Do-it-yourself replacement of a metal entrance door in an apartment

The front door is an important element in the decoration of a room, which performs not only aesthetic functions. The structure is part of the external wall, having the required heat transfer resistance, sound insulation and fire resistance. However, the most important function of this element is burglary protection. Therefore, if the old entrance door to the room does not meet all the requirements, it should be replaced.

Rice. 1. New front door

In what cases is it necessary to replace the front door?

The owner of a residential premises decides to replace the old entrance door with a new one when one of the following situations occurs:

When the old door leaf needs to be disposed of due to loss of basic operational properties - frame misalignment or failure of locking mechanisms.
In case the old kit is hopelessly outdated or no longer meets the requirements for ensuring the safety of the premises.
When a simple and cheap version of the fabric does not have the proper thermal and sound insulation characteristics or does not provide the required level of fire resistance.
When the interior of a room is completely changed during a major overhaul.

Rice. 2. Old canvas in a box

Before selecting and installing a new structure to fill the opening in the enclosing structure, it is necessary to dismantle the old door with all its components and structural elements.

Mount the handles and strike plate of the lock

Using the supplied hexagon, loosen the locking screws at the bottom of both handles and insert the square rod into them until it stops. Attach the assembled structure to the door. The distance between the handles should be less than the thickness of the blade. If it is larger, shorten the rod slightly with a hacksaw or grinder.
Remove the decorative rosettes from the handles by unscrewing them counterclockwise along the threads. Insert the handles into their places so that the locking screw is at the bottom, and mark the locations for fastening with a pencil. Drill holes and screw in screws. Replace the decorative rosettes.
Close the door and mark the top and bottom of the latch on the frame with a pencil. Measure the distance from the edge of the canvas to the outside of the tongue. Mark this measurement on the frame and draw a line to the latch boundary marks.
Turn the striker over and align it with the center of the tongue mark. Drill holes and screw in screws to secure the strip to the frame. Trace the contours with a pencil and cut the film with a sharp knife, as you did with the lock.
Remove the bar and use a small drill to make holes along the contour of the future groove for the latch, and use a chisel to make a hole. It’s okay if the sample slightly protrudes beyond the boundaries of the marks; after installing the bar, all the gaps will close.
Using a chisel, carefully remove the film along the outer contour of the striker to make it flush with the door frame. Secure the strip in place with screws. Check: if everything is done correctly, the closed door does not hang loose.

How to dismantle an old front door

In order to carry out dismantling while maintaining the slopes and integrity of the load-bearing wall in which the opening is located, this type of work is carried out in strict accordance with the following steps:

The old door leaf is removed from the hinges, and if necessary, all locking devices, latches and peepholes are removed from it. It should be noted that a metal door leaf can weigh more than 100 kg, and it will not be easy to cope with such a task alone.
After the canvas is removed from the hinges, it is necessary to begin dismantling the supporting frame. An important point in this procedure is that it will not be possible to maintain its integrity without seriously damaging the wall, and the owner of the premises will have to cut it.
The work begins with dismantling the threshold - using a grinder, it is cut off from the posts at the welded joints, after which it is removed separately from the floor slab structure.
In the same way, the jumper is dismantled, which has a similar fastening and identical length.
Next, the mounting gap is cleared of any remaining foam so that the fasteners are in sight.
In order to remove the racks, which are attached to 3 - 4 anchor bolts, it is necessary to cut each of the elements into pieces and dismantle them separately.
After all metal elements have been dismantled, a layer of old plaster is removed from the end of the doorway until all the edges of the load-bearing wall around the perimeter of the opening are visible.

Rice. 3. Dismantling process

After the opening is cleared, it needs to be prepared for installation - if the new door has different dimensions, then the wall structure must be partially dismantled or built up, using brick, monolithic concrete, aerated concrete blocks or wood, depending on the base material of the structural element.

Assemble the door frame

Place the side posts of the door frame along the edges of the door to avoid confusion. They should be facing a quarter towards the door hinge. That is, you should see the seals.
Calculate the height of the post for proper trimming. It consists of the size of the leaf (2,000 mm), the gap between the frame and the door (3 mm), the thickness of the frame itself (22–25 mm) and the gap between the leaf and the floor (8–22 mm). The lower threshold is made only in bathrooms; in other cases, a gap is left for carpets and other coverings.
Calculate the width of the door frame crossbar. To do this, add 6 mm to the width of the door leaf, so that you end up with a gap of 3 mm on each side.
Carefully cut all planks to size. It's better to use a miter saw, but you can also use a fine-tooth hacksaw.
Remove the quarters on the side posts to mate with the top rail. To do this, move the seals to the side, make cuts with a saw, and then chop off the interfering pieces with a chisel. Use scraps of the box as a template for greater accuracy.
Trim the rubber seals on the side posts at a 45-degree angle to avoid an unsightly gap after assembly.
Place the frame strips together, align the edges and fasten with screws. Pre-drill holes for screws and screw two into each rack. Use box scraps for precise markings.

