Know Your Door: A Guide to Key Terms

Choosing a new door can have a significant impact on a homeowner’s everyday life. It’s the key to putting a face to the home, which is why it’s crucial to make informed decisions when picking the right door for a property.

At The Residence Collection, premium doors and windows are designed to stylishly complement homes, whilst performing to the highest standard. Utilising market-leading technology and innovation to combine modern living with traditional designs is what lies behind every door and window.

It can be daunting to know where to start when it comes to replacing or upgrading your door. When homeowners are looking to make improvements, there are a number of elements they need to juggle and consider to ensure they are choosing with confidence. The Residence Collection’s premium materials, which tend to adopt a wooden expression, can use terminology that homeowners may not initially be familiar with. Understanding some of this jargon will help customers identify how and why their choices can outperform alternative door options.

Minimising complexities and maximising simplicities

Architrave: A decorative moulding that sits around the door frame, concealing the gap between the frame and wall.

Aperture: The structural opening or hole in a wall, roof, or brickwork designed to hold a window or door.

Beading: Trim fitted around a door panel or pane of glass to provide a neat, finished appearance.

Bi-fold: Doors that fold together on a track as they open to save space.

Butt hinge: A hinge fitted between the door and frame, allowing the door to open and close smoothly.

Deep Bottom Rail: A wider or deeper bottom rail that runs across the base of a door, commonly found on traditional-style doors for added visual appeal.

Drip bar: A strip at the bottom of your door that deflects rainwater.

Engineered pvc Doors: Is a door made up of different components such as transoms, mullions, panels, mid-rail and glass to create the aesthetic of a wooden door using pvc.

Flush casement: A window or door where the sash sits level with the frame, creating a smooth, flush surface.

French Door: Large open-out glazed doors, often used as Patio Doors with no vertical post between them.

Georgan Bar/Astragal bar: A decorative strip attached to both the inside and outside of a glass panel to mimic the look of traditional multi-pane divided glass.

Inlay: A decorative element incorporated into the door’s surface for a flush and seamless finish.

Jambs: The two vertical sides of a door frame that the door is attached to.

Low-Threshold: A reduced height cill at the bottom of a door frame that minimises the step from outside to inside.

Mid-rail: A horizontal or vertical divider that separates sections of a door. It provides structural strength and a place to install a letterplate or knocker.

Mortice Lock: A lock installed within a recessed section of the door’s edge, keeping the locking mechanism concealed rather than surface mounted

Mortice Plate: A rectangular plate fitted to the door frame that the latch or deadbolt slides into when the door is closed.

Mullion: Vertical sections within a door that separate and support different parts of the door, such as panels or glazing.

Panel Surround Trim: A pvc moulded timber aesthetic that hides the gasket line around the panel.

Sidelight: This is usually a narrow panel of glass set beside a door.

Timber Alternative door: A upvc door finished with a woodgrain-effect foil to create the appearance of a traditional timber door.

Toplight: A window that sits above another window or a door.

U-Value Rating: The thermal resistance performance of a door.

uPVC Doors: A rigid and durable form of PVC commonly used for external doors due to its resistance to weathering and rot, making it a low-maintenance material.

Jo Trotman, Sales and Marketing Manager at The Residence Collection, comments: “From an outsider’s perspective, although the industry terminology we use at The Residence Collection may seem complex at first, we want homeowners to understand that quality is never compromised. With carefully selected specialist materials chosen because of their design, durability and performance, customers can gain a better understanding of the significant benefits our doors and windows will bring to their home.

“Being the first thing people see when they approach a property, the need for the front door to be aesthetically pleasing while performing seamlessly is fundamental to the homeowner experience.”