Installation of entrance doors with your own hands. Selecting and installing a metal entrance door with your own hands

Installing metal doors will make those who decide to do it for the first time sweat. But without this stage, repairs or completion of construction are impossible, so we decided to help and collected the experience of professionals in this article.

A little about entrance doors

Probably the most conservative interior detail of any apartment is the front door, which more and more men are trying to install with their own hands. Both metal and wooden models are equally popular. Having gone through an evolutionary path from a skin blocking the entrance to a cave to a modern armored miracle with sophisticated locks, it essentially remained what it was intended for - a kind of boundary defining the boundaries of ownership. Installing an entrance door today, in addition to creating a barrier at the entrance to the room, also serves the purpose of keeping out the cold.

As a rule, they are hinged. This type is also divided into “right” and “left”, depending on where the loops are located. The main disadvantage of installing a swing-type entrance door is the need for space to open. Because of this, it is necessary to make appropriate changes to the layout of any room where this type is provided. The point is not only in the radius of its opening (it must be indicated on the plans), it is also necessary to take into account the fact that in addition you will have to leave space for a person to pass, but he may have a rather voluminous object in his hands.

Basic materials for entrance doors

More often than others, when installing metal entrance doors, you encounter those that are made according to the standard specified by the model with the SL-2000 index. The basis for it is two sheets of alloy steel 1.5 mm thick and welded together at 200 points with horseshoe-shaped ribs. The lock must be cylindrical in shape and have up to 9 steel bolts (made of a hardened alloy), which, during locking, enter the walls and floor on all four sides of the door. If you assemble the metal door before installing it, the thickness will be at least 50 mm.

Opening and closing such a product is easy and silent. The design is simple, does not distinguish it from other doors, and does not attract attention. If you have to install the front door yourself, then it is interesting to know that its total weight (without frame) is 50 kg. A prerequisite for safety is the purchase of an additional end valve and a telescopic peephole with a large viewing angle. It is also believed that if you install a metal door according to all the rules and using special materials, then it will have impeccable sound insulation.

The dimensions of the product are not set strictly, they can be made different according to the requirements of the client. Both natural and artificial materials are used in exterior and interior decoration. The apartment looks very solid after the installation of entrance metal doors with wooden trim. As an additional security measure, it is possible to complete with a special part (“insert”), which increases the height and weight of the structure.

One step below the installation of metal doors are models whose construction uses aluminum and PVC profiles. Such structures should not be treated with disdain. Yes, they are a little weaker than steel ones, but the cost for the blade itself and its installation is much lower. As a rule, Chinese enterprises supply such products. The doors are assembled industrially, and this guarantees that their quality is at the proper level. Don't forget that there are laws. This means that if an official store accepted a Chinese door for sale, the quality requirements adopted in our country are fully met.

Oddly enough, the industry does not forget about the production of wooden entrance doors. They did not become very popular, but with the development of demand for products with an increased level of safety, the requirements for them also changed. Strengthening the structure, supplying the wooden door with hermetic seals and gaskets, and the presence of a threshold have now become mandatory and indispensable conditions.

Removing the old box

Installing entrance doors with your own hands gives many opportunities to make a mistake, which will then cause distortion, or even breakage of the product. But you don’t always want to use the help of specialists, because more and more negative reviews are addressed to installers, even from reputable companies. If you have no personal experience in this area at all, then it is better not to undertake the installation of iron (steel) doors with your own hands for now. If you have ever worked with at least a wooden model, then you can try it.

First you need to dismantle the front door, this can be done with your own hands or by calling professional installers, and whether it is metal or something else almost doesn’t matter. First, separate the canvas from the box. It is better, of course, to do this together with someone, because its weight may be unbearable, and removing it from the hinges can be a very traumatic task.

Next, remove the anchors and nails from the door frame that hold it in the opening. Make cuts in the sides in several places. It will be much easier to remove these elements piece by piece. Then you can remove the upper and lower parts from the opening. Difficulties may arise if you had a metal box. You can’t do without an angle grinder here. Having freed the doorway from the old structure, it is also necessary to clean it of sound and heat insulating materials and tap the edges of the perimeter with a hammer so that the remains of mortar and plaster do not interfere with subsequent installation. Now let's move on to installing metal entrance doors.

