front door glossary
A field guide to the language of front doors.
From astragals to weatherstripping, here are the words our installers use every day — decoded in plain English for anyone planning their own front entry.
A
Architrave
The decorative moulding or trim that frames a door opening, covering the gap between the frame and the surrounding wall.
Astragal
The vertical strip fitted between a pair of double doors that seals the gap where the two doors meet when closed.
Awning Canopy
A small roof-like structure built above an entry door to shield it, and anyone standing at it, from rain and snow.
B
Backset
The horizontal distance from the edge of the door to the centre of the doorknob or lever, most commonly 2 3/8″ or 2 3/4″.
Bevel
A slight angled edge cut along a door’s lock-side stile so it clears the frame smoothly as it swings shut.
Brickmould
The exterior trim that wraps the outside of a door frame where it meets the brick, siding, or stucco of the house.
C
Casing
The interior trim that covers the gap between a door frame and the wall, finishing the opening on the inside of the home.
Cladding
A protective outer layer, such as fiberglass or aluminum, bonded over a door’s core to resist weather and denting.
Cremone Bolt
A decorative vertical bolt mechanism, often used on French doors, that locks a door at both the top and bottom with one lever.
D
Deadbolt
A lock with a bolt that moves only by turning a key or lever, with no spring action, making it more resistant to forced entry than a standard latch.
Direct-Glazed
Glass that is fixed permanently into a door panel rather than held by a removable frame or grille.
Drip Cap
A small angled piece of trim installed above an exterior door to direct rainwater away from the opening below.
E
Egress Door
A door required by building code to provide a safe, unobstructed exit from a home in an emergency.
Entry System
The complete assembled unit of a front door, including the door slab, frame, sidelights, and transom, sold and installed as one piece.
Espagnolette
A multi-point locking bar that secures a door at several places along its height with a single turn of the handle.
F
Fanlight
A half-circle or fan-shaped window installed above a doorway, often above a transom, to bring extra light into an entryway.
Fiberglass Door
A door made from a fiberglass composite skin over an insulated core, prized for resisting warping, rot, and denting.
Flush Door
A door with a completely smooth, flat surface on both sides, with no raised panels or moulding detail.
G
Glazing
The general term for the glass used in a door, including its type, coating, and the way it is set into the panel.
Grille
A decorative grid, often removable, placed over or between glass panes to mimic the look of traditional multi-pane windows.
H
Head Jamb
The horizontal top piece of a door frame that spans across the opening above the door.
Hinge
The hardware that attaches a door to its frame and allows it to pivot open and closed.
Hollow-Core Door
A lightweight interior door built with a honeycomb or hollow interior rather than solid material.
I
Insulated Glass Unit (IGU)
Two or more panes of glass sealed together with an air or gas-filled gap between them to improve a door’s energy efficiency.
Ironmongery
A trade term for all the metal hardware on a door, including hinges, handles, locks, and knockers.
J
Jamb
The vertical side pieces of a door frame that the door itself is hinged to and closes against.
Jib Door
A door built flush with the surrounding wall and finished to match it, designed to be concealed rather than stand out.
K
Kerf
A thin groove cut into a door frame to hold a weatherstrip seal in place.
Kick Plate
A protective metal plate installed along the bottom of a door to guard against scuffs and wear from feet or equipment.
L
Lite
A single pane of glass within a door, whether it stands alone or is one section of a multi-pane design.
Lintel
A structural beam spanning the top of a door opening that carries the weight of the wall above it.
Lockset
The complete hardware assembly for securing a door, typically including the latch, strike plate, and handle or knob.
M
Mortise Lock
A lock housed in a pocket cut directly into the edge of the door, generally sturdier than a lock that is simply bored through.
Mullion
A vertical bar that divides a door’s glass into separate sections, or separates a door from an adjoining sidelight.
Muntin
A slim strip that divides a single pane of glass into a grid of smaller panes.
N
Nosing
The rounded or projecting front edge of a threshold or sill that a door closes against.
O
Operable Sidelight
A narrow window panel beside a front door that can open, unlike a fixed sidelight, often for ventilation.
Overhead Door Stop
A hardware arm mounted at the top of a door that holds it open at a set position and prevents it from swinging into a wall.
P
Panel Door
A door built from separate raised or recessed panels set within a surrounding frame of rails and stiles.
Pivot Hinge
A hinge mounted at the top and bottom of a door rather than along its side, letting oversized or heavy doors swing smoothly.
Prehung Door
A door that arrives already mounted in its frame with hinges attached, ready to be set into the rough opening.
Q
Quarter Round
A small, quarter-circle-profile moulding used to finish the edge where door trim meets a wall or floor.
R
Rabbet
A step-shaped groove cut into a frame or door edge so one piece can sit flush against another, commonly used where a door meets its frame.
Reveal
The visible depth of a wall or frame around a door opening, seen from the front.
Rough Opening
The unfinished framed gap in a wall, slightly larger than the door unit itself, into which a new door is installed.
S
Sash
The framework that holds a pane of glass within a door or window panel.
Sidelight
A tall, narrow window panel installed on one or both sides of a front door to add light and visual width to an entry.
Sill
The horizontal piece at the very bottom of a door frame that the door closes onto and that sheds water away from the threshold.
Stile
The vertical outer edge pieces of a door’s frame structure, running the full height of the door on the hinge and lock sides.
Strike Plate
The metal plate fixed to the door jamb with a hole or notch that a lock’s bolt extends into to hold the door shut.
T
Threshold
The strip fixed to the floor beneath a door that bridges the gap between a home’s interior and exterior and helps seal out drafts.
Transom
A window, fixed or operable, installed directly above a door to bring in extra light above the main entry.
Trim
The decorative moulding used around a door opening, on either the interior or exterior side, that conceals rough edges and gaps.
U
U-Factor
A rating that measures how well a door prevents heat from escaping; the lower the number, the better the insulation.
V
Veneer
A thin decorative layer of real wood applied over a door’s core to give it the appearance of solid wood.
Vestibule
A small enclosed entry space between an exterior door and the interior of a home, often created by adding a storm door.
W
Weatherstripping
Flexible sealing material fitted around a door’s edges to block drafts, moisture, and noise from entering around the frame.
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