Aluminum Doors are the ideal solution to these issues. Both add extreme wear and tear and additional costs further down the road by compromising the longevity of the entrance and your hardware. Steel doors are also heavy and unnecessarily bulky. The handle, hidden access control devices, and even branding (see customization options below) are attached to or installed inside a Mid-Panel. Likewise, a well-designed Mid-Panel will add even more strength, durability, and a design accent to the center of a Monumental Door. Monumental Doors are best suited for high-traffic entrances with touch bar exit devices used on the Mid-Rail. Where Stile and Rail Doors are used, and why On top of that, you have a door more susceptible to all the downsides of wood: rot, warping, and splinters. It also places a heavy burden on the hardware you purchased to protect your building’s accessibility. Often, the result is a heavy door that can add difficulty to the installation. They use dowel rods and glue to hold those crucial pieces together. Wood Stile and Rail Doors are typical for interiors. Most of the Stile and Rail Door information uses wood as a primary construction material. Mid-Panel: An exclusive Special-Lite feature that adds a design accent and functionality to the center of a Rail and Stile Door (more on that below). It can also increase security by reducing the ability to force doors open. It acts as a weather seal, minimizing noise, reducing smoke infiltration in case of a fire, and further increasing the energy efficiency of the entrance. Also known as a Center Post.ĭoor Sweep: Weatherstripping at the bottom of the door forms a protective seal against air and water. Ideally, it’s energy-efficient and weather-resistant.Īstragal: Component that covers the clearance gap between door pairs. If you have a double door opening, that component in the middle allows both doors to function.

With a single door, it is the component that joins two window or door units between a door and side-lite. Mullion: You may also see this as an intermediate stile its use will help define it. They are often used to create a grid or a divided lite look. Muntins: Moulding used to separate glass in a sash (stiles and rails made into a frame to hold glass) into multiple lites. Lite: Vision Lite (light) is a glazed opening in a door or a piece of glass intended for a door.Ĭross rail: Also referred to as a Mid-rail, it is the horizontal piece between a door’s top and bottom rails. Other Common Door Terminologyīelow are some other helpful terms to know when working with your preferred door manufacturer: Stile and Rail Doors are a combination of horizontal rails and vertical stiles. In between, you have a Mid-Rail or a Mid-Panel. Rails are the horizontal sections of the door panel at the top and bottom of the door. It’s where you will find the lock, latches, and whatever hinges your project requires. Stiles are those vertical components on the outside of the door – on both sides. There’s the door frame, which supports the door, and a Door Panel, which swings open and closed. If you step back and look at any door, you’ve got the doorway, the part you walk through. From here on out, we’ll focus more on a commercial angle. When evaluating a new door for your commercial building, many terms might already be familiar from home. And we wouldn’t be who we are if we didn’t explore customizations. Understanding how versatile a door can be will help you make the best decision for your project. First, it’s helpful to understand the common parts that make up a door. We’ll dive more into Stile and Rail Doors below. Restaurants, schools, and arenas are other familiar places where you will see Monumental or Stile and Rail Doors. Those areas are where doors can take a beating. Typically, you see Monumental Doors in high-traffic entrances such as storefronts and public and institutional buildings. In the commercial door industry, Stile and Rail Doors are another way of referring to Monumental Doors.

Stiles and rails on doors