Denton Door Repair: 9 Signs That Trouble is Knocking

There's no doubt that doors are among the most critical parts of any building. Many people tend to take them for granted—as long as they're working properly—but when they start to deteriorate or malfunction and leave you needing Denton door repairs, it's easier to see just how much an entryway in great condition contributes to your home's energy efficiency, comfort, livability, privacy and safety.

Open concept floor plans are very popular in Denton, TX and pretty much everywhere else for that matter. But you still need interior doors in some parts of the house to keep your private moments away from prying eyes and provide some sound separation between rooms. Exterior doors, on the other hand, won't be out of vogue any time soon. Because they're on the front line of protecting your home and household, they take a lot of damage from factors such as unpleasant weather and wildlife attacks. They're exposed on the outside of your house, so they can suffer from a wide range of common issues that cause energy loss, make your home less comfortable and reduce your curb appeal—and those situations call for professional Denton door repair.

When you need help getting your interior or exterior entryways back in perfect working order and looking their best, turn to your local, multi-skilled Denton handyman. The team of experienced technicians at Mr. Handyman of Flower Mound, Lewisville and Denton is proud to provide quality workmanship and outstanding customer service to every one of our customers. We are experienced with Denton door repair and many other reliable repair, maintenance and home improvement services.

1. Difficult to Move

Your entry should swing open or shut with just a gentle nudge. If you find yourself having to put both hands on it and shove to get it open, or grab the knob and heave it shut, there's obviously a problem and your entryway is in desperate need of Denton door repair service.

There's several different issues that could be the root cause of this problem. Sometimes hinges break or come loose, causing your entry to tilt and drag along the floor, or jambs become warped from excessive moisture or your house shifting and settling over time. In older homes, sometimes the floor, jambs, door or all three have been painted too many times and paint build-up is making it impossible for your slab to move freely. Whatever is causing this irritating issue, we can figure it out and get it fixed up, so you don't have to wrestle with your entryway every time you want to move it.

2. Air Drafts and Heat Transfer

Do you shiver when you walk past an exterior entry because there's a cold draft coming from it—even when it's closed? That's a bad sign that your house is being made a lot less comfortable, and it's an even worse sign that your bank account is being needlessly drained via your monthly utility bills. Most homeowners don't like that thought, but it's exactly what happens when you need professional Denton door repair for an entryway that is letting in air drafts and allowing for heat transfer. A more extreme version of this problem is when you can actually see visible light coming in around the edges of a closed entry, because that means there's a direct air path between indoors and outside.

Can Denton Door Repair Save Money on Energy Costs?

If you've got a door that is letting in air drafts, Denton door repair can absolutely increase energy savings. Thermal energy naturally moves from a warmer area to a colder area. That means in the summer when you've got your air conditioner running, heat from the sun comes into your home, and in the winter, warm air from your furnace escapes outdoors. Any gap in your house exterior such as doors, windows and vents are weak points for heat transfer, and the problem gets much worse if they're in poor condition.

The heat transfer process changes the temperature in your home, which forces your HVAC system to operate for longer periods of time to make up for the changes. Because HVAC needs to use so much energy to keep your home at the temperature you have set on your thermostat, the additional operation time caused by an inefficient entryway can significantly increase the energy charges on your utility bill. Getting it back in good shape with Denton door repair so it can more easily prevent heat transfer will save you a noticeable amount on your monthly bills.

3. Rotten Timber

Now that you know a little bit about the negative effects of air drafts, you may be wondering how your exterior entryway lost its energy efficient qualities in the first place. Quite often, the culprit is wood rot. Any timber that is on the exterior of your house, such as door jambs, sills and the actual slab on your entryway, are vulnerable to rotting. That's because wood rot is a type of decay that only affects timber with a moisture content that is around 20%. Any wood on the outside of your house is frequently exposed to moisture from rain and humidity, which is why it's more susceptible to rotting.

Wood rot causes timber to soften and crumble apart, compromising its ability to block air drafts and prevent heat transfer from occurring. It's capable of spreading to other parts of your building as well—sometimes by traveling across non-wood surfaces such as masonry—and can cause serious structural stability problems if it's left unchecked without Denton door repair services from a professional handyman.

4. Misalignment

Entries of all types can become misaligned, but this problem is most common (and most irritating) with double entries like garden or French doors that meet and latch in the middle—or don't latch at all if they're misaligned and the two sides of the latch don't come together properly. This is another one of those problems that has a lot of potential causes, but it's actually often a problem from the start because of a faulty installation. If you hung the slabs yourself, or worse, paid someone who didn't know what they were doing, it can be really frustrating to realize something's wrong and they can't operate as intended—but your local Denton door repair handyman can get it solved, so the doors meet perfectly in the middle and the latch can click shut.

