Door Glossary: Learn The Parts of Your Exterior Door

Whether you're remodeling your home or are taking part of a new build project, it's important to know the name of the parts that you're working with to be able to communicate effectively with the professionals you may interact with. This stands true for the parts of your exterior doors. This is why we at Knockety have created a door glossary that you can refer to when you happen upon terminology that you may or may not be quite familiar with.

Door Terminology You Need To Know

Here is where we will explain different door terminology and parts so that you're able to make the best decision when choosing an exterior door for your home.

Bore Hole

These are pre-drilled holes where you'll be able to accommodate and install the door lockset.

Brickmould

The brickmould is the exterior trim that is designed to hide the gap between the door frame and the wall. This is typically thicker than most trim and can be made of any material such as wood, PVC, fiberglass, aluminum, or composite materials. Brickmould can be a part of the screen door or storm door that it's attached to.

Casing

Door and window casing trim what hides the gaps between a window or door frame and the wall.

Door Frame

This is the frame of the doorway where the door is fitted. Door frames are made up of the side and head jambs as well as the mullion. They can be made of all sort of materials such as wood, aluminum, and composite materials.

Door Jamb

These are the individual sections of door frames. There are the side jambs (vertical) that hold up the head jamb (horizontal).

Door Sweep

The door sweep is where the majority of the weather-stripping is installed. This is found on the bottom of a door panel and creates a weather-resistant barrier.

Glazing

Glazing refers to the glass in a door. With newer exterior doors, glazing can comprised of two or more layers of glass. For additional insulation, inert gas will sometimes be injected between the layers two layers of glass and sometimes three. To manage the amount of light and heat that comes into your home, glazing can be coated with material to reflect the heat and light away.

Hinge

This are the pieces that allow for your door to swing open and closed. Most doors have three hinges, but bigger and taller doors may have four or more hinges. The color and finish of a hinge will typically match the lockset.

Latch

This is the part of the door that will extend into the door frame from the side of the door panel. The latch will retract once the door handle is turned, which allows for the door to open.

Lockset

A lockset includes the door handles, locks, latches, strike plates, and possible other additional hardware.

Mullion (Mull)

Mulls are the seams that form when two windows or a door and window are put together. The mullion is usually hidden by a mull casing.

Muntin

These are supporting bars or strips that are found between panes of glass.

Panel

Panel refers to the whole part of the door that swings back and forth. Panels can also be divided into smaller panels that are found between the stiles, rails, and mullions.

Rail

These are the narrow horizontal segments on a door panel.

Sidelights

These are the tall narrow windows that can be found on either or both sides of a door. Sidelights bring in more light into the home and can allow you to see who's at the door with more ease.

Sill

This is the bottom part of a door frame. Sills are only found on exterior doors and are typically sealed and fastened to the floor.

Simulated Divided Lite (SDL)

This is a door that only has one single glass pane with interlocking muntin bars. This gives the appearance that the door is made up of several separate glass panes.

Stile

Stiles are found on either side of a door panel. They are vertical and are referred to as the lock stile and hinge stile.

Strike Plate

Typically made of metal, this is a piece of hardware that's installed into the door frame that will catch the latch of the lockset and keep the door closed.

True Divided Lite (TDL)

Unlike SDL doors, these are ones that have individual panes of glass that are assembled using muntins.

Weather-stripping

Found on exterior doors, weather-stripping helps seal gaps that are found between a door frame and a door panel. In most cases, weather-stripping is made of a strong and flexible material such as silicone and rubber.

Have More Questions?

Here at Knockety, we know that your front door is almost always the first thing that people will notice about your home. In that sense, why not know everything you can about your door and the parts that make up the entire thing? You can contact us here if you wish to learn more about the parts that make up your doors or if you have a question about your order from Knockety.