We master installation using the most complex example

Since it is simply necessary to install the front door correctly, otherwise you will have to pick it back out using the method described above, that is, by destroying the structure, we will consider how to do this.

How to install a metal front door with your own hands - step-by-step diagram

Step 1: Adjusting the doorway

Installation can be complicated by the fact that the perimeter does not match the size of the new door frame. This is not necessarily a consequence of the Chinese origin of the goods, often such a problem awaits you in Stalinist houses. If the new door frame is wider or taller than the opening, you will have to cut out additional space from the walls or make a recess in the place where the threshold was.

Do not forget about the technological gaps between the wall and the door frame in order to be able to make adjustments during installation.

It happens that the door structure is smaller in width or height than the opening. This can happen when buying an imported product for the typical buildings already mentioned by an unkind word. Depending on the size difference (gap), adjustment work must be carried out. If it is small, just a few millimeters, it is enough just to use door expanders. In the case of a considerable distance, it will be necessary to make a masonry of silicate brick or wall stone. Don’t be lazy to make a connection with the main wall so as not to lose strength.

Step 2: Unpacking

Now let's move on to how to install an iron model of a door with your own hands. We remove the outer packaging and stop. If the door is covered with plastic wrap, do not rush to tear it off, because some carelessness is possible during installation, so protection will not be superfluous. The mounting kit for any door frame must include anchor bolts. If suddenly there are none, then you can buy them. They should be from 10 to 15 cm in length and 12–15 mm in diameter.

Step 3: Mounting the box

Together with an assistant, install the box, check it for verticality and horizontality using levels or plumb lines. Substitute wooden wedges and start drilling holes in the wall for anchor bolts. While working, try not to move the door frame. It is recommended to start drilling from the side where the hinges will be. After this, insert the bolts and secure the frame, periodically checking vertically and horizontally.

warming work. Upon completion of installation, remove the polyethylene, if any, covered the door leaf, and begin installing decorative parts. It is advisable not to use the door for two days or to do so gently and as little as possible.

A metal door must be installed by a team of professionals who have the necessary tools and equipment in their arsenal, and also skillfully use all these devices. Our company carries out a range of works related to the delivery and installation of Guardian doors, as well as warranty and post-warranty maintenance of door blocks. You can always refuse our services and install a metal door yourself or by your team.

Cost of our services:

• Standard installation including delivery throughout Moscow and up to 10 km from the Moscow Ring Road in total 4,500 rub. ;
• Delivery without services for installation and lifting of the door block to the floor in Moscow and up to 10 km. From MKAD - 1 200 rub., over 10 km from the Moscow Ring Road - 40 rub. /km. (for each additional km from the Moscow Ring Road);

Standard installation (Basic installation) cost 4 500 rubles includes:

• Delivery in Moscow and within 10 km from the Moscow Ring Road;
• Ascent by freight elevator;
• Dismantling a wooden or MDF door;
• Installation in a prepared doorway;
• Foaming of installation gaps.

All additional work is assessed according to.

All installation work will not take more than 2 hours; for basic installation and for additional work related, for example, to widening the opening, moving the opening, filling the opening - 2-3 hours. When planning all work, in agreement with the customer, we take into account the “quiet hours” established by the government. We also ask you to discuss and coordinate installation work with your neighbors in advance.

We can widen the opening

The design documentation for houses of some series (P-ZM, P-44, etc.) requires the installation of wooden internal doors on concrete quarters - the so-called protruding parts of the concrete opening. We recommend cutting out these quarters or cutting them off before installing a new metal door. These works will make it possible to expand the existing opening and install a wider door, which is also necessary to comply with fire safety regulations.

The cost of such work:

• Cutting quarters on three sides - 3,000 rub. ;
• Cutting quarters with a threshold - 4,000 rub.

