Outside basement doors live a hard life. They sit flat or sloped under rain and snow, get walked on and are usually the last thing anyone paints. Most problems start small, but a few signs mean it's time for a new door rather than another patch.
1. Rust holes, not just surface rust. Surface rust can be cleaned and painted. Once you can see daylight through the steel, or the metal flakes away when you press on it, the door has lost its strength.
2. Water in the basement after it rains. A door that leaks around the edges has usually sagged or the frame has rotted or rusted out, so the door no longer sits tight.
3. The lock doesn't catch. If the leaves no longer line up, the hasp or lock can't do its job — which makes the door an easy way into the house.
4. The door bends or bounces when you step on it. Flat sidewalk doors in particular need to carry foot traffic. Flex means the plate or its supports are worn.
5. The frame is cracked or crumbling. A new door on a bad frame won't last. The frame has to be repaired or rebuilt first.
To replace a basement door, we measure the opening, fabricate a new steel door — sloped 45-degree or flat diamond plate — repair or rebuild the frame, and install, prime and paint it. Call Reyesruiz Welding at (610) 724-0776 for a quote anywhere from Norristown to Philadelphia, New Jersey and Delaware.