To most people, a door is just that – a door. But a door can also be a subtle statement of who you are. Regardless of how you see your entry door, there’s more than meets the eye. Let’s take a closer look at the door anatomy of an entry door.
Entry Door Anatomy
Every door can be a combination of materials – wood, vinyl, aluminum, or glass – and has a handle and hinges to open and close it.
This chart shows the various elements of an exterior front door:
Door Terminology
- Door System – a door slab & frame assembly, with slab pre-hung in the frame
- Frame – an assembly of structural parts used to fasten a door to a structure
- Keyway – the slot in a lock in which the key is inserted
- Lite – a framed piece of glass within a door slab (sidelight or transom)
- Rail – the horizontal pieces of a door slab
- Sidelight – fixed, usually rectangular, decorative glass on either or both sides of a door
- Slab – the operating part of a door system
- Stile – the vertical pieces of a door slab
- Sweep – flexible seal material attached to the bottom of a door slab
- Threshold – bottom component of a door system
- Transom – decorative glass above a door system
It helps to know the component names when you’re talking about doors, shopping for a new one, or even thinking about building something yourself.
You can personalize your door and add beauty and complexity by incorporating different design elements such as a transom, sidelights, rails, panels, mullions, stiles, and brickmould.
If you want to learn more about entry doors and their design, or if you’re in the market for a new one, contact us today!