How to choose a street entrance door

It will not be a secret to anyone that the market for entrance doors is overcrowded with products from different manufacturers competing with each other. However, the vast majority of products are canvases intended for installation at the entrance to the apartment from staircases and elevators. If we are talking about a door bordering a street space, increased requirements are placed on it:

An increased layer of insulation in the sash body to provide the required heat transfer resistance.
Multi-layer anti-corrosion treatment, preventing the destruction of the material under the influence of an aggressive environment.
One of the main conditions is that the exterior finishing of the canvas must provide protection from precipitation, freezing in winter, and also not fade when exposed to direct sunlight.
The supporting frame must also be filled with insulating materials to prevent the formation of a cold bridge.
The seal in the narthex must be made in such a way as to ensure complete wind protection of the room when the door is closed.
Considering that private residential buildings have always been objects of increased attention from intruders, the door must have the necessary levels of protection against burglary and unauthorized entry into the premises.
If the cottage is made according to an architectural design and all the elements of the facade are in harmony with each other, the appearance of the opening filling structure should organically fit into the overall appearance of the building.

Rice. 4. External entrance door

Undoubtedly, all of the listed parameters greatly influence the cost of the front door, so the selection and purchase of this part of the building must be approached with a special level of responsibility, because the planned service life of the exterior door exceeds 10 years.

Swing

Hinged doors are a movable console. The main feature by which they are classified is single-leaf or double-leaf structures. Everyone is well aware of single-leaf swing doors. This is a simple type that involves the use of one door leaf, which is installed on 2 hinges. The swing door only opens in one direction.

If the interior door consists of 2 door leaves, then there will be 4 hinges - two on each side.

Based on the material from which the doors are made, they are divided into wood, metal, glass, and composite. Metal is rarely used in production. Wood or composite materials - MDF, veneer - are more often used. Glass doors are also rarely used, except to visually increase the living space.

There are also doors with a pendulum mechanism that allows you to open it in any direction. Most often, pendulum systems are used in shops and offices, but not in apartments and houses. Although, you can do this if it is justified.

The main advantages are thermal insulation and sound insulation. But swing doors take up a lot of space. To open them, space is required, unlike compartment doors, which open in one plane.

How to choose insulation for a new front door

Almost any owner of an apartment or private house decides to purchase a metal entrance door, which eliminates the need to select a material. However, it should be taken into account that, in addition to being burglar-resistant, the entrance door is part of the enclosing structure and must meet a number of requirements to ensure comfortable living in a residential area. This property of the door leaf is ensured due to the presence of effective thermal insulation in the body of the frame, which can be presented in the form of one of the following materials:

The best insulation to meet all the requirements for the fabric is mineral wool. This material has high porosity and low bulk density, which makes it an effective insulation material and also helps absorb most noise impacts. In addition, this insulator does not burn or melt when exposed to open fire, being a fire barrier.

Rice. 5. Mineral wool inside the frame

The manufacturer also often insulates the door leaf from expanded polystyrene, both granular and extruded. This material has increased resistance to retaining shape during the formation of condensation, when the temperature, which increases as it passes through the thickness of the insulation, overcomes the dew point. However, in case of fire, polystyrene foam only has the property of self-extinguishing and does not support combustion.
Another insulating material used in the production of metal entrance doors is foamed polyurethane, which has the property of filling all the voids inside the door frame, eliminating the formation of thermal inhomogeneity. Another advantage is the minimal weight, which affects the overall weight of the door.
Manufacturers who produce expensive doors place natural cork in the body of the door leaf, which has good insulating properties and meets the requirements for ensuring environmental friendliness for apartment residents.

Rice. 6. Polyurethane insulation

It should be noted that filling the door leaf with effective insulation works only in combination with sealing in the rebates when closing the entire structure. Thus, when purchasing a door, you need to pay special attention to the complexity of the rebate profile and the number of sealing strips. These elements not only contribute to increased thermal insulation and wind protection, but also prevent the penetration of dust particles from the street into the room.

