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When it comes to doors – it all hinges on the hinge! Have you ever considered how a door with bad hinge alignment will make it droop?

Probably not because hinges are substantially less exciting to discuss than the door they’re attached to – but they are incredibly important bits of hardware that make a door function.

While they aren’t noticeable and hidden from view, they will make that door open and close.

Whatever door you select for your house, you’ll need hinges – but just how many hinges should there be on a door?

The science behind hinges

Gravity and torque affect a door, so hinges must be placed on the high side, with the top hinge closer to the door and the bottom hinge further away.

The hinges need to be carefully aligned and set plumb so the door can open and swing correctly. The more hinges, the more careful you must be with alignment. 

The general rule is that every door should have one hinge every 2286 mm – that’s 30 inches. 

How many hinges on a door?

Exterior doors require at least three hinges – standard practice in Australia. Three hinges will prevent less warp and evenly spread the weight.

The standard door size in Australia is 2040 X 820mm X 35mm. External or entrance doors are heavier than internal ones, so strong hinges are needed to prevent them from sagging. Three hinges are also beneficial for security purposes and are harder to force for burglars.  

Tall doors that are 2,200 mm in height or wide doors greater than 1,000 mm will require an extra hinge. On industrial doors, you will also find four.

Two hinges are more common among lightweight interior doors with hollow cores, although the general preference is still three.

What type of hinge is most common?

Hinges join two parts of an item together while allowing them to rotate relative to each other.

The most common type of hinge is a ball-bearing butt hinge, also known as a ball race comprising two halves.

One part of the hinge is attached to the frame and the other to the door with holes for screws or bolts. They sink into the door and frame – when closed, only the hinge ‘knuckle’ is on display. The hinge has holes for screws or bolts. 

What about the spacing of the hinges?

Ideally, the top of the door to the top hinge should be 150mm (5.90 inches) – and the bottom hinge should be 230mm (9.05 inches) to the base of the door. The other hinge should be positioned midway between the two and spaced equally to keep the door straight.

For perfect alignment, measurements for your hinges must be the same on the door and frame.

Why not visit the experts at Door Stop for all your hardware requirements? Door hinges and handles are crucial components of everyday doors, so you need to trust the door experts.

We have two showrooms in Joondalup and Osborne Park. Browse our collection on the website and choose your next entrance, internal bi-fold, pivot, or patio door for your home.

If you’re shopping for doors, you’ll notice there are two different types available – pre-hung and slab doors. Most people wouldn’t be able to tell the difference, but to help you get a handle, no pun intended, on each one, we’ve come up with pros and cons for each. 

Pros of pre-hung doors

A pre-hung door has hinges and is already attached to a door frame, so it has three sides, all the hardware, mortices and a door knob cut out. It comes as a complete unit, so it’s a no-fuss solution.

If you are moving into a new build or remodelling your home, then a pre-hung door is the perfect choice for you. Because they arrive already assembled, installation is easy.  

They are perfect as an exterior door because they are tightfitting protecting the interior of your home from the outside elements. 

Cons of pre-hung doors

Pre-hung doors are big and bulky and difficult to manage without the help of an experienced craftsman or door fitter. Lifting and mounting them single-handed is almost impossible. They are also more expensive because you have the frame, door and hardware so there’s more to them.

If you’re not ready to fit your pre-hung door, it will have to be stored somewhere where it won’t get warped or damaged by heat or moisture.  

Pros of slab doors

Slab doors are called just that for a reason – they are just slabs of wood or single doors and are simple and easy to fit. Slab doors are a blank slate, so you can customise knobs, hinges and latches to offer greater flexibility. They come in a variety of materials, not just wood.

Pricewise, a slab door is the budget option out of the two, usually costing a third of the price of a pre-hung one. It’s a great choice if you’re in an established home that already has a prepared door frame with a casing and a trim. You can shape a slab door to match the size of your existing frame. 

