How to Maintain Your Doors, Locks, and Hardware

Building and designing your commercial space is a challenging but rewarding experience. Once you are finished, you will have to be diligent about maintaining your finished product to keep it looking and working great for years to come. This includes your doors, locks, and other hardware.

While it can be tempting to overlook these seemingly insignificant aspects of your commercial building, doing so can be a serious mistake. Your doors often provide the first impression of your business to potential customers.

The associated hardware and locks are the subject of close scrutiny during safety inspections and can be the source of major fines if left in disrepair. By keeping them in good working order, you can positively impact customer interactions and save yourself many headaches.

At some point, replacing worn-out hardware altogether will be easier than performing maintenance. When that time comes, you can get premium door hardware at excellent prices thanks to CDF Distributors. Until then, let's take a closer look at some effective ways of extending the life of your doors, locks, and hardware.

Doors

The doors of your facility act as a barrier between your business and the outside world. While all doors are subject to their fair share of abuse over the years, exterior doors get the brunt of it. They are exposed to the elements, delivery staff, and customers. This can leave them looking dingy and battered.

Fortunately, caring for your doors is a relatively simple task and can be completed in a few easy steps. How you maintain your door will depend largely on the material, as wood doors require a slightly different approach than steel.

Wood Doors

The first step is to check your door’s hardware to see if it is in good condition. After that is done, you should inspect the weather stripping on the top and sides of your door frame. Bad seals can be contributing to water damage on the potentially unfinished edges.

You should also take a close look at the floor plate to ensure that it is forming a tight seal when the door is closed. Without a proper fit, you could experience increased heating and cooling costs.

If your wood door is painted, you will need to remove any chipped paint and scuffs with some sandpaper or a stiff-bristled brush. Then, you should wash the door to remove any dirt and debris.

The final step is to restain or repaint the door to the desired color. It should go with the color scheme of your business to maximize curb appeal and attract customers.

Steel Doors

Maintaining steel doors is usually pretty easy thanks to their overall durability and wear resistance. The primary concerns with steel doors are rust and dents. While there is not much you can do to eliminate dents, rust can be dealt with relatively quickly.

After the hardware and weather stripping has been inspected, you should remove any corrosion with a wire brush or sander. As with the wood door, you should wash the steel door to remove any paint flakes and debris. The final step is to repaint the door with quality rust-resistant paint to prevent future corrosion.

Locks

You may be surprised to learn that most problems with your facility’s locks stem from improper door installation. Keeping your locks in good working order is as easy as following a few simple steps. They are as follows:

·         Confirm that your door is properly hung

·         Inspect strike plates and hinge screws

·         Test the deadbolt

·         Clean the locks to remove debris

·         Lubricate the locking mechanism annually

Completing these maintenance procedures will keep your locks working great for years to come.

Hardware

Your facility’s other door hardware needs maintenance, too. This includes things such as door closers, doorknobs, and hinges.

You should routinely check the screws on the hinges and doorknobs to ensure that they have not begun to come loose. Occasional lubrication will also eliminate squeaks or other irritating sounds.

Most door closers only require periodic tightening of attachment screws. You will also need to oil them about once a year to prevent issues with the auto-closing mechanism.

Even with the best maintenance, your doors, locks, and hardware will eventually need replacing. When you decide to upgrade your doors, you must select quality replacement options. That is why you need to contact CDF Distributors. We can ship needed supplies fast and affordably!