Doors and Doorways 



his way into the house is thus taken care of, and even the persistent book agent 

 is held at bay. 



Door stops are too well known to need much description; they are generally 

 of wood, and are screwed into the baseboard to prevent the door swinging against 

 the wall. They are hardly ornamental, 

 owing to the position in which they are 

 placed, and thould be kept of the same 

 colour as the baseboard. They are 

 now frequently made of brass, but it 

 does not seem that their importance 

 should be emphasised by the use of this 

 metal. They have, however, the ad- 

 vantage of being made in longer sizes, 

 which may answer in special cases. 



The "double door" consists of two 

 doors hung from opposite jambs, swing- 

 ing so as to engage each other in clos- 

 ing or opening the door. They are 

 usually hung with loose joint butts, so 

 that they can be removed if desired. 

 One^ half is provided with a bolt top 

 and bottom, which, set into the edge 

 of the stile, engages the sockets set into 

 the threshold and the top jamb. The 

 other half carries the lock which en- 

 gages the first half. This arrangement 

 allows of the first half being bolted, 



,11 i i i r i i 



while the second half can be used as a 



single door. A small moulding is affixed 



to the face of the inner style of the second half, projecting beyond the edge so 



as to break the vertical joint between both halves when closed. 



About the time of the introduction of the mortise lock came the "sliding 

 door." Its general appearance is that of the double door, only instead of 

 swinging it slides into wall pockets on either side, thus being entirely out of the way. 

 This treatment, of course, increases the thickness of the partition, which is 

 constructed of two rows of studs set flatwise, so spaced that the finished parti- 

 tion would be about 9 inches from plastering to plastering. The inside of the 

 pockets should be sheathed with ^-inch matched sheathing, as a protection against 

 dust and draught. Stops should also be utilised to keep the doors from sliding 

 too far back into the pockets. Early examples were let into a rabbet at the head 

 and rolled on small brass tracks set on the floor. The best modern method 

 hangs them from overhead tracks, which does away with the stumbling block 

 on the floor. Often this small track is retained to steady the motive, and in 

 modern work is but very little in the way. When closed they are fastened by 

 an especially designed mortise lock which is operated by a sunken knob or other 

 arrangement. 



Interior doorway at " Whitehall," Maryland. A beautifully rich 



example of colonial work 