Cons of slab doors

When you buy a slab door, the onus to attach it to a door frame is on you. It might sound simple enough, but there’s a certain amount of skill and patience needed when you fit a slab door – ideal if you love DIY, not so good if you are a novice.

The height, thickness, and width of a slab door needs to match your established frame. Slab doors may end up leaving unexpected gaps between the frame and the door, so it will be harder to secure a tight seal.  

Both pre-hung and slab doors have their good and bad points. If you are thinking about changing your doors and need further advice – look no further than Door Stop. We supply internal and external doors, slab and pre-hung doors, bi-folds, French doors and quality entrance doors. 

We service the entire Perth metro area and are committed to providing a professional and reliable service on all our jobs. Why not visit one of our showrooms and discuss your requirements with a team member?

Open a door, and you’ll be pulling down the handle for a matter of seconds. For a four-bedroom home, there’s at least 12 internal doors. It can be exhausting thinking about the number of times you’ll be opening and closing a door and pulling down door handles!

While door handles are relatively small items, they need to be fit for their purpose to function. 
We’ve come up with a handy (excuse the pun) guide to help, so you are aware of the difference between cheap and expensive door handles.

Design 

Cheap door handles are often poorly designed. The quality of the hardware depends on materials, internal components and the way it’s manufactured. You can get a good idea of the quality knowing where it’s made. Australia, Europe and the USA are known to produce door levers of a high-standard.

Inexpensive handles may be difficult to grasp because of the shape and material. Latches may get stuck, and the hardware may be obtrusive.

We’ve all walked past a door handle that has become caught on your clothing. Who hasn’t knocked themselves on the hip from a door handle that juts out too wide? 

Smooth rounded designs with no sharp corners or edges that may snag are a good choice.

Too light and flimsy

A cheap, lightweight handle may not give you enough leverage to open a heavier door. There’s a trend for grander entrance doors so your choice of door handle needs to be sturdy enough to perform its function.

Door hardware should be certified to standard ISO 9001. With handles produced overseas, sometimes quality assurance can lapse. You should be able to open a quality door handle with an elbow when carrying several bags of groceries.  

Door handle material 

Door handles are made from different materials such as brass, bronze, aluminium, stainless steel – to provide a great finish and longevity.

For entrance doors, especially if you live on the coast, you’ll want a door handle finish like chrome, nickel, and high-grade stainless steel. These types of materials will withstand all the weather elements. From heat and humidity, heavy rain to the salt coming off the sea air. 

Solid metal may be more expensive and last longer than plated metal and retain its finish longer and won’t peel or flake. Hollow products are more prone to damage. 

Is it the door handle or something else?

Finally, many door handle problems are down to the latch or installation – not the door handle itself. A poor quality latch will cause a door handle to sag. Nearly 90% of problems with door handles arise from shoddy DIY and poor installation. Door handles are touched more than anything else, so it might be worth getting them installed by a professional.

Do you have a better grasp on door handles now?  If you need further advice, come and talk to the experts at Door Stop. We have a no quibble seven-year warranty on all our doors and offer 0% interest.

We have two showrooms, one in Osborne Park, the other in Joondalup – and exceptional Google reviews  – a near-perfect 4.9 out of 5.

They say: “Your home is your castle, and you can do what you please within it.” The quote may have originated in the 17th Century by the British lawyer and politician Sir Edward Coke, but it still resonates with many today.

Across Australia, at any one time, homeowners are considering improvements to enhance the aesthetics of their property. Among them are updating and replacing doors.

Does your door say something about you to your visitors? You can’t have a door without a door frame and visa-versa. So when it comes to a new custom door and a new door frame – what’s cheaper?

Custom door – custom made 

When ordering custom sized doors – you’re often not getting what you paid for.

For example, you can take a door that’s normally around $250 in a standard size, request a custom size and end up with a quote of $700+.

In this scenario, even though you’re paying a lot of money for a door; you’re still buying the quality of a $250 door.

These doors will often only have a warranty of 1-2 years.

