Wood doors and methods for fabricating wood doors

Details Wood doors and methods for fabricating wood doors Wood doors and methods for fabricating wood doors

1999-01-14

2001-02-13

Friedman, Carl D. (Department: 3635)

Static structures (e.g., buildings)

Sectioned imperforate facing within perpheral frame; e.g.,...

Edge-abutted panels

C052S455000, C052S585100, C052S592100, C052S796100

Reexamination Certificate

active

06185894

ABSTRACT:

TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to doors and methods for fabricating doors, such as exterior wood doors.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Exterior doors are often used as an architectural feature in a home, business, or other building. In many applications, architects request wood exterior doors to impart a high quality, sophisticated appearance to a structure. Wood doors, for example, can be stained to use the natural wood grain in the exterior design of a structure.
Exterior wood doors typically have left and right wood stiles, top and bottom wood rails extending between the stiles, and a window or panel in the interior region between the stiles and the rails. The wood grain of the stiles typically extends vertically, and the wood grain of the rails typically extends horizontally. The ends of the stiles and rails are accordingly cross-cut transversely with respect to longitudinal vesicles of the wood grain. The open-grain ends of the stiles are thus exposed at the top and bottom of the door, and the open-grain ends of the rails are attached to the inner sides of the stiles. The rails are conventionally attached to the stiles with a plurality of dowels and a single layer of uncured adhesive (e.g., polyvinyl acetate) in the joint between the stiles and the open-grain ends of the rails. The rails and stiles can also have a core of one type of wood, and a veneer of a different type of wood.
Although exterior wood doors are often architecturally desirable, these doors have generally lost market share in recent years to metal and fiberglass doors because exterior wood doors can experience moisture damage if they are not properly treated before installation and not properly maintained afterward. In wet or humid environments, for example, exterior wood doors often absorb moisture in the bottom rail and the lower ends of the stiles absent proper protective coating and sealing. Moisture damage to inadequately sealed/coated exterior wood doors is particularly problematic with structures that do not have a sufficient overhang to protect the doors from rainwater. The moisture cannot readily escape from the rails and stiles, and thus rotting can occur in the lower and upper ends of a door. The moisture in the wood can also warp the rails and the stiles such that the doors may not properly fit in a door frame. Therefore, there is a demand for a moisture-resistant exterior wood door that can withstand wet and/or humid environments for a significant period of time.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to improved wood doors and fabrication methods. In one embodiment, a door includes a first wood stile and a second wood stile. The first wood stile includes a first upper region having a first upper end and a first lower region having a first lower end, and the second wood stile includes a second upper region having a second upper end and a second lower region having a second lower end. The door can also include a top rail and a bottom rail. The top rail has a first end attached to the first upper region of the first stile and a second end attached to the second upper region of the second stile. The bottom rail similarly has a first end attached to the first lower region of the first stile and a second end attached to the second lower region of the second stile.
The door also includes at least a first moisture-resistant end-cap attached to the first lower end of the first stile and/or the second lower end of the second stile. The first end-cap, for example, can be a single component extending across the lower ends of the stiles and a bottom surface of the bottom rail. The door more preferably includes a first moisture-resistant end-cap attached to the first lower end of the first stile and a separate second moisture-resistant end-cap attached to the second lower end of the second stile. The first end-cap can cover only the first lower end of the first stile, and the second end-cap can cover only the second lower end of the second stile. The first and second end-caps can accordingly be elements of a moisture-resistant end-cap assembly that inhibits moisture from entering the lower ends of the first and second stiles to prevent moisture from flowing through longitudinal vesicles in the first and second stiles.
In one embodiment, the first and second end-caps are extruded blocks of a composite including wood particles and a polymeric material. The first and second end-caps can also be other polymeric materials or other suitable moisture-resistant materials, with or without wood. The first and second end-caps, for example, can be blocks having lengths of approximately 1.0-3.0 inches. The bottom surfaces of the first and second end-caps are preferably flush with the bottom surface of the bottom rail. The end-caps limit absorption of moisture so that the bottom edge of a door can be exposed to water without absorbing and transporting water through the longitudinal vesicles of the first and second wood stiles.
In another embodiment, the door can also include a sealant layer over the open-grain ends of the bottom rail. For example, the sealant layer can be a layer of cured polyvinyl acetate covering the open-grained ends of the bottom rail. The bottom rail can then be attached to the interior surfaces of the first and second stiles using a separate layer of uncured adhesive in addition to the cured sealant layer. In still another embodiment, a veneer may be attached to a front side and a back side of each of the first stile, the second stile, and the first and second end-caps.


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