As I managed to get more paint off these steel entry doors, I was
finding small holes near the bottom. I wondered what had been screwed
there, and it suddenly struck me that there used to be kick plates.

So now I am wondering: What are the advantages and disadvantages of
having kick plates. I think they might look attractive, but . . . Most
of the rough spots and rusty patches are in the area where the kick
plates were, suggesting that moisture accumulated in the gap between the
plates and the surface of the doors and caused them to rust -- but I
suppose one could using caulking compound in between to prevent this.
Any other disadvantages?

Perce