You could, alternatively, go to a joiner and request a custom-made door from scratch using better quality wood. However, this can run you into the thousands just for the door itself.

There are some situations where a custom sized door is more appropriate.

However most of the time it makes more sense financial, both immediately and long-term, to look at reframing your opening to accommodate a standard sized door.

Exterior door frame – bespoke or standard 

Door frames can come as standard or bespoke. 

Nearly all exterior door frames are rectangular in size and made of wood material for strength.

A door frame consists of many parts. Consider it like the skeleton of your body – holding everything together. It needs to be strong, safe, and secure and includes different elements – a head and two legs – so even named after parts of the body. 
 
The head is, as you would expect, at the top of a door frame. The upright, vertical components on either side are called legs or jambs. One side will have hinges attached, while the other will have the door lock fitment.

The stop is a thin piece of wood fixed inside the leg/jamb in the lower edge and does what it says ‘stops’ the door.
On an external door, you’ll find the door frame sill or threshold. 

There’s a saying to “carry your new wife over the threshold” – so it just serves to remind you of the importance of a frame. A door frame is simpler to construct than a custom door, so will be cheaper in price. 

Whether you want a custom door or a door frame, speak to the experts at Door Stop. If you can think of it, we can create it, so if it’s a custom door you want, we can make your dream a reality. 

We aren’t like other door manufacturers in Perth. We sell doors that have a unique build quality – all backed with a 7-year guarantee. 

Read our reviews, and you’ll see why we are the first choice for doors in Perth. We offer a fast, quick and efficient installation process. Buy with confidence whatever door or frame you choose. 

If there is one type of door that has seen its popularity soar in the past decade, it is bifold doors – a wall of doors that stack back on each other in a concertina effect. They are perfect between your living area and garden to open the view.

But they’re not the only option for large, glazed doors. In recent times homeowners are demanding larger glass areas with more natural light. While bifold doors look contemporary and elegant, other alternatives look just as stylish and meet today’s desire for a minimalist look.

Sliding Doors

Sliding doors have moved on in design and appearance since the 1980s. You can now buy sliding doors that look equally as sophisticated as bifold doors. Bifolds need more stacking space when open than sliding doors which require limited floor space.

Sliding doors glide along a track so that one glass pane slides seamlessly over another. They are the perfect option for large openings to maximise your space while offering uninterrupted views from your home.

A big plus for sliding doors is the large expanse of glass with a minimal frame so you can enjoy an abundance of natural light and uninterrupted views of your garden.

Pivot Doors

Pivot doors can be impressive because of the way they function. Instead of having regular hinges, pivot doors swing on a vertical axis – a spindle. Pivot doors operate just as the name suggests. They are typically offset with the pivot point away from the door frame, meaning they don’t have hinges.

The pivot design is more unusual because of the way they operate. These doors make a dramatic statement and offer something different and are available in larger sizes with extra width and height than your average hinged door.

Hinged French Doors

French doors exude balance and elegance. They’ve been around for hundreds of years and originate in France. In the Renaissance era, the French liked to design windows and doors with classical proportions and symmetry.

French doors look impressive, are hung in pairs and made of an expanse of glass to allow natural light to flood in. Most open outwards, but they can open inwards as well. Unlike bifold doors, French doors require no sliding tracks and mount to the door frame.

To stop them from slamming shut when it’s windy, use retaining hooks to fix them back to a wall.

When French doors open, there’s a large area to allow greater traffic flow inside and outside your home. Simple yet stylish, they are in homes around the world.

Want guidance about the best door options for you? Come and talk to the door specialists at Door Stop. We are so confident you will love our doors that we offer no quibble seven-year guarantees. You can buy with confidence regardless of your selection. Come and visit one of our showrooms in Joondalup or Osborne Park and admire their quality and start the transformation of your home today.