You can simply widen the existing opening to accommodate a door of the required, enlarged size, or a door from the warehouse if you need urgent installation. We can enlarge an existing opening on one or both sides for RUB 1,000. per side. (the exact cost is estimated by a measuring engineer on site when studying the wall material)

Your walls are made of plaster - no problem

In old houses, the wall material used was plaster. It is not intended for mounting steel doors; the door will simply fall out from the weight. We can carry out work to strengthen the doorway with metal corners, channels or pipes. An accurate cost estimate can be made on site during measurement.

Installation of entrance doors

We can finish the slopes. After installing a metal entrance door, it is necessary to refine the inside of the opening.

We will help you with this:

• With the help of plaster and putty, after these works you can paste wallpaper or paint. The cost of such work including materials is from 3,500 rub. ;
• Finishing with platbands and additional timber. These works are carried out using platbands and trims of the same material and color as the interior door trim you have chosen. The cost of installing accessories is from 3,500 rub. , platbands – 3,000 rub. prices for these works are indicated without taking into account the cost of materials.

Methods for installing iron doors

Method B1

This method of installing iron doors is the most common. The door is installed from the outside of the opening, the door trim completely closes the gap between the door frame and the wall. The main advantage of this installation method is that the door has the ability to open up to 180 °, and the finishing of the slopes will only need to be done inside.

The door is attached to the wall with the help of "mounting ears" and pins that are driven into the wall. The use of "mounting ears" reduces the load on the frame.

Method A1

The most hack-resistant installation method. The door is installed approximately in the middle of the doorway using mounting plates. Of the minuses with this installation method, you will have to finish the finish on both sides, as well as the opening angle of the door is slightly more than 90 °.

The main limitation with this installation method is the minimum wall thickness without plaster - 210 mm.

Method A2

The door block is installed in the middle of the doorway and fastened with rods through special holes in the door frame. Metal rods are welded to the frame. This method is applicable in cases where the wall thickness is minimal and it is not possible to use mounting ears for installation. In other cases, it is better to use mounting ears for installation.

Method B2

This method is applicable for thin walls, as well as for plaster openings with additional reinforcement using pipes, channels, etc.

Mixed installation method

This method of installing a metal door is used if one side of the door frame rests against the wall, while the other leans against the edge of the doorway with the door frame trim. Various combinations of this installation method are possible. It all depends on the specific situation and the place where the door will be installed.

We have prepared an introductory video on installing Guardian metal doors

The love of compatriots for metal entrance doors is justified by the reliability of the structures. Sometimes it is not so much the door itself that protects against unauthorized entry, but the unwillingness of representatives of the criminal world to voice their actions with a rattle and ringing. That is why our fellow citizens equip them, both private suburban buildings and city apartments, wisely buying not the cheapest options. When it comes to safety, there is no point in saving. But installing metal doors with your own hands will reduce consumption, since the cost of installation is often equal to a quarter of the price of "iron protection".

Nuances of installing steel doors

A metal door block, like analogues made of wood or plastic, consists of a door frame and a canvas hung on it. It differs by the obligatory presence of the lower crossbar - the threshold, as well as often pre-cut locks and attached hinges. Pre-installed fittings undoubtedly facilitate installation, but make it necessary to frequently and carefully align the horizontals and verticals, repeatedly hang the canvas to check the progress of the door. It is impossible to neglect control actions, therefore it will be necessary to stock up not only with a building level, but also with a muscular assistant.

They equip buildings made of brick, wood, gas silicate blocks, foam concrete, etc. with metal doors. It is important to take into account the technological features of the building material, on the basis of which to decide how to install the entrance metal door and how to pre-prepare the opening.

Depending on the technical specifics of the load-bearing wall, the contractor will need:

• clean the plaster to brick or artificial stone so that a technological gap of 2.0 - 2.5 cm remains between the door block and the wall;
• build a pigtail in a timber or log structure, and then fasten a door frame to it with a gap along the lintel of at least 10 cm.

