A Guide To Know The Different Parts Of A Door

A door is a significant part of your home. Besides ensuring privacy and security, it also describes the curb appeal of your property. Hence, it is one of your home's most visible and vital aspects.

Do you want new doors for your home or want to replace old ones? There are some technical terms describing different parts of a door you should know for a better experience. Let's learn about them in this blog.

Door Frame

The door frame is the skeleton that holds the door. It makes a border for the door that supports it and makes it appealing.

Like doors, door frames vary in size. Their cost varies with their size. Bigger frames are pricier than smaller ones, and vice versa.

For residential buildings, wooden door frames are more common, but now, granite, aluminum, fiberglass, and composite materials are also used to make door frames.

A door frame has many parts, each of which plays a significant role.

Let's take a look at these parts.

Parts Of A Door Frame

Header/ Door Head

The horizontal section, located on the very top of the door frame, is called the door head. You can also call it head jamb.

Side Jambs

The vertical elements that make the door frame's sides are called side jambs.

There are two side jambs on the door frame. Hinges are fastened on one, and the strike palate for the door latch is fixed on the other.

Door Sill

The bottom part of a door frame is called a sill. Sill is the section of the door that fix them to the floor and seal them.

Sills are mostly found in exterior doors. They obstruct water, insects, and dust from entering.

Door Casing

The trim around a door opening is referred to as interior door casing. It assists in filling up the gap between the door frame and the wall.

Along with being a decorative element, door casings are beautiful and functional, improving the door's appearance while also masking the transition between the wall and the jamb.

Threshold

The entry door sill is covered by a threshold, which also acts as a safety measure. The slight slope of the threshold in the outside direction aids in keeping water and wind out of your house.

Thresholds need to be robust enough to resist foot activity; thus, they are composed of strong and rigid materials such as metal or fiberglass.

Door Trims

The door trim typically covers unsightly gaps left over during construction.

It is a decorative element attached to the door frame to hide the area where the header and jambs meet the rough opening. Without it, there will be a gap between the door and the wall.

Depending on its style, material, or color, a fashionable trim can give any space a basic, rustic vibe or an exquisite, formal appearance. So, we can select door trims according to the aesthetic of our property!

Stop Molding

A properly constructed door usually has a strip of wood or other material that prevents the door from swinging through the frame when it is closed. This trim is known as stop molding.

Sidelights

Sidelights, typically located on one or both sides of a door, are tall, slender windows. They enhance views, let in a generous amount of light into entranceways, and can make an entrance feel more friendly.

They are usually present with external doors only on the hinge side to make it more secure.

Transom

A transom is a small window, which can be situated above a window or either a door. It brightens the entry by allowing plenty of natural light.

Most transom windows are fixed, but if they are operable, they usually have a top hinge like an awning window.

Brick Molding

The casing around the outside doors is made of brick mold. It also goes by the names trim and architrave.

The most typical application of this molding is in pre-hung units. It surrounds the window and door frames, abuts the building's exterior facing material, and works as a boundary between the frame and the siding.

It is thicker than most interior casings and can be made of aluminum, wood, PVC, composite materials, etc.

Weather-Stripping

It is used on external doors to close the spaces between the door frame and the panel of a closed door. Weather-stripping is often constructed of a robust, flexible substances such as foam, rubber, or silicone.

Like threshold, weather-stripping can help you protect your home from water, wind, bugs, insects, etc.

Door Sweep

An outside door sweep is a tool that aids in plastering the gap between a door's bottom and the threshold. Door sweeps are fitted on the exterior face of the door to stop dust, water, and other factors from accumulating beneath the door and entering the house.

It helps to increase the energy efficiency of the property.

Door Panel

When we hear the word door, typically, a door panel is what we imagine. The part of the door which swings to open and close is called Door Panel. It is also called a slab.

Stiles

The small vertical sections on both sides of the door panel are called stiles. One is called hinge stile, while the other is called lock stile.

Rail

The slender horizontal segments on a door are called rails. They are basically ornamental elements and can divide the door into different sections.

Mullion

The panels between the rails in the middle of the door are divided by a vertical component called a mullion, also called a mull. It is where two units are connected.

For creating a distinctive style, a mullion may be present with entry doors, between the door frame and sidelight or transom, or with extra windows.

Astragal

An astragal is a vertical element that runs from head to sill in a double door. It is attached to the meeting edge of a double door.

An astragal is attached to weather stripping to hide the gap between the two door panels on an outside double door arrangement to prevent wind and water from entering the house.

Hardware Parts

Hardware refers to parts other than the door panel and frame that allow the door to latch and lock in place. Following are some common hardware parts:

Hinge

Hinges allow the door to swing. Different types of hinges are used on doors, such as barrel hinges, pivot hinges, and concealed hinges.

The number of hinges can differ according to the size of the door. Regular-sized doors use three hinges.

Strike Plate

The metal piece that holds the latch on the lock jamb is called the strike plate. It prevents the latch from scratching the jamb.

Door Knob/ Door Handle

The part of the door hardware used to unlock the door panel and pull it open or close is called a handle, knob, or lever.

Latch

The metal shaft that extends from a door panel's edge and reaches the door frame is known as the door latch. Its job is to hold the panel firmly.

Once you turn the handle of a door, the latch retracts and helps the door open.

Escutcheons

Escutcheons are decorative plates found encircling thumb turns, handles, and key cylinders. They are made to shield the door panels' surface from nicks and scratches.

So, these are some of the essential parts of a door and here we conclude the anatomy of a door.