A laundry room is an often-overlooked space, but you’ll be surprised how often you use it and why door selection needs extra consideration. A much-needed area for loading and unloading clothes into a washing machine or dryer; it can also store mops, buckets, and cleaning products.

It’s usually positioned close to the kitchen and linking to the outside – direct to a patio area for easy access to a rotary or fixed washing line. If you’re going outside with a basket that is full of clothes, you will need a door – but does it need to be vented?

The Practicalities Of A Laundry

Heat and humidity can build up in a laundry room from your drier and washing machine. Gallons of water run through machines week by week, and water evaporates from your drier in each cycle.

Extractor fans are a great way to ventilate the room. They will reduce excess moisture that can cling to walls and cause paintwork to deteriorate and eliminate mould.

Opening windows and doors now and again will offer natural ventilation to lengthen the lifespan of your laundry room interior.

External Laundry Doors

Some external doors lend themselves to laundry rooms. There’s usually no cover or porch over an outside laundry door which means exposure to the elements. A timber door with a ply-covered foam core and veneer is a perfect option for an external door. It will keep the warmth in and the cold out. This construction means the door will not shrink, expand or warp like a solid timber or block laminated door and won’t absorb moisture.

If you want to maximise the light, you could opt for a part glazed door for both your internal and external requirements.

Over the years, there have been many door styles. Who can forget the 1980s and the popularity of louvered doors?

They feature natural slats – several horizontal blades of wood – to allow ventilation. The wooden slats can be fixed or open and allow light and air to pass through.

Louvered doors have a reputation for gathering dust and take longer to clean than traditional doors. Many now regard them as outdated and unfashionable.

Door Stop – First Stop For Doors

Modern laundries can be functional bright, and stylish, and nowadays are so much more than just a place to house your washing machine. They can even be turned into a boot room and accommodate pets overnight! With so much usage, you want to get the right door.

If you need advice on suitable doors for your laundry room including ones which incorporate a ply-covered foam, why not contact the experts at Door Stop?

We use Meranti timber – a durable hardwood on all our doors. Discover the quality for yourself at our showrooms in Osborne Park and Joondalup. We can supply, fit and install your doors at a competitive price. With a seven-year guarantee on all doors and outstanding Google reviews full of praise, no wonder we’re the first choice for doors in Perth.

Do you ever examine the frame that surrounds your door? It’s something you glance at now and again without really valuing its purpose. Most frames are wood, and on external doors, they are vulnerable to damage from the weather elements.

If you treat and protect them with weatherproof paint or varnish, you will prolong their life, but eventually, that frame will start to decay.

If your door frame is damaged, you may be able to repair it, but when do you know it is time for a new one?

Scratches And Marks

Marks and dents will alter the appearance of a door frame, but these scuffs are just cosmetic and won’t affect functionality.

Wood fillers or paint will improve the appearance to make it more aesthetically pleasing on the eye. When using a wood filler, smooth the damaged area and then blend it down with sandpaper.

Draught Through The Door Frame

If you feel a draught, it could be due to gaps or cracks between the frame and door.

A sealant will rectify the problem. There are plenty of products on the market – like silicone weather stripping – to fill that space around your doors to make them draught-free once more.

Rotting Door Frame

If your door frame is starting to rot, then the issue is more serious. If there are only minor areas of rot, it is easy to rectify. Take the rotted area by cutting it out. Then add some wood filler to make it good. If the rot is extensive, your whole frame needs replacing.

Door frames are susceptible to rot where water collects. Rotting timber will feel spongey and may look darker in appearance. If the area dries out, the wood will crack and crumble. If you don’t act promptly, the rotting timber will worsen.

If you have painted your wooden door, it is more difficult to tell if it is rotting. A simple test is to insert a thin-bladed knife into the timber. If it sinks in and won’t stop, it’s a definite sign of rot.

Infested Door Frame

Rot isn’t the only thing to damage the integrity of a wooden door frame. Insects like to bury inside deadwood. There are over 300 species of termites in Australia, but only a handful can cause problems – with white ants being the worst eating away at structural timbers.