Owners of brick and foam concrete property will need a puncher or an electric drill and a chisel with a hammer, the owner of a wooden building will need a chainsaw and a hacksaw instead of a puncher, instead of a chisel a chisel.

Important. Since the entrance is equipped with steel door blocks, the canvas should open outward. According to fire regulations, the front door should not create obstacles for forced evacuation.

It is undesirable to release the steel door leaf from the packaging material until the end of the installation procedure. However, it is impossible to check the quality of the product this way. Please note that by deciding to install an iron door with his own hands, the owner automatically waives the supplier's warranty obligations. No claims for scratches or dents after installation will be entertained. It is better to remove the polyethylene, inspect the purchased product, and then attach the packaging back with mounting tape so as not to spoil the decor with a tool or foam.

Preparatory stage

Slightly different from the standard procedure for installing any door, it includes three traditional steps:

• preparation of the opening with adjustment of its dimensions in case of incorrect measurements;
• fastening the box in the opening using anchor plates, steel rods or self-tapping screws, depending on the building material of the wall and the location of the door frame in the opening;
• checking the work, adjusting if necessary, foaming the technological gaps and hanging the canvas.

Basically, the entrance steel block is placed flush with the outer plane of the wall, but it can also be “recessed” into the opening. The first option involves fastening using anchor plates. The second method predetermines the fixation of the door frame-frame by means of anchor bolts passing through it, which are included with the unit, or steel pins replacing factory anchors. Experienced installers recognize the most reliable method as a combined method, when the installation of an iron door, done by hand, is carried out both on anchor plates bent along the surface of the opening and on bolts or pins.

Note. If the budget door block does not come with anchor bolts, you need to buy hardware products yourself, 10-15 cm long. The diameter of the bolts depends on the size of the mounting holes, usually 12-15 mm are used. As an alternative, pieces of steel rod with similar dimensions are suitable.

Standard installation sequence

We will assume that the old structure has been dismantled and the opening has been prepared for the upcoming work. That is, its size allows you to leave a technological gap around the perimeter of the door frame, which is necessary to fill the space with polyurethane foam or cement mortar. This means that you can install an iron entrance door in the prepared opening without enlarging or reducing it:

• The two of us place the frame of a steel door without a leaf in the opening, placing wooden wedges around the perimeter. They are necessary to adjust the position and fixation of the box, as well as to ensure technological indentation.
• By checking the horizontal and vertical lines with a building level, we shift the wedges in the required direction. That is, we drive them deeper or, on the contrary, slightly pull them out. We make sure that the distances from the wall along both jambs are approximately the same.
• We adjusted and found the correct position, firmly secured the frame with wedges so that when drilling holes in the wall it would not move.
• Through the mounting holes, first of the hinge jamb, we drill holes in the wall for anchors with the appropriate dimensions.

Note. If the manufacturer of a cheap entrance block does not make holes for bolts on the door frame, you need to drill them yourself before starting work. 3 each on the false and hinged jambs, 2 each on the threshold and lintel.

• Insert the bolts and tighten the nuts.
• We temporarily hang the canvas to check its progress. It should not open spontaneously and require effort to close/open.
• We remove the canvas, install fasteners on the false side, fix the threshold and lintel. We hang it again to check. If necessary, change the position of the box by loosening or tightening the nuts.
• Again, we leave only the door frame in the opening and cover it with construction tape to protect it from the foam.
• We blow out the technological indentations from the wall with polyurethane foam according to the recommendations of its manufacturer, and cut off the excess.

After polymerization of the mounting foam material, we cover all unattractive areas with casing.

The nuances of installing an iron door in a log house

Regardless of the material from which the doors are made, a frame will be required to arrange the entrance to a wooden building. The need to construct an additional frame for the door frame is dictated by the property of wooden buildings to settle after construction. In the first year, the crowns will settle most intensively by 7-10 cm. Even a bathhouse made of laminated timber will decrease in height, although not so significantly. Therefore, in the first year, it is generally not customary to equip wooden log houses with doors, windows or finish them.