5. Loose or Creaking Hinges

If your entryway "talks" to you when you move it by creaking or screeching, or it feels loose and wobbly on its hinges, that's a clear sign you need Denton door repair. Fortunately, it's usually a relatively simple fix for your handyman to carry out. Sometimes all it takes is some lubrication on its hinges, but if its hinges have been damaged or are corroded by rust, it will probably make more sense for your handyman to replace your hinges altogether then rehang your door. However, if hinges have become loose because the wood they are attached to on your jamb or slab has deteriorated due to wood rot, this repair process will be more extensive. In that case, a complete replacement is likely your best option. Need to know more about replacement? Check out our expert advice and information about Denton door installation.

6. Can't Turn Knob

When a knob on your entry is locked into one position, it either prevents you from latching your door shut (if it's locked in a closed position) or it prevents you from even getting your slab all the way flush into its jamb (if it's locked in an open position). Sometimes this is an issue with tumblers in a locking mechanism becoming jammed so the handle and latch part can't move, and all you need is basic Denton door repair services to get them unjammed and working smoothly again. But if your knob or interior mechanisms are broken or have become gummed up with dirt and residue over a long period of time, it will probably be more cost-effective to replace your knob—or sometimes the entire package—altogether.

7. Damage From Pets or Insects

If you've got a dog with a touch of separation anxiety or a cat who is personally offended by the sight of a closed entryway, you know how much damage they can do in a short amount of time with gnawing and scratching. If you catch this problem early on and it's just a few surface marks or gouges, we may be able to handle it with a Denton door repair strategy such as sanding and repainting, but if it's more severe, a new installation is your best choice. But first, you need to find a way to contain or train your pet, so damage doesn't just reoccur with your replacement unit.

Your entries, especially exterior ones, can also be damaged by a much less adorable type of animal. Destructive species of insects such as termites or carpenter ants can destroy a wooden entryway or frame (or both), and once they find a way into your house, they'll venture inside walls and start eating away at your house's interior structure. If you notice telltale signs such as maze-like holes or channels on the surface of timber, or your entryway feels much lighter, as if it had been hollowed out from the inside, you know you're dealing with a pest infestation.

8. Condensation Between Glass Panes

Whether you've got a patio or garden entryway that is mostly glass or a more conventional door with window panels set in it, you may notice that the glass starts to look foggy or misty because there's condensation trapped between the double panes. Most entries are made with double pane windows, which feature two panes of glass with a small insulating gap between them, sealed together at the edges. Sometimes the gap is filled with argon gas to improve its insulating abilities. Once condensation starts getting in between the panes, it's a sign that the seal is compromised and the argon gas, if there was any, has leaked out.

Many homeowners assume that the best way to take care of an issue with condensation is with glass replacement, but that's not the case. There's generally two ways of handling this Denton door repair problem—in some cases, your handyman may be able to repair the seal around the panes so condensation can't get in anymore. But more often than not, replacing the entire entryway package is less time-consuming and less costly. It'll also give you greater peace of mind that your entry is sealed against drafts and heat transfer.

9. Sliding Door Won't Slide

Sliding entryways are supposed to slide—it's right there in its name. That's why it's so frustrating when you have to heave with all your might just to budge it a couple of inches. Sometimes this is a sign that you need sliding glass door repair, and that trouble is usually coming from broken or damaged rollers. Or, sometimes the track your rollers are in has become crushed or dented, and rollers can't get past the damaged part easily. These issues can be solved by your handyman with Denton door repair to replace the rollers or get tracks back in usable shape, so your entry slides open and shut smoothly again.

But often this problem means your entryway doesn't actually need repair so much as a good cleaning. Dirt and debris can pile up in tracks or get wrapped around rollers and make moving the entryway a lot more difficult than it has to be. Try giving your tracks and rollers a good scrub, and vacuum up any remnants to see if the situation improves.

Get Your Home Safe, Secure and Efficient With Denton Door Repair Service

Whether you're in Denton or another nearby part of the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex such as Lewisville, Ponder or Highland Village, homeowners and business owners alike can count on the team of service professionals at Mr. Handyman of Flower Mound, Lewisville and Denton for expert residential and commercial door repair service.

If you'd like to know more about our reliable handyman services such as Denton door repair, or schedule an appointment at a convenient time, give us a call today at 972-627-4793 to speak with our friendly customer service staff.