Termites can bury and penetrate a door frame to such an extent that it is at risk of collapse. Termites make a lot of noise when they are eating the wood. You can tell if they’re munching away through your door frame by putting your ear close to it and listening for them. If your door frame has an infestation, then it’s time for a new one.

Need further advice about door frames? Come and speak to the team at Door Stop. We have a range of quality doors with matching door frames to create lasting impressions.

Our point of difference is the build quality and a seven-year guarantee offering peace of mind. Visit one of our showrooms in Joondalup and Osborne Park and admire the beauty of the doors yourself and be impressed at our competitive prices.

No house is immune from wood rot. Tiny microscopic organisms are responsible for rotting timber, and it has become a homeowner’s worst enemy because it can lead to extensive structural problems.

The organisms responsible for rotting door frames are fungi. They multiply and grow in moisture and attack the timber eating it away layer by layer.

Rotting door frames exposed to the elements are a common problem. Water will pool around the base leaving it constantly damp. In Australia, there is dry and wet rot – but both need moisture to survive. It’s fairly straightforward to fix a rotting door frame and we’ve gathered together some guidance to help.

Rot Or Not? The Simple Test

It’s easy to discover whether your door is rotting. Use a thin blade of a knife and sink it into the wood. Alternatively use a nail, safety pin, or top of a screwdriver that will only leave a small hole. If any of these penetrate more than a few millimetres – your frame is rotting. The rotten wood needs to be cut out of the frame so it cannot spread.

Assessing The Damage

To repair the door frame, assess the damage. Press into the wood, checking for spongey areas, as this will guide you to the extent of the problem.

You need to remove all the rotten wood and an extra area as an added precaution to protect the healthy door frame. Remove an additional three centimetres above the top of the rot as a buffer.

Cutting Out The Rot

Once you’ve removed the rotten area with a Stanley knife, measure the size of the gap left. The thickness of the frame and the extent of the damaged area will determine whether you use wood filler or replace it with a section of timber.

If it’s small, fill it with wood filler. Once it’s spread into the recess and sits slightly flush from the rest of the frame, let it dry. Then sand it down to a smooth finish.

Wipe away the area to remove dust, and then prime and finish the wood to match the rest of the frame.

For larger areas, instead of filler, replace with timber cut to size. Fix it with either nails or strong wood glue. Prime and apply a finish to match.

Prevention Rather Than Cure

If you notice timber rot on a door frame early, it’s easy to repair and won’t cause extensive damage.

External doors succumb to rot the most. Kitchen and bathroom doors are also prone to rotting because they are in areas where moisture collects.

Doors are only as good as the quality of timber used in the manufacturing process. Door Stop uses only the best-engineered wood that is the most stable for the Western Australian Climate. We offer a warranty to give you peace of mind.

Experience the quality for yourself at our two showrooms in Osborne Park and Joondalup. Read our Google reviews, and you will learn why we’re the door company of choice in Perth, so why not pay a visit today?

Are two doors better than one? It’s a question we get asked a lot. Double doors certainly add grandeur to your house and not just when they’re installed at the entrance of your home.

Double doors connect spaces – whether that’s adjoining rooms or leading into an outdoor area.

Of course, doors need to be functional and to easily swing open and close, so you need to have the right gap between your double doors wherever you fit them.

Double doors can be installed with a rebate or without. Exterior doors generally have a rebate which is a section along the vertical edge of the door, so the two doors can fit snugly together. Around half the thickness is taken off so they can easily interlock.

With interior double doors, you’ll probably want them both to open at any time, so you won’t need that rebate.

Mind The Gap

Most door installers look for a gap in the middle of double doors between 3mm and 5mm – that’s less than ¼ inch. This means the doors will swing correctly and there’s no risk of them hitting one another.

Any gap between doors bigger than 5mm is too much and will look out of place. The larger the gap, the more light will come in. If they are too close, you could always plane them down a little.