The amount of shrinkage is difficult to calculate in advance; it depends on the period of timber harvesting, the quality of drying of the wood, and climatic conditions. But it is necessary to leave a reserve for the movement characteristic of wood, otherwise the door will jam at the wrong moment or the crown located above it, together with the roof, will hang on the door, and a significant gap will appear between it and the previous crown.

According to the characteristics of wood, we have developed a special technology for installing metal doors in log houses:

• Unlike the method of installing a wooden door, the top strip is not installed, since the lintel of the metal frame will itself serve as a support.
• To prevent the “unshakable” steel door from distorting the structure during shrinkage, it is attached to carriages inserted into a groove formed in the wall.

Due to the groove fastening, the carriages will maintain their position during shrinkage movements of the crowns and protect the door frame from turning the bolts upward, which is inevitable if the fasteners “move” down along with the log.

What should be done:

If the opening is formed during the construction period, we select the door structure so that at least 10 cm remains between the lintel and the plane of the opening, and 6 cm remains on each side. For a pigtail, we buy a bar 100 × 150.

• We measure the height of the door and saw off the gun carriages. We cut a groove with a depth of 5 cm along the central axis of one of the sides of the timber.
• Using a chainsaw, carefully cut 5 cm on both sides of the log house, approximately a quarter of the width of the wall. We finally form the ridge with a chisel, slowly chipping away the wood. There is no need to rush and forget that if you make a mistake, you will have to buy a door with a larger width and increase the opening.
• Using a stapler, we fix the tape tow on the ridges.
• We attach the gun carriages to the wall on top of the tow.
• We install the steel door according to standard rules, departing one centimeter from both carriages and 10 cm from the top of the door clearance. We attach the frame only to the carriages and the wooden threshold with self-tapping screws.
• Technological gaps must be filled with tow and cashed out on both sides.

After three years, instead of tow, the gaps of the settled opening can be filled with foam, but it is not recommended to do this with a new log house. Indeed, as a result of shrinkage, the foam may crack and its tightness may be lost.

There is also a non-labor-intensive installation option involving fastening the frame of an iron door with self-tapping screws to a wooden wall. The builders who used this scheme claim that the owners will simply have to periodically unscrew and screw in the bolts again when they begin to turn out of the wall due to shrinkage. However, a lot of holes will be made in the building material, which does not contribute to its strengthening. It’s better to suffer, find out how to properly install a metal door in a wooden building, and act in accordance with technological requirements.

Video example of remodeling an opening

This is not to say that a home handyman will not have to suffer with the installation of a steel door. It’s a labor-intensive and difficult task, but the tangible savings will make your pocket happy, and your heart and bath will be warmed by the quality result of your own efforts. No one can do better than the caring owner of your favorite country property.

A key element of the security of our apartments and houses are entrance doors. In addition, they are the first to be seen by others. It is important that the entrance doors meet such characteristics and requirements as: reliability, strength, aesthetic appearance, convenience, thermal insulation and sound insulation. And all these characteristics depend not only on the quality and type of the door leaf and door frame, but also on correct installation. No matter how good the door is, inept installation can completely destroy all its good aspects. Below we will look at detailed instructions on how to install a door with your own hands efficiently and reliably. At the same time, we will try to consider as widely as possible the options for installing various designs of entrance doors.

Preparation for work, necessary tools

When choosing a door, you should carefully take measurements. To order a door, it is important to correctly determine the dimensions of the doorway. The difficulty lies in the presence of a door frame (frame) and a thick layer of mortar around the entire perimeter. Determining the actual size is sometimes a problem, because there is no clear boundary of the end of the opening. As a result, it is taken into account that nothing should remain in the lower part down to the base of the floor. If there are thresholds or the boat is very raised, then at the time of dismantling all this will be removed. The upper part of the opening never widens, that is, does not rise. The sides can be expanded slightly if necessary, but the width of the support beam, which marks the top edge of the opening, should be taken into account. As a result, the door should be 20-25 mm narrower on each side. In other words, the door frame of the new door should be 40-50 mm less than the total width of the opening and the same amount lower.

