Some Aluminum Door Maintenance Tips
Aluminum is a material that is commonly used for exterior doors. While this type of door will be an affordable and durable option, it is important to make sure that you are properly caring for it to ensure that visitors to your home will be met with an aesthetically pleasing entrance to your house. Yet, some homeowners assume that aluminum doors require no maintenance, which can cause them to neglect this essential part of the home.
Clean the Aluminum
One of the most important things that you can do to keep your door looking great is to clean it regularly. Aluminum can gather a sizable amount of dirt and dust that may serve as a foundation for mold, mildew, mosses, and algae. When these growths form on the door, they can permanently stain the metal, degrade the paint and create a foul odor. To clean your aluminum door, you will want to use a pressure washer that is on a low setting or a powerful garden hose. After wetting the door, you should use a soft sponge to scrub away any substances that remain on the door.
Seal Scratches in the Paint
The door to your house can be subjected to intense wear and tear. In particular, it can be easy for the paint or metal to become scratched. While light scratching might not seem like a serious issue, it can allow the door to become damaged. Aluminum may not rust in the conventional sense, but it is still prone to suffering corrosion. This can have the effect of discoloring the door and causing much of the paint to peel away. Luckily, there are scratch sealants that can be applied to prevent moisture from seeping under the door's paint or into the metal's pores. Applying these sealants shortly after these scratches form may dramatically reduce the risk of these damages arising with your home's door.
Care for the Hinges
The hinges of the door may be a part of it that you will rarely think about until they stop working as intended. However, hinges will need some regular care to prevent issues. For example, you will need to keep the hinges cleaned and lubricated so that friction does not warp these parts. Furthermore, you will want to ensure that the hinges and door are properly balanced. Otherwise, one or more of the hinges may have to support much more weight than the others, which can lead to balance issues as well as the hinges detaching from the wall. If you notice that your hinges are coming loose or the door seems out of balance, you may be able to correct these issues by tightening the screws that hold the hinges to the wall.