Tradies working in the building industry have an ingenious way of checking this gap between double doors. They use a two-dollar coin as guidance. A two-dollar coin is just less than 3mm in thickness, so if you can pop it through this gap, it is the right size.

When fitting double doors, you should also allow 3mm on both hinge sides and 9mm clearance from the floor – known as the threshold gap.

The Rise Of French Doors And Double Doors

You can have double doors wherever you like whether that be your main entrance, leading into a dining room, or out into a garden. The gap in the middle shouldn’t deviate between 3mm and 5mm thickness.

Double doors are sometimes known as French doors. As the name suggests, they date back to the French Renaissance era and back then, usually opened out onto a balcony.

French doors are sold in pairs and house panels of glass to allow light in, so you can enjoy an unobstructed view.

Double doors are appealing to the eye because they’re balanced and architecturally impressive, plus you can’t beat them for functionality. If you want to move furniture inside and out, double open doors create a wider passageway.

Whatever your door requirements, speak to the team at Door Stop. We are the door company of choice in Perth. Whether you’re after French doors, double entrance doors, pivot, sliding or bi-fold doors – why not pay a visit to one of our showrooms in Joondalup and Osborne Park. Take a look at our reviews and discover why people are choosing Door Stop for their new doors.

Ever heard that squeak, squeak in your house? We’re not talking about a mouse – but the irritating noise coming from your doors.

There are plenty of horror movies featuring squeaky doors, but there’s no place for them in your own home.

Don’t despair, there are a few tried and tested remedies to prevent your squeaky doors from emitting that horrible noise. It’s easy to stop that peep coming from the squeak!

Eradicate That Squeak

The squeaking occurs because of the rubbing of the hinges. The oil or lubricant used when the door was first manufactured and installed starts to wear off.

A build-up of dirt and dust can escalate the problem. The rubbing of metal on metal causes an unpleasant sound, but the squeak can be easily eradicated using a variety of materials found in your own home.

Scrub It Away With Soap

Some people swear by a traditional bar of soap. The soap contains palm and coconut – two ingredients guaranteed to ease the squeaking sound.

Rub the soap into the hinges. For best results, use an organic, natural bar of soap because it will have a higher fat quantity. Don’t believe this hack? If you’re a history buff, you’ll know that soap was used on the axles of chariots circa 13^th century BC.

Rub In Some Vegetable Or Olive Oil

Another option is to use edible oils found in your kitchen pantry – either vegetable or olive oil. To complete the task with minimum mess, use a pipette so that the oil drops will fall directly onto the hinges. If you don’t have a pipette, try using a rag smothered in the oil.

Spray Away With Hairspray

It’s used to smooth uncontrollable hair or to set styled hair in place, but did you know that hairspray is the perfect choice to put an end to squeaky door hinges? The polymers within hairspray provide structural support to hair and are the magic ingredient to stop the squeak on your doors.

For maximum effect try extra strong hairspray and spray it directly on the hinges.To work the hairspray in – open and close the door a few times.

Spread Some Talcum Powder

Talcum powder or baby powder is not just great on squeaky hinges, but just as effective on creaky floorboards. Use an old toothbrush to work the powder into the crevices of the hinges.

Petroleum Jelly

If you have ever had chapped lips, you’ve probably reached for some petroleum jelly. Petroleum jelly is perfect for soothing dry lips because of its oily properties. To use it on your doors, spread some on your fingers and rub it into the hinges.

WD-40

We’ve saved the best (and maybe the most sensible suggestion) for last. WD-40 can be found in most workshops, as well as your local DIY store. The thin petroleum-based liquid can be applied directly to the area using the can to give the hinges the lubrication they require.

If you’ve got squeaky doors or doors that look outdated, why not pay a visit to Door Stop? We supply and fit high-quality internal and external doors such as pivot doors, French doors, and entrance doors to Perth and the surrounding suburbs. We offer an outstanding service at an affordable price, so give us a ring to find out more.