Everyone has a castle entrance, and each one looks different, but there are some standard features across the board. Keeping an eye out for small issues will avoid big repair bills.
- Keep your hinge screws tight. That door opens and closes many times during a week, and those screws may start to work their way out. This problem occurs more often when the installer neglects to install a few long screws. When a new door is manufactured, the hinge screws used are very short so that they don’t stick out of the casing. Once the door is installed where it should be, replace a few of the hinge screws with 3″ or longer screws to anchor that door into the framework of the building.
- You may start to notice the door requires more force to close it. If you find yourself using your shoulder to close the door, it’s time to make an adjustment. Look for signs of the door hitting the frame, it will leave scrape marks. Buildings have a tendency to shift over time, and this will change the geometry of the door opening. Most of the time we can compensate for this by adjusting the hinges, or tightening up screws.
- There is another problem that shows up when your door is difficult to close, the deadbolt becomes difficult to turn because it is scraping against the hole. This is a recipe for a broken key. Make sure your deadbolt can move freely into the pocket of the door frame. If the thumbturn on the inside is easy to move, but the key is difficult, there is a problem inside the lock. If both are difficult to turn, it’s time for an adjustment somewhere.