To carry out work on installing the front door you will need the following tools:

1. a hammer drill or impact drill with a drill and a spatula;
2. level;
3. roulette;
4. hammer and sledgehammer;
5. angle grinder (grinder);
6. wooden board, ax and saw for forming pegs.

The choice of necessary materials differs depending on what will be used to fill the gap between the door frame and the walls. This can be polyurethane foam or cement mortar.

To secure the front door, anchors or metal rods with a diameter of 10-12 mm are also required.

Video: nuances of installing the front door

Work order

Whatever the door design or material, the installation process will be similar, with only a few nuances in each individual case. If the new door is separated from the main frame, it should be removed before installation and set aside while the frame is secured. It is advisable to cover the entire perimeter of the frame and door with masking tape if there is no protective film on it.

If so, then before installation it is necessary to fill the inside of the box with cement mortar or polyurethane foam. Before the actual installation, the filling will have time to set or dry and the excess can be removed.

Typical structure and configuration of an entrance door

Preparing the opening

When dismantling an old door, you should not be particularly careful; it is only important not to damage the walls, especially if they are made of foam concrete or it is an old brick building. The door leaf is removed from the hinges or the hinges are unscrewed from the hinges. Using a grinder or saw, several cuts are made around the perimeter of the door frame and, using a crowbar, it is removed from the opening.

Using a hammer drill, the opening is cleared of excess mortar and plaster around the entire perimeter. Particular attention should be paid to the bottom of the opening. As a result, the door must be mounted flush with the floors in the hallway or corridor, and this parameter depends on whether the screed will still form or not. Moreover, in the vacated opening under the old door there may be a wooden beam or brickwork that has become unusable over time. All this must be cleaned and removed, and instead, if necessary, form a base of bricks or the same wooden beam of the required height.

Basic installation step

From this stage, the help of a second person will be necessary, especially if an iron door is being installed. You need to place the frame from the new front door in the opening and use a level to check whether it can be installed strictly vertically. It should be checked in all planes, preferably in several places. For example, place a level in a vertical rack from the inner end and on one of the adjacent sides, and place the level on the lower partition. As a result, the corresponding level indicators must show a strict level match. If any part of the doorway interferes with leveling, then it is necessary to scrape off the protrusion.

If everything is normal, then the position of the box is fixed with wooden pegs. For this purpose, it is better to use two pads per place. One lining is made with an even thickness 5 mm less than the gap, and the second is in the form of a wedge, while the second part is much longer than the first and is made with a small bevel angle. This makes it easier to adjust the box to level.

Advice: It is better to abandon the old-fashioned method and not fix the door with nails first. In this case, there is a very high probability that the door frame will move.

Once the door is clearly level, you can begin securing it. There are several different options you can use for this. It all depends on the design of the door and a little on the material from which it is made. There should be three attachment points on the sides and two on the top and bottom. That's the minimum.

Initially, the side on which the hinges for the door are located is fixed, starting from the top point. After each fastening, it is better to check with a level that the installation is correct. After this part is secured, you can hang the door leaf and adjust the position of the door frame, and also check that the frame is not deformed and there are no excessive tensions.

After this, you can remove the door leaf again and begin securing the other side and both vertical jumpers of the door frame. Again, adjusting your actions, if necessary, maintaining the level in both planes.

So, ways to fasten the door frame:

• Anchor or pin fastening to the eyes. This fastening is most often found on doors of any type. For metal ones, they are an integral part of the box design. Wooden and plastic doors are most often attached with screws.

A hole 10-15 cm deep is made through the hole in the eye using a hammer drill with a drill. An anchor bolt or a pre-prepared pin is inserted into the hole. The pin is a piece of reinforcement with a diameter of 8-12 mm, one edge of which is slightly flattened with a hammer to form a head, and the second is sharpened. The fastener is driven all the way into the hole. The anchor bolt is tightened using a socket wrench. If a pin is used, it is welded to the eye.

• Anchor or pin fastening through the door frame. Actually, everything is repeated, as in the first option, only the holes for fastenings are made directly at the end of the door frame.

