang is an additional 3 feet, the total overhang amount is 10 feet. This is what you'll need to have to be within the manufacturer's warranty standards. If you know what your warranty covers and you know what your exposure is, it can save you a lot of money in the long run.

It's a bit confusing to know what your warranty is going to cover and manufacturers are indeed strict in enforcing the warranty, but knowing what it covers will protect you and will help you make the proper decisions when it comes to replacing or repairing your exterior door. Whether it's an exterior glass door with foggy glass, or whether the door needs to be refinished or replaced, you can do so knowing what your exposure is so that you don't have problems in the future. Make sure you have your manufacturer's warranty and writing and that everyone understands what the warranty will cover and not cover. Most warranties for an exterior door won't cover labor to replace it and won't cover anything if sun exposure is too great. Therefore, this will likely influence your decision as to whether or not you decide to replace door, repair door or refinish your exterior door.