Details on how to remove a Euro door from its hinges

European-style entrance and interior structures are predominantly produced with screw-in hinges. They are more difficult to dismantle than card ones - you need to be extremely careful and start working from the lower fasteners, since the main weight falls on the upper parts, and you need to start working in the closed position. The procedure is as follows:

close the door;
pull out the hinge with your fingers or using a tool;
hold the pin with pliers or your hand;
gradually pull it up and turn it;
As soon as the fastening element is detached, you can remove the canvas.

How to choose the right burglary-resistant design

In order for a door to meet the requirements for ensuring the safety of residents in an apartment, it must have an increased level of protection against burglary. This property is ensured upon reaching class M1, which is characterized by the implementation of the following design solutions by the manufacturer:

The sheet steel from which the door covering is made, as well as the wall thickness of all frame profiles and stiffeners must be 1 mm or more.
Mutually perpendicular locking bolts must be installed in the body of the door structure, which are driven by turning the locking mechanism, providing anti-removal protection for the door on all 4 sides.
The door must have at least 3 locks with secrets - a rotary lock, a lever lock and an internal night bolt. This condition provides increased security, since an attacker who managed to pick up master keys for a lock of one type may not have time to do the same for a locking element of a different design, and, if the door is locked from the inside, it is simply impossible to break it.
The total thickness of the sash, taking into account the frame profiles, sheet cladding and internal filling, must be at least 85 mm.

Rice. 7. Product class M1

It should be noted that a manufacturer who produces products with an increased protection class of M1, before sending the products for sale to retail outlets, must conduct bench tests of their doors and obtain the appropriate certificate guaranteeing safety during long-term operation.

Decide on the opening and hanging side

If the canvas is installed flush with the wall in the corridor, then it will open into the passage. If there is a wall in the room, then the door will open there. Think about what is more convenient and take this point into account.

To open to the right, the hinges must be hung on the right side, and to open to the left, on the left. To avoid mistakes, stand in front of the door and imagine that you are swinging it open towards you. If it has glass, then the matte side should face the corridor, and the glossy side should face the room.

Step-by-step instructions for installing an entrance door

When the old door is dismantled, the opening is measured and, in accordance with the sketch, the owner of the premises has purchased a new door complete with frame, fittings and trim, he can begin installation. This procedure requires certain skills and a set of special tools, which, as a rule, are in the collection of every home craftsman. In general, installation of a metal door is carried out in accordance with the following algorithm:

The supporting frame must fit into the opening prepared for it in such a way that an installation gap of 30 mm is formed on the side of each profile. If this condition is not met, then the opening needs to be slightly widened using a jackhammer or a hammer drill with a flat bat.
The box is placed on plastic or wooden blocks located at the level of the threshold.

Rice. 8. Frame structure

The master checks the horizontal installation of the element, and if the level shows a deviation, he replaces one of the bars with a higher one until the structure is aligned parallel to the horizontal line.
Next, the identity of the mounting gaps is checked and, if one of them is larger than the other, the frame must be shifted slightly, using a crowbar or the back of a hammer as a lever.
At the final stage of checking the positioning of the structure, you need to determine its position in the wall alignment. Most often, the manufacturer makes the box together with metal trims at the level of the outer part of the enclosing structure. These elements must fit tightly to the wall surface, provided that the steel frame is vertical.
As a rule, the frame is fixed through steel eyes welded along its perimeter, or through hidden fastenings - holes are drilled in the posts, threshold and lintel of the element for installing expansion exhaust anchors.
The master makes holes coaxial with the slots in the metal elements. To do this, you need to select anchors and a drill in advance, with a diameter 1 - 2 mm larger than the size of the hardware.
Anchors are driven into the resulting holes, after which the master begins to tighten them evenly using a spanner. A wedge-shaped rod fits into a special cartridge, expanding it and blocking the position of the fastener in the body of the load-bearing wall.

Rice. 9. Frame fixation

After the fastening elements are fixed, it is necessary to once again check the position of the frame for its deviation from the vertical axis, as well as for the strength and reliability of its installation. The structure should not give way even when applying significant force.
If the frame is rigidly fixed in the opening, the master can begin to hang the canvas on ball-bearing hangers. Given the weight of the door, this type of work may require the assistance of one more person.
After installing the door leaf on the hinges, you should fill all the mounting gaps with construction foam using a special gun, close the door and leave the structure in this position for 12 hours.
After the foam has dried, its remains are cut off with a construction knife, and the door is checked for high-quality installation.
Upon completion of the work, the master can begin finishing the internal slopes to ensure proper thermal insulation and the aesthetic appearance of the structural element.

