Tips for long-term beauty and operation
PROVIA DOOR CLEANING & MAINTENANCE
ProVia doors are built to last and to enhance your home’s curb appeal for many years. Basic cleaning and maintenance steps will help keep them operating at peak performance and looking like new. Select your door type below to view cleaning and maintenance tips.
Signet® Oak 460 with Esmond Decorative Glass and Custom Stain
How to keep your ProVia doors looking beautiful
ENTRY DOOR MAINTENANCE & CLEANING
If you have purchased a fiberglass front door or steel entry door for the first time, you may be wondering what you need to do to keep it looking as beautiful as the day you installed it. Fortunately, ProVia Embarq™, Signet®, and Heritage™ fiberglass doors and Legacy™ steel entry doors are constructed for long-term durability, energy efficiency and beauty. Some basic steel and fiberglass door maintenance will keep them looking great and help keep them operating to their fullest potential. Here are some important steps to take throughout the year.
FINISH
- To clean doors, wash with mild soap and water, rinse with clear water and wipe dry.
- Keep weatherstrip clean of dirt and grit for proper seal. Wash with mild soap and water, rinse with clear water and wipe dry. Apply a light coat of wax and wipe off excess.
- For scuff marks on painted finishes, use mild liquid cleanser, rinse with clear water and wipe dry.
- If finish is accidentally scratched or chipped, clean as recommended above and use touch-up paint supplied or standard wood finish repair crayon.
CAUTION: DO NOT USE paint thinners, lacquer thinner, gasoline, kerosene, or any other harsh chemical to clean surfaces of door or hardware.
HARDWARE
- Much like sterling silver, even the finest brass will react naturally to the elements surrounding it. To maintain, polish with a nonabrasive automotive or furniture wax. By keeping your hardware cleaned and maintained you will be rewarded with a long-lasting finish.
- Tighten screws on lockset and hinges when necessary.
- Lightly oil hinges as needed. Wipe off excess.
Tips for long-term satisfaction
VINYL PATIO DOOR CLEANING & MAINTENANCE
ProVia’s Endure™, Aspect™ and ecoLite™ all-vinyl sliding glass doors are made to be durable and beautiful for many years. Sliding glass door maintenance is important to keep your patio door operating at its full potential. Here are some important steps to take throughout the year.
KEY POINTS TO REMEMBER
- Small scratches and nicks in the vinyl can occur. These small imperfections can be buffed out with a fine buffing compound suitable for vinyl surfaces.
- Condensation is often a result of high humidity in the home. If you have found condensation on your patio door, you must take steps to reduce the humidity level in your home by either adding a dehumidifier or using a kitchen exhaust fan to remove water vapors from cooking.
VINYL FINISH
To clean, wash with mild soap and water. Heavy dirt and stains may require stronger cleaning compounds such as a vinyl siding cleaner. The surface can be wiped down with solvents such as turpentine, naphtha, nail polish remover (acetone), and alcohol.
CAUTION: Some cleaners may mar or scratch vinyl. Abrasive cleaners will scratch the surface and are not recommended.
OVERALL MAINTENANCE & CLEANING
- Keep track clean of dirt and debris so water can flow freely to outside.
- Keep all weep holes free of obstructions so water can flow freely to outside.
- Inspect exterior caulking regularly and replace when necessary.
- Clean and check operation of hardware and weatherstripping regularly and repair if necessary.
- Keep weatherstrip clean of dirt and grit for proper seal.
HARDWARE
- Much like sterling silver, even the finest brass will react naturally to the elements surrounding it. To maintain, polish with a nonabrasive automotive or furniture wax. By keeping your hardware cleaned and maintained you will be rewarded with a long-lasting finish.
- Tighten screws on lockset when necessary.
- Lightly oil hinges as needed. Wipe off excess.
CAUTION: DO NOT USE paint thinners, lacquer thinner, gasoline, kerosene, or any other harsh chemical to clean surfaces of door or hardware.
Simple steps to maintain your door’s beauty
AERIS WOOD-CLAD PATIO DOOR
CLEANING & MAINTENANCE
Our Aeris™ sliding glass doors are uniquely engineered through a patented system that fully integrates real wood interiors with low-maintenance vinyl exteriors. This unique system was designed specifically for homeowners who value the warmth and beauty of wood that can be stained or painted. Additionally, the low-maintenance exterior makes for easy cleaning and lasts for years. Sliding glass door maintenance will keep your Aeris patio door operating at its full potential. Here are some important steps to take throughout the year.
KEY POINTS TO REMEMBER
- The wood pieces are designed to allow some movement of the vinyl exterior surface to the interior wood, resulting in the vertical and horizontal joints of the wood pieces being not exactly flush. These slight gaps are not considered a defect in the product.
- Small scratches and nicks in the vinyl can occur. These small imperfections can be buffed out with a fine buffing compound suitable for vinyl surfaces.
- Condensation is often a result of high humidity in the home. If you have found condensation on your patio door, you must take steps to reduce the humidity level in your home by either adding a dehumidifier or using a kitchen exhaust fan to remove water vapors from cooking.
STAINED OR PAINTED FINISHES
- To clean, wash with mild soap and water, rinse with clear water, and wipe dry. Apply a light coat of wax (Lemon Pledge®) and wipe off excess.
- For scuff marks on painted finishes, use mild liquid cleanser, rinse with clear water, and wipe dry.
