Austin Homeowners: 4 Signs it's Time to Replace Your Doors

Is it time to change your entry door? Here are four signs you should look out for when deciding it's time to change the entry door. Don't wait too long because changing doors are just as important as changing windows.

1. Is your everyday workout consisting of merely opening and closing the front door?

It may be time to replace your door if it is difficult to open and close. When your door sticks in the winter but is simple to open and close in the summer, you know there's a lot of energy pouring out. Another concern is if the hinges are sinking. However, if it's stuck in the door jam, your door most likely has exposed sections on the sides, top or bottom where you may see light. It's an issue to see light from the interior or outside without the door being open.

Pay attention to what the flame does if you hold a lighter a couple of inches around those borders. It will attempt to exit through the front door. This implies that the air is leaking. 

Pella offers solid fiberglass entry doors. A low-maintenance fiberglass front entry door with a rot-resistant composite frame provides dependable, high performance, and excellent energy efficiency. Our solid, fiberglass entry doors will not rust or dent and will provide a high level of privacy for your home. Available in wood-grain and smooth finishes, you’re sure to find a look that matches your style. 

2. Is there dampness between the panes of glass on your front door?

Many doors with glass packages, like modern windows, feature double-paned glass. With older doors, the seal between the two panes will eventually break, allowing moisture, mildew, and/or mold to accumulate between the panes of glass. This is a frightening sight to behold in a door.

Some individuals wait longer than they should replace their windows since they are constructed of inorganic materials, which makes it simpler to extend the time it takes to repair the window because there is no risk of mold or mildew spreading throughout the house.

3. Is your door severely worn, bent or cracked?

Over the course of their lives, doors may absorb a lot of abuse. They're pounded, kicked and subjected to extreme temperature fluctuations. It's likely that an old solid wood door has seen better days.

Many of these doors have cracks, are bent, and are very weathered as a result of many winters and summers of expansion and contraction. When inspecting your old wooden door, consider it as if it were a difficult-to-open door. The “solid” wood door shouldn't let light into space. The grains of several of wood doors have stress cracks in them. These stress fractures allow the elements to enter your home from the outside or vice versa.

4. Have you ever experienced water or insect damage?

If your wood has been damaged by water, you'll need to replace it. The majority of individuals who have this problem understand that if the wood is damaged and fragile, it isn't strong enough to maintain the door construction or keep your home safe. If you've experienced this problem, you'll need to replace your entry door. The same is true when it comes to insect damage.

Your R-Value (energy efficiency through solid things) has been considerably reduced if your exterminator tells you that roughly half of the wood's structure is damaged. Not only is it simpler to get into your house, but you're also allowing additional paths for water or insects to harm your doorway in the future, and you're squandering energy. When it comes to a door, a loss of R-Value is crucial because it is your thermal barrier (unless your door is made entirely of glass). This condition needs replacement.

Ready to update your entryway with a beautiful new front door from Pella? A replacement front entry door can help boost your home’s curb appeal and energy efficiency. Made from wood, fiberglass or steel, Pella replacement entry doors can be customized to your style preferences. From the initial consultation to the installation day and beyond, you can count on the helpful door replacement experts at Pella of Austin to be there every step of the way.