Door Threshold

In several cultures thresholds are customarily made using specific techniques and materials. A threshold at the door is the best way to keep your home clean from dirt and free from insects and critters. Apart from that, it also proves to be an excellent security measure.

A threshold is installed at the base of the frame of the door. In some cases it also acts as the base for the door frame itself. It is located just outside the door and acts as a seal for the small gap that is left between the door and the floor. A threshold is principally made out of 3 prominent materials. These are as follows:

This threshold is very simple to make because all you will need is a thick log or panel of wood, that fits into the length of the door. You will need a saw to cut and shape the wood, and nails and a hammer to fix the log into the door space.

If you are planning to make the threshold as a do-it-yourself project then a chisel and hammer will make excellent tools to make simple yet fascinating designs on the wood.

The ones that are made from stone are more expensive and you will need a lot of efforts to install the stone one, as it needs cutting as per measurements, toning, and finishing.

Installation of such a threshold requires concrete in small amounts and appropriate niches in the door frame itself are made in some cases. It goes without saying that these threshold are expensive to install.

Of late, several companies and manufacturers have started manufacturing smaller, much well designed and kind-of-compact thresholds. They can be glued down on to the floor and then can be enforced or further affixed on the floor by a drill and then a screw. They are the best for air-conditioned or carpeted homes, as they almost seal the door frame air tight.

To choose and install a proper threshold, you will need a small measuring tape. Measure the total distance (gap) from the bottom edge of the door till the floor. Next off, measure the height which should be more than the height of the small gap.

Also make it a point to measure the length of the door frame as you will either have to get a threshold that exactly fits the door frame or you will have to get a longer one and then cut it with a power tool, as per the door frame's requirement.

Some stores also sell threshold extenders for common threshold designs, eliminating the need to cut the threshold. Please note that for replacement, you will have to saw out the entire threshold and also the components that have been nailed down into the ground or the remaining door frame.

Normal hinge doors that open inside the house are still conventionally used in several homes. Some of them are also two leafed, that is, there are two hinged doors, in a pair attached to the same door frame that open inside the house. 

With modernization of door frames and the anatomy of doors, several doors with different designs have also come into being. The thresholds for these differentiated designs is a bit different from the usual one. Here are a few types of such thresholds:

The normal T threshold is the most common of all and, from the breadth side it appears like an English 'T'. This threshold is installed into the door frame with lower T sinking into the door frame.

As the name suggests the rectangular slab is a threshold or flat slab, usually made of stone or cement. Niches and enforcing carpentry is needed to install this kind of threshold. The front and back door frame can be conveniently fitted with this kind of threshold. This design is also called a 'flush' or 'square edge' and is popular in patio door designs.

The best threshold for all interior doors is the quarter round and as the name suggests, it depicts a quarter of a circle. This kind of threshold is made with metal, polymers and wood.

The sliding door design threshold comes as a part of the door frame itself, and is a sheltered cavity in the frame where the rail for the sliding glass door is present. In order to further protect the sliding cavity, this kind of threshold consists of an addition of a 'Normal T' or 'Quarter Round' design on either sides.

Some thresholds come in as sweeps. A sweep is a small polymer brush on the threshold and also the bottom side of the door. This kind of model acts as a seal, as it prevents the inflow of any dirt or dust.

New designs for thresholds are being introduced into the market every day and the technology and practical usage of the same is becoming more and more innovative.