Rice. 10. Filling gaps

When checking the door, you should pay attention to the nature of its opening and the tightness of its fit to the frame. The door should be driven only by force, and not by gravitational forces. Also, when closing, the element should gently fit into the grooves and snap into place with the locks. If this does not happen, the canvas may be deformed, or the installation was carried out poorly.

Embed the lock

Turn the canvas over so that the loops are on the floor, and the opposite side, where the lock will stand, is at the top.
Position the lock correctly - in the center of the door. The square hole for the handle should be at the top, and the beveled part of the latch should be directed towards the closure. If necessary, the tongue can be easily turned over by simply pulling with your fingers.
Measure the length and width of the lock mounting plate, as well as the thickness of the door. Make a mark and place the bar strictly in the center of the canvas.
Turn the lock around and apply it to the door. Mark the center of the location of the mounting holes, drill, and screw in the screws.
Trace the plank along the contour with a pencil and carefully cut the film with a sharp knife to clearly mark the boundaries of the selection for installation and not damage the edge.
Remove the lock and separate the cut film from the canvas with a chisel.
Attach the mechanism to the door, aligning it with the planned location, and mark the width of the body. Measure the thickness of the lock at its widest point and mark it on the canvas.
Draw boundary lines 2 mm from the edges of the groove on both sides.
Using a drill with a diameter of 6–7 mm, make holes along the contour of the hole for the lock mechanism. To use the maximum area, arrange the holes in a checkerboard pattern. Act carefully and do not protrude beyond the boundaries of the markings.
Slowly cut off the drilled wood with a chisel and trim the edges of the groove so that the lock fits freely, but does not dangle.
Use a chisel to remove the wood little by little until the mounting strip is flush with the wood. Check by applying the lock with the back side rather than pushing it into place - otherwise it will be difficult to remove.
Place the lock on the side and use a pencil to mark a square hole for the pen shaft. Make a mark on both sides and remember that this figure should be on top and not below when the door is installed.
Insert a piece of wood inside the groove as a support and use a drill with a diameter of 20 mm to make a hole on one side and then on the other.
Place the lock in place and secure it with screws, having previously drilled holes for them.

Decoration

The decor of interior doors is carried out in several stages. When decorating interior doors with your own hands, regardless of the chosen finishing material, it is necessary to carry out preliminary preparation of the surface of the canvas. The first step is to remove the door leaf from the hinges and clean off the existing coating. It is very important in the process of preparing the door to achieve a result in which the surface becomes clean and smooth. In addition, when decorating interior doors, it is necessary to check the door leaf for voids, mechanical damage and cracks.

To eliminate the latter, you can use an adhesive mixture. If peeling areas are found on the door leaf, a number of actions must be taken. First of all, the door leaf should be coated with an adhesive composition. Then the product is covered with tracing paper and pressed on top with a press. If there are deep cracks on the surface of the door leaf, then it will not be possible to repair them with ordinary adhesive. To eliminate such defects, you can use fine sawdust mixed with glue or furniture varnish.

After preliminary preparation of the surface of the door leaf, work is carried out on decorating interior doors using different materials and methods. So, the door can be coated with paint or varnish, wallpaper or fabric can be glued to it. In addition, you can decorate an interior door using stained glass painting or sandblasting patterns.

Other popular types of interior door finishing are veneer coating, the use of decorative overlays, inlay and decoupage. Today, there are a large number of ways to decorate interior door blocks with your own hands. Decoration of interior doors is carried out using different materials and technologies. The choice of how to do the work yourself often depends on the imagination and capabilities of the homeowner. You can see photos that show different technical solutions to this problem.

Preparing for work

Before dismantling, the condition of the interior door is assessed and it is determined whether it can be reinstalled. In any case, the work will have to be carried out carefully so as not to damage the walls.

Dismantling is a dusty and dirty job, so all fragile objects, such as mirrors, are removed from the room, and the floor and remaining furniture are covered with thick plastic film.

The distance near the opening is cleared of furniture. Dismantling involves the use of power tools, and additional pieces of furniture will simply get in the way. It is better to carry out the work not alone, but with an assistant: the box or canvas can be heavy, and removing it alone will be problematic.