When it comes to home security, we often hear news about high tech gadgets, such as smart cameras, motion activated lighting and sophisticated alarm systems. While these are excellent security tools, one overlooked component is the strength and security of the front door. The door jamb in particular is an unsung hero of home safety.
The door jamb is the structural, vertical, and top framework that supports the door and ensures a tight knit fit into the door frame. In Alberta, the door jamb must face the extreme temperature shifts, along with the day-to-day traffic demands of repeatedly opening and closing the door. Understanding how the door jamb works and how to reinforce a door jamb is a useful and necessary resource for home ownership.
Why Door Jambs Require Maintenance
There is a common assumption that the lock is the strongest component of a door. While a high quality deadbolt is essential, it is only as strong as the materials surrounding it. Our doors are frequently pushed open and closed, which may cause wear and tear over time. The wood of the door jamb may incur damages along the grains of the wood. The strike plate, which is the metal piece where the bolt enters the frame, is often held in by a screws. Over time, those screws may become loose or require repairs to tighten and reinforce the door jamb.
In addition to time and general wear and tear, there are also weather factors that impact our doors. Across Canada, many provinces such as Alberta deal with frost heave, which is the upward swelling of soil during freezing conditions. In addition, we also face significant humidity changes. These factors cause properties to shift, which often result in doors that do not align perfectly with the strike plate over time.
Signs of a Compromised Door Jamb
There are a number of signs that the door jamb may be vulnerable and requiring repairs. By keeping a close eye on the function, you can identify issues before further deterioration occurs.
- Difficulty Closing or Locking the Door: If you notice that the door is not closing properly or you experience difficulties when locking the door, this could be a sign of door jamb misalignment.
- Cracks or Splintered Wood: When looking at the front door, check to see if you can identify any small hairline cracks or splinters in the wood itself. Take a close look at the wood around the hinges and strike plate for signs of wear and tear, which may require repairs.
- Separation From the Wall: While inspecting the door, check for any separation from the wall. This may be the sign of the door jamb no longer being flush with the wall and has shifted over time with the natural settling of the property.
Proactive maintenance allows for early detection. If you identify damage or functional issues with the door, take preemptive steps to maintain the safety and functionality of the door.
The Door Jamb Reinforcement Process
For door frames that have been damaged by water, age, wear and tear, or previous break-in attempts, we ensure that the door jamb is reinforced through the following process:
- Upgrade the Structural Anchor: The foundation of a secure jamb is how it connects to the house itself. Our experts replace standard factory screws with high quality, structural anchors. These anchors pass through the jamb to go through the shim space, which is the gap between the frame and the house, and then deep into the structural wall studs. This ensures the jamb is physically tied to the skeleton of your home for maximum security.
- Inspect and Update the Strike Plate: A standard strike plate is a small piece of metal with typically two screws included. We inspect and often replace the standard strike plate with extended strike plates. By distributing the force of an impact over a much larger surface area and anchoring it with multiple long screws, the risk of the wood splitting is diminished significantly. In addition, we ensure the strike plate installation sits perfectly flush with the wood, which maintains the seal of the weatherstripping.
- Reinforce the Door Hinge: Once we have reinforced the lock side of the door, we inspect and reinforce the door hinges. We apply the same anchoring principles to the hinge side of the door, ensuring that the door remains firmly attached to the studs.
Reinforcing the door jamb begins with identifying any concerns in the functionality of your door. If the door frame is soft to the touch, shows signs of wear, or does not close properly, it may be the sign of requiring professional door services. We are here to help at the first sign of door jamb concerns and throughout the door repair process.
