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More About Doors
On the surface, doors are simple. They swing, slide, or fold. They are exterior or interior. Some have glass, some don’t. But wait! Some are solid wood, some steel, and some fiberglass. Some are hollow core, others are solid core. What’s it all about? When you’re in the market for doors, here’s what to look for. Exterior doors fall into three primary categories: swinging, bypass sliding, or surface sliding. Swinging doors, the standard entry or interior doors, are hinged on one side. Bypass sliding doors involve two doors that slide past each other. Both doors may move, as with closets, or one door only may move, as with patio doors. Surface sliding doors ride on wheels attached to the base or are suspended from overhead rails. The doors may be paneled, flush, or contain glass inserts: Paneled: Panels are raised or beveled inserts framed within the door. Apart from eye-appeal, the panels serve a real purpose. They are never glued or nailed in place, but instead are fitted into grooves in the stiles and rails that frame them. This allows the wood to expand and contract without damaging the door. Flush: This door is sheathed with a veneer that presents a smooth, unbroken cover. The veneer can range from inexpensive pine to costly exotic wood. Flush doors may be hollow core or solid core. Hollow core doors are commonly filled with compressed cardboard or other light filler and are used as interior doors. Solid core doors have a central core of laminated wood strips and provide more soundproofing qualities. They can be used as exterior doors but are primarily for interior use. Glass inserts: Glass is placed within doors in a variety of styles, from multipaned French doors to small, obscure panes in an entry door. Technically, the panes of glass are called lights (sometimes spelled lites ). If there are several panes, they are divided and held in place by wooden strips called muntins. The door is identified by how many lights it has, such as an 8-light door. A door with a single large pane of glass is called an atrium or patio door. Prehung Doors Both exterior and interior doors are commonly sold as prehung units. This means the door is set within the side and head jambs, the hinges are mounted, and the door has been drilled for the lockset. It may or may not come with an adjustable threshold on the bottom. A prehung door is shipped with temporary spacers between the door and the jambs and with temporary horizontal braces at the top and bottom to hold the door in place. The prehung door is then set in the rough opening and wooden shims are placed between the jambs and the doorframe to align it. Even if the rough opening is not square, the door must be installed so it is, which is the purpose of the shims. Prehung exterior doors generally have the exterior trim, called brickmold, already attached to the jamb. The interior trim is installed after the door is in place and the interior wallboard has been installed. Interior doors usually require trim to be installed on both sides. One exception is with split jamb doors where the trim is already on the jambs. In this instance, the jamb with the door mounted on it is installed first. The second part of the jamb then is fitted to it, in a tongue and groove connection, from the opposite side of the doorway. Left- and Right-Hand Doors When ordering a door, you will be asked to specify if you want a left-hand or right-hand door. It refers to the location of the door handle and the way the door will swing. This is determined by facing a door on the side that will open toward you. If you want the door handle on the left, it is a left-hand door; a door with the handle on the right in this case is a right-hand door.
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