Minneapolis Replacement Doors: The Basic Parts of an Exterior Door

Is it time for new exterior doors on your Twin Cities home?  Before you start looking at new doors or talking to door installation contractors, it might be helpful to familiarize yourself with the parts of a door so that you understand what’s being referred to and so you can compare important components.  (Of course, when you work with a replacement door company like ours, if there’s something you don’t understand, please ask!)

The Basic Parts of a Door

Depending on what type of door you’re looking at, there are different elements that make up the construction of the door and its surrounding frame and trim.  And if the door has glass (referred to as glazing) in it or next to it (called a side light) or above it (called a transom), there are even more parts.  The graphic at right – courtesy of Marvin – identifies the most common elements.

• The basic door itself (called, of course, ‘the door’)
• The frame and trim around the door consists of two sections:  the jamb and the casing.
• The sill is the horizontal portion on the floor that the door closes against. 
• The door shown in this graphic has a sidelight; the area where the door frame and the sidelight frame meet is called the mullion. Mullion is a term for the jointure of any door/window or window/window combination.

There are, of course, other parts to a door, depending on the options you choose.  Basic doors include the hinges, knob or lever, and locking mechanism, called the lockset.  You may also have grilles, divided light bars or muntins, and more.  If you’d like to do a little extra credit homework, you can check out this detailed and informative article from Marvin.

Window Outfitters, Inc. is a licensed Minnesota exterior home improvement company.  We  install exterior entry and patio doors in the greater Minneapolis area.  We have doors available from a number of manufacturers, including Marvin. We are proud to be an Marvin Authorized Replacement Contractor.  

 

 

 

 

 

Window Outfitters is a premier Window Replacement, doors, siding contractor and installer. As Contractor in the St Paul, Minneapolis, (Twin Cities) Minnesota (MN) metro, we proudly serve, but are not limited to, the following areas: Minneapolis Energy Efficient Vinyl Windows, Replacement Window Contractors Minnesota, Burnsville, Apple Valley, Lakeville, Savage, Bloomington, Edina, Richfield, Eagan, St Paul, Hastings, Minnetonka, Plymouth, Maple Grove, Eden Prairie, Farmington MN, Chaska, Shakopee, Chanhassen, Victoria, Mendota Heights Anderson Windows Minneapolis, Marvin Windows Minneapolis.