Maintenance: Doors

In this chapter we explain doors and related building terms, along with common problems and preventative maintenance. We also look at locks and fire doors.

 

Click on Legislation above, to view strata title legislation and hints.

Click on Legislation above, to view community title legislation and hints.

Door types and components

The picture below is a view of a typical external door.

click on picture for large image

Internal Doors: Internal doors are the owner's responsibility. The coating on the inside of the external doors are also the owner's responsibility.

The picture below is a view of a typical internal hollow cored door.

click on picture for large image

Common Problems

Varnish on exterior door.

• Varnish is subject to deterioration in sunlight and weather.
• This door is subject to a great deal of foot traffic exacerbating both wear and tear.

Revarnish - Solver specify: Sand thoroughly and dust down before applying two (2) coats of "Solver 4842 Polysol Exterior Gloss Clear"..

External door - veneer peeling

• This is an example of the inappropriate use of a hollow core veneered door on the exterior of a unit.
• The door is unprotected and the weather has caused the loss of varnish, leaving the timber finish vulnerable to water damage. The veneer peels off in layers.
• A door in this state needs to be replaced with an exterior door to suit.

External door - hardboard and paint peeling

• This is an example of hardboard covered hollow core door on the exterior of a unit.
• The door is unprotected and the weather has caused the hardboard to peel away at the bottom of the door.
• The damp hardboard has then caused the paint to peel.
• A door in this state needs to be replaced with an exterior door to suit.

Replace the hollow core door with a solid core door suited to the purpose.

Energy saving - doors have gaps that can lead to drafts. This can make a room or house uncomfortable. The picture below illustrates the use of a weather seal on the bottom of this external door. These can be purchased at local hardware stores or supplied and installed by a tradesperson.

Install weather seals and stripping on all external doors.

Other door types:

Screen doors. The picture below is of a typical screen door installed at a unit. This one is a lockable security door. If not already installed owners need approval to install such a door - see meeting approvals.

Maintenance: generally screen doors have been considered the respective owner's to maintain.

Ensure your group has a policy on installation and maintenance.

Fire doors (asbestos). The picture below is of a typical fire door installed before 1990. This one has been opened up to reveal its fire retardant core. This one contains asbestos.

Fire doors have been used for a long time in buildings as a safety precaution. The thinking is that with a fire door you can block a fire before it spreads to another room. A fire door is on a wall that is also fire safe. This helps prevent fire from spreading from one area of a building to another, giving firefighters ample time to control a fire should one erupt.

Fire doors installed before 1990 should be assumed to contain asbestos. Any works undertaken should be by tradespeople qualified to work with asbestos, this includes the replacement of locks.

If a fire door is found to contain asbestos a warning notice should be attached to the door

To assess if a door has an asbestos core a tradesperson can temporarily remove a couple of the door-hinge screws and look for the core material within the the screws' threadings; oftentimes enough core material is stuck in the threads to recover a sufficient lab sample as well.

Further, sometimes the core is exposed along the top or bottom door edge from when the door was previously cut and being sized to fit, thereby exposing the inner core for sampling as well.

If your group has asbestos fire doors ensure they are all labeled as such and that the group has an up to date Asbestos Register.

Door locks. Click on the image below to access our door locks page.

click on picture to access our door locks page

The following tools may assist in the maintenance of your group's doors.

Varnishing	Door care	Asbestos - fire door procedures
click on picture for printable version	click on picture for printable version	click on picture for printable version