At a wooden door, it is also necessary to prudently drill a recess with a large drill, where the head of the anchor bolt or the flattened edge of the pin will hide.

• Grip type fastening. This type of fastening is suitable for a metal door. In this case, the door frame is held by the outer edge to the doorway, and a hook is welded from the inside, which holds to the inside of the wall. This option is suitable for apartments and houses with monolithic walls and allows you to install an entrance door without drilling or drilling holes in the walls.

Completing the installation

When the door frame is secured, the door leaf is hung and its operation is finally checked. To do this, the door opens first 45 degrees, and then 90. In these positions, it should not move spontaneously. There should be no play when closed. If everything is fine, then it’s time to start sealing the gap between the door frame and the wall. Filling with foam will speed up and facilitate this process. But the strength of the polyurethane foam may not be enough, and this will affect the burglary resistance of the entire structure. It is best to use cement mortar with the addition of alabaster. The entire gap is tightly filled with the solution. This will be much more effective with your hands than with a trowel or spatula. The solution for filling the space is prepared so that it does not float. It is advisable to bring it to the state of a loose solution, similar to a curd mass.

The operation of the locks must be checked and, if necessary, the mating parts located on the door frame are adjusted if this option is present in the design. A rubber sealing tape is carefully glued around the perimeter of the door.

Every other day, you can remove the protective film and previously applied masking tape. All that remains is to hang the platbands on the outside of the doorway if necessary. They are screwed onto a wooden door using self-tapping screws with a countersunk head. For reliability and safety, it is better to recess the heads of the screws into the wood of the trim and cover them with wood putty.

In the case of a metal door, the platbands are reinforced with rivets or bolts.

In fact, this is where the process of installing the front door ends. After this, it is necessary to build slopes with the help of which to hide the door fastening points and give a normal aesthetic appearance to the inside of the doorway.

Video instructions for installing a metal door

The reliability of the front door directly depends not only on its design features, but also on how correctly its installation is carried out. Usually this operation is entrusted to specialists. However, sometimes the owners of an apartment or house, in order to save money, install steel entrance doors themselves. Technologically, the procedure is not particularly complicated, but some installation rules must be followed.

How to choose a door

When selecting a metal entrance door, you need to consider several factors:

What you need to know

Some manufacturers provide a warranty on front door repairs only if they were installed by licensed specialists. Others allow, among other things, do-it-yourself installation. You should find out in advance whether it will be possible to subsequently repair the door structure at the manufacturer’s expense after installation with your own hands.

Before buying a door in a store, you must measure the opening. The choice should be made in such a way that subsequently around the frame along the entire perimeter there remains technological gap at least 1.5 cm wide. If doors of suitable sizes cannot be found, you will, on the contrary, have to adjust the opening. They widen it with a grinder and a diamond wheel for concrete. You can already make an opening using steel channels or cement mortar on reinforcement driven into the ends of the wall.

You need to measure the opening not only in length and width. You should definitely make sure that wall thickness is more than 150 mm. According to the regulations, metal doors cannot be installed in openings of smaller depth. In this case, it will not be possible to reliably protect the interior. Walls that are too thin will have to be thickened before installing the door. For this, cement mortar is usually used.

It is highly not recommended to attach the door directly to brick walls or those lined with foam concrete blocks. The masonry simply cannot bear the weight of the steel sheet and frame. In this case, a concrete contour is usually poured into the opening. At the same time, it is also mandatory reinforcement embedded in masonry is used. In brick and block homes, it is also recommended to measure the support beam before installing the door. Its length should be at least 4 cm greater than the width of the frame. Otherwise, the door will not hold securely in the opening.

Installation steps

Do-it-yourself installation of metal entrance doors includes the following steps:

• dismantling the old door;
• preparation of the opening;
• installation of a new door;
• processing of technological openings;
• installation of platbands and fittings;
• installation of slopes.

