9 Common Winter Door Problems and How to Spot Them

Everyone craves the warm, dry heat of our homes after a long day having fun in the snow. Unfortunately, winter door problems are a common and costly homeowner issue that can disrupt your holiday movie nights and put strain on your indoor heating.

In order to help homeowners identify these common winter door issues, we’ve put together this article where we’ll break down how to spot them and some tips on how to deal with them.

Let’s begin!

The Most Common Winter Door Problems

1. Fading Due To Bitter Cold Temperatures

For most painted doors, the harsh cold temperatures coupled with moisture can take a toll on the door’s vibrance. These two factors can cause the door’s colour to fade, making the door look older and worn out – which is not a good look.

In order to avoid the issue of fading front doors, you can coat the door in moisture-resistant paint before the harsh weather sets in. Another option is to update your current front door with a fade-resistant and highly-durable fibreglass door. This is the kind of door that will look vibrant and new in whatever season, including the harshest of winters.

2. Damaged Weatherstripping

Weatherstripping can be damaged through wear and tear in any season. If so, damaged weatherstripping on your exterior doors can easily let in the draft during winter. Another common winter door problem is moisture accumulating and freezing on weatherstripping, causing it to be damaged. Fortunately, replacing weatherstripping on front doors is not a complicated DIY project.

3. Frozen Locks

Frozen locks are another common winter door problem that can be truly inconvenient. A buildup of moisture and accumulated debris can cause the locking mechanism to stick as the moisture freezes. This causes the locks to be slow or freeze completely. This can affect the locks of patio doors as well as door knobs on exterior doors.

One way to avoid this is by installing a storm door over your front door. For sliding patio doors, however, the lock will simply need to be thawed when freezing occurs.

In order to thaw a frozen lock, you can try using a lock de-icer spray which works almost instantly. You can also try using hand sanitizer or rubbing alcohol which should work in a few seconds.

4. Noisy Creaking Doors

Creaking or squeaking doors is common during winter. This can be easily fixed by applying a bit of lubrication (e.g. WD-40) on the hinges. Make sure to thoroughly apply the lubrication so that you can have quiet doors once again.

5. Loosening Screws

This issue, as well as the remaining winter door problems on this list, are only common for wooden doors. The changes in humidity and temperature affect the door’s size and shape in subtle ways. Though this is not outrightly visible to the naked eye, these physical changes affect how the door functions.

One notable change on wooden doors during winter is the loosening of screws. When this happens, the door may gradually sag further and further. Luckily, this is a quick fix; you only need to retighten the screws back in place.

6. Misalignment of the Door with the Strike Plate

As the wooden door or the door frame warps or shrinks during winter, this can eventually cause a misalignment concerning the strike plate. In order to spot this, simply look closer if the door’s latch plunger is still fitting squarely into the door frame’s plate. If these components do not align, you would need to make adjustments to align them. Take note that forcing the door to align without adjusting the hardware is not advisable.

7. Drafty Doors

Shrinking and warping doors are common winter door problems for wooden doors. Over time, larger gaps can appear on older, worn-out exterior doors. These large gaps can let in the draft and cause your home’s heating to work harder during the coldest time of the year. There is no easy and quick fix for this kind of problem. In this case, it might be time to get yourself a new exterior door made of more weather-resistant material.

8. Cracking Doors

Cold winter air is dry, meaning the humidity is very low. This means that moisture is quickly whisked away by the air. Not only does this cause a strain on one’s respiratory system, this kind of air can also cause door problems. The dry winter air can create cracks in your doors. Though this is merely an aesthetic kind of damage, it can look unsightly when the cracks are extensive. Small cracks can be filled easily with the skillful use of wood putty.

9. The Door Won’t Close

This is probably one of the worst issues that can affect exterior doors. If your wooden door won’t close, it means that warping has happened extensively and your door is no longer fitting properly in its door frame. This can be fixed with the skillful placement of shims to realign the door. However, for this winter door issue, we recommend calling in a handyman.

Stylish & Durable Front Doors For All Seasons

That wraps up our list of common winter door problems. If you have worn-out doors that are drafty and require a steady amount of maintenance during the winter months, it could be time for a change. The holiday season is the perfect time to give yourself the gift of worry-free winters with doors that will not swell or warp!

Whether you’re looking for a durable fibreglass or steel door with a stylish facade or a sleek interior door that will stand the test of time, we have it all at Burano Doors! Through the years we’ve committed ourselves to manufacturing beautiful, durable, and energy-efficient doors that will truly add value to your home.

Say goodbye to winter door problems once and for all. Check out our collection today!