Editor’s note: this article is being reconciled against the original published version — see docs/CONTENT-ISSUES.md.
Still worth repairing
Worn weatherstripping and door sweeps, a sagging hinge screw, a sticky latch, a closer that slams — these are normal wear and usually a quick, worthwhile fix.
Time to replace
Rot in the slab or the frame. A frame that has racked so the door no longer meets the strike. A door that has dropped and drags. Daylight at the corners with the weatherstripping already replaced. A sliding panel that keeps coming off a bent track. A hollow, dated interior door doing nothing for the room. Once you are fixing the same door repeatedly, the repairs have become the expensive option.
What replacement gets you
A pre-hung unit in a new, square frame with an adjustable sill seals and operates better than re-hanging a slab in an old frame. Modern entry and patio doors use insulated glass, weather-stripped frames and multi-point locking. And the fit — plumb, square, shimmed, sealed — is the part that decides whether the new door is quiet, tight and secure.
By The Window Inserts team. Published January 30, 2026.