Of course, before installation you should prepare all the necessary tools and materials. A home craftsman will need a hammer drill, anchor bolts, possibly a welding machine, wooden wedges, a heavy hammer, foam, and a building level.

How to dismantle an old door with your own hands

Of course, before installing the entrance metal door structure, you should remove the old frames and leaf. This operation is not performed only if the opening needs to be greatly expanded. Wherein the walls are cut with a grinder according to the markings, and then the door is simply removed with their unnecessary parts around the perimeter.

The method for dismantling an old front door with your own hands depends on what material it is made of. The wooden structure is removed as follows:

• They take the canvas out of the box, prying it from below with a crowbar.
• Remove the threshold.
• Unscrew the mounting bolts around the perimeter of the box and remove it. If the frame is attached to the wall with nails, they usually act a little differently: they cut the vertical posts into two parts and remove each of them using a crowbar.

A metal door can be dismantled with your own hands as follows:

• Also remove the fabric from the hinges if they are non-separable. The collapsible ones are simply untwisted.
• Use a grinder to cut off the fastening rods.
• Remove the box from the opening.
• Seal up too large recesses at the ends of the opening with cement mortar. It is not necessary to align the ends themselves. During the door installation process, chips will still appear in them.

Preparing the opening

After the door is removed, crumbling concrete, remnants of old insulation, etc. are removed from the opening. Also check the condition of the floor where the door will subsequently be installed. Since the structure is quite heavy, if necessary, logs and beams are replaced, new boards are installed, etc.

Installation of a new door

This operation is most often performed using one of two common technologies: on the lugs or directly by attaching the frame to the ends of the opening. In the first case, the DIY installation procedure will include the following steps:

Installing a metal entrance door directly into the opening with your own hands is done in much the same way. Only the frame is attached to the wall in a slightly different way. Holes for anchors in the pillars of modern doors are usually already provided by the manufacturer. If they are not there, you will have to drill them yourself. It should be taken into account that the frame must be attached to at least three anchors on each side. It is also advisable to fix it in the opening at the top and bottom (two anchors each).

After the holes are drilled, the frame is inserted into the opening and fixed to the anchors with leveling. You can also attach it to rods. In this case, sockets are pre-drilled at the ends of the wall. Then rods are driven into them through the holes in the frame. One end of the latter should first be sharpened, and the other flattened. After the rods are inserted into the sockets, they are welded from the outside of the frame through the side holes. It is impossible to fasten from the inside, since in this case, due to the sagging, the canvas will no longer close.

Processing of technological gap

After the door is installed and adjusted, proceed to the processing of its contour. Technological gap can be sealed with foam. It is better to use the version that expands the least and is suitable for working indoors.

A day after pouring, the remaining foam is cut off using a mounting knife.

In order for the door to retain heat better, the technological gap before using the foam should be filled with pieces of mineral wool. Also, a cement-gypsum mortar can be used to process the door contour. In this case, the finish will be more durable and durable.

Installation of platbands and fittings

After sealing the technological gap with foam or mortar, you can proceed with the installation of platbands. To wooden boxes they usually fastened using self-tapping screws with recessed heads and subsequent puttying of the nests. Platbands are fixed to metal frames on bolts with decorative caps or on rivets.

At the final stage, a handle will need to be screwed to the canvas of the entrance metal door. Further, it is worth once again checking the canvas and the lock for ease of opening / closing, after which the door can be taken into operation.

Slope finishing

When dismantling the old and installing a new entrance metal door, the slope material is likely to be damaged. Of course, in order for the entrance group to look aesthetically pleasing, restoration work will have to be carried out. Depending on the design of the hallway, the slopes can be decorated with decorative plaster, wallpaper, panels etc. They are most often preliminarily leveled with GKL or ordinary cement plaster.

As you can see, the technology for installing a metal door in an opening with your own hands is relatively simple. The most important thing is to prevent the frame from skewing and securely fix it. In this case, it will be convenient to use the door. And, of course, when performing the installation procedure, you should be as careful as possible. Repairing damage (scratches and chips) on modern doors is a complex procedure and in terms of aesthetics is ineffective.