- If finish is accidentally scratched or chipped, clean as recommended above and use standard wood finish repair crayon or touch-up paint supplied
VINYL FINISH
To clean, wash with mild soap and water. Heavy dirt and stains may require stronger cleaning compounds such as a vinyl siding cleaner. The surface can be wiped down with solvents such as turpentine, naphtha, nail polish remover (acetone), and alcohol.
CAUTION: Some cleaners may mar or scratch vinyl. Abrasive cleaners will scratch the surface and are not recommended.
OVERALL MAINTENANCE & CLEANING
- Keep track clean of dirt and debris so water can flow freely to outside.
- Keep all weep holes free of obstructions so water can flow freely to outside.
- Inspect exterior caulking regularly and replace when necessary.
- Clean and check operation of hardware and weatherstripping regularly and repair if necessary.
Keep weatherstrip clean of dirt and grit for proper seal. - Determine the source of any moisture that you see around your door and stop its entry and accumulation.
- Immediately dry out any areas around your door that you observe are wet (immediate action is necessary to mitigate any damage to your home). The use of a dehumidifier, fan, or any warm air source will help dry out affected area.
- Maintain relative humidity at moderate levels.
HARDWARE
- Much like sterling silver, even the finest brass will react naturally to the elements surrounding it. To maintain, polish with a nonabrasive automotive or furniture wax. By keeping your hardware cleaned and maintained you will be rewarded with a long-lasting finish.
- Tighten screws on lockset when necessary.
- Lightly oil hinges as needed. Wipe off excess.
CAUTION: DO NOT USE paint thinners, lacquer thinner, gasoline, kerosene, or any other harsh chemical to clean surfaces of door or hardware.
How to keep your storm doors & screens looking beautiful
STORM DOOR MAINTENANCE & CLEANING
With simple cleaning, ProVia’s storm doors will continue to look good for many years. Watch our YouTube video.
ALUMINUM PAINT FINISH
- To clean, wash with mild soap and water and treat like your new car finish.
- If finish is accidentally scratched or chipped, use touch-up paint available from your dealer.
- To protect finish, spray with vinyl protector or use a high quality auto wax and polish the surface
HARDWARE
- All hardware will function better if it is cleaned properly.
- Much like sterling silver, even the finest brass will react naturally to the elements surrounding it. To maintain, polish with a nonabrasive automotive or furniture wax. You may have to clean with brass cleaner if the brass tarnishes. By keeping your hardware cleaned and maintained you will be rewarded with a long-lasting finish.
- Tighten screws when necessary.
- Oil hinges on storm doors as needed with a light sewing machine oil.
- Keep weatherstripping clean of dirt and grit for proper sealing. Wash with mild soap and water. Vinyl and rubber seals can be treated with vinyl protector.
Glass
- Use a soft, clean, high-absorbant, lint-free cloth.
- Utilize a 50/50 mixture of isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol) and water. This evaporates more slowly then typical cleaners and will keep streaking to a minimum.
- Spray the cleaning solution on the glass surface to be cleaned. Important! Do not wash the glass in direct sunlight.
- Wipe clean the cleaning solution off the glass using a circular motion applying light to moderate pressure to remove dirt residue.
- If this solution does not remove the dirt as desired, any household cleaner can be used.
- If the household cleaners are used, reduce the area to be cleaned to more easily allow removal of solution prior to evaporation (which is the cause of streaking). If streaks occur, reduce the area further.
- Products which foam or lather will help slow the evaporation of the cleaning solution and allow time to remove the residue. They may help “lubricate” the surface which will give the cleaning cloth a more familiar feel, similar to uncoated glass.
It’s not the glass, it’s the humidity
MANAGING CONDENSATION
To reduce glass condensation, you must control humidity. Glass does not create condensation. The glass on your entry doors, patio doors, or storm doors help prevent moisture from escaping to the outside and are the most visible surface where condensation is noticeable. Remember, if you have water, frost or ice on the surface of a double-glazed glass, you have excess humidity in your home. To reduce condensation, you must reduce humidity. If the humidity level in your home is high, and the outside temperature has dropped below 40 degrees Fahrenheit, condensation could still occur, regardless of what type of glass door you have in your home.
What Causes Humidity to be Too High?
Anything that tends to evaporate moisture will contribute to humidity. Below are some of the chief sources of moisture evaporation. Learn more about managing condensation in our brochure.
- Uncontrolled furnace humidifiers – Turn them off to reduce excessive humidity.
- Open faced, unvented gas heaters – Use them sparingly and most importantly, connected to a chimney.
- Damp basement walls and floors – Waterproof to prevent condensation.
- Excessive boiling when cooking – Use exhaust fans or open up windows to allow steam to exit house.
- Hanging laundry to dry – Make sure room is vented with open windows.
- Large number of plants, watered daily – During cold months, move plants into another room secluded from the rest of the house.
- New construction homes – It can take nearly a year for drywall, plaster, paint, concrete and cement to fully dry or cure. This dampness can cause humidity in a newly constructed home.
PROVIA DOOR TECHNOLOGY
Discover the technology that makes ProVia entry doors, patio doors, and storm doors a beautiful and energy-efficient addition to your home.
LIFETIME LIMITED WARRANTY
ProVia stands by the quality of its products by providing a transferable Lifetime Limited Warranty that passes onto one subsequent owner of the home.