Do you need a normal iron door, but prices on the market are “biting”? There is an option to build it yourself. Let's look together at how to make a metal door with your own hands, starting with preparing tools, purchasing material and sketching a sketch, and ending with insulation and finishing.
Making an iron door yourself is quite possible.
Do metal door with your own hands, the task is quite realistic for an amateur, but there is one caveat: you must be able to work fluently with an angle grinder and have at least basic knowledge of welding machine. But before you make the door itself, you need to prepare the tools and material.
Tool selection
- Bulgarian;
- Welding machine;
- Screwdriver or set of screwdrivers;
- Electric drill with impact function or hammer drill;
- Round “bastard” file;
- Hammer;
- Roulette;
- Kern;
- Level (preferably 1.5 m);
- Square.
Home handyman's tool.
In addition, you will need a variety of accessories for power tools. This refers to discs for an angle grinder for metal, a cord brush for an angle grinder, drill bits for a drill, emery and other small things without which it is impossible to make a metal door with your own hands.
Purchasing material for making a metal door
For iron doors you need to buy:
- Metal sheet with a thickness of 1.5 to 3 mm;
- Profiled pipe 40x20 mm – minimum 7 – 8 m;
- Corner 50x50 mm - about 7 m;
- Strip 40x4 mm – 2 m;
- Ordinary male-female or articulated hinges – 2 pcs.
If in welding work Oh, you don’t have much experience, then it’s better to take a thicker sheet for the entrance doors, at least 2 mm, and preferably 3 mm. Welding metal doors it's not particularly difficult, but thin sheet very easy to burn through.
Material for metal doors
You will also need a good, level table or some kind of trestle; making a metal door on the ground is very difficult, and for a novice craftsman it is not at all realistic.
Making a sketch
Professional drawings for standard iron doors can now be found, but the problem is that these documents were made according to GOST 31173-2003, that is, 2200x900 mm or 2200x1200 mm (for wide openings).
Professional drawing for a door welded from metal
The entrance metal door in an apartment or private house does not always correspond to the standard, so it is better to draw up a sketch. Otherwise, on a non-standard opening you will have to either cut out part of the slope or somehow seal the gap next to the door.
An example of a sketch for a non-standard iron door.
Since we are making an iron door with our own hands, then at the stage of creating a sketch we need to take into account some tolerances; they are shown in the example below:
- The starting dimensions of the doorway are 216x90 cm;
- It is impossible to make a frame (lutka) close to the walls, since there will be nowhere to pour the mounting foam, so along the top edge we leave 10 mm for the foam, plus 5 mm for the thickness of the corner;
- At the bottom we make a small threshold, respectively, 25 mm will be cut off from the corner, leaving a total of 212 cm for the height of the frame along the inner perimeter;
- On the sides we also leave 10 mm for foam, plus 10 mm is the thickness of the metal in 2 corners, for a total width of the internal opening of 87 cm;
- Samu steel door, or rather the frame under it, cannot be made close to the scuttle; if the house starts to “walk” and the scuttle moves a little, the canvas will jam. Therefore, we leave a gap of 5 mm along the outer perimeter, respectively, it turns out 211x86 cm;
- We take a larger sheet (90x215 cm), since it will overlap part of the loot.
The tools have been prepared, the material has been purchased, a sketch has been made, now you can start building iron doors with your own hands.
Seven stages of steel door assembly
You can make metal doors with your own hands only from a corner or only from a profiled pipe, but mixed version turns out to be more reliable and practical. It is better to weld the outer frame (frame) from a 50x50 mm corner, and the frame for the door leaf from a 40x20 mm profiled pipe.
Stage No. 1. We cook the loot
First of all, we cut off the corners according to the diagram and fix them on the work table or sawhorses with clamps. Here it is important that the lower plane is flat and the corners meet at 90º. We check the rectangle of the box by its diagonals, if they are the same, then the corners will be right.
Fixing the frame with clamps.
You shouldn’t scald the corners right away, they can lead, first we grab them at several points and measure the diagonals again until everything is boiled, you can still adjust minor inaccuracies.
Spot tack.
When scalding corners, first apply all the vertical seams, and then move on to the horizontal ones, so the metal will overheat less. We will cut out the excess part of the corner later.
Welding corners.
Now we turn the frame over and check the plane with a long level or any even standard. There should be no distortions or bends.
Checking the plane of the frame.
We boil the external joints and immediately sand these seams with a grinder.
Welding external seams.
As shown in the photo above, we still have a piece of the corner left uncut from the inside; it needs to be removed, as it will interfere with installation. To do this, turn the frame over again and cut out the excess parts with a grinder. The loot is ready, now you can move on to the frame for the iron door.
Cut out the excess parts.
Stage No. 2. Frame for the door leaf
When cutting profiled pipes for a frame door leaf, first measure out all the long parts, and then cut out the short ones from the leftovers. Otherwise, you may not guess and then, big vertical racks will have to be welded from pieces.
It is better to make the slot for the lock right away. To do this, measure 1 m from the bottom of the post and make 2 vertical cuts according to the dimensions of the lock, and cut this strip diagonally in the middle. To make the pieces easier to break out, we make small cuts on them; the arrows in the photo point to these cuts.
Initial fitting of the lock.
To ensure that the frame of the door leaf fits neatly into place, we fix the profiled pipes with clamps inside Lutki. Don’t forget: there should be a gap of 5 mm between the profiled pipe and the corner; to do this, insert spacers. You can use the same corner trims as spacers.
Fixing the profiled pipe on the frame.
It's important here how to put profiled pipes, any such pipe has a welded seam, so this seam should “look” inside the canvas.
Welding seam of a profiled pipe.
When constructing a frame for a door leaf, it is no longer necessary to check the diagonals, since we are “attached” to the outer frame. The corners are welded by analogy with the loot, that is, we grab it at several points, and then weld the joints from the center to the edges.
Welding door frame corners.
Here, while the frame is in the sump, we weld the transverse stiffeners; they are made from a profiled pipe.
Fastening of stiffeners.
Now we remove the clamps, remove the outer frame and weld the ends of the joints in the corners, after which we sand all the seams. Be careful, the metal is thin and burns easily.
It is necessary to grind the weld seams on the outside.
Always control where your top, bottom, hinges and lock are. At this stage it is very easy to get confused and then it will be difficult to correct the situation without losses.
Stage No. 3. Attaching the sheet
First we need to cut the sheet to size. From the frame of the door leaf to the edge of the sheet we leave 20 mm (5 mm for the gap, plus 15 mm for the overlap of the slit). To cut the sheet exactly according to the markings, you can use a profiled pipe; simply secure it with clamps and cut along the edge with a grinder.
Standard for cutting sheets with a grinder.
We place the door frame on the cut sheet, check that the overlap is clearly observed everywhere, and spot weld the profiled pipes to the sheet (steps of about 100 - 150 mm). To prevent the frame from moving during welding, it can be secured with clamps.
You grab the frame not along the perimeter, but diagonally. That is: we welded one point, then moved to the opposite one, and so on until everything was scalded. Otherwise, the design may fail.
Spot welding of door leaf.
Stage No. 4. How to weld hinges
| Illustrations | Recommendations |
 |
We buy ordinary awnings, the male-male type (male with a pin). Canopies must be lubricated immediately before installation. |
 |
There should be 20 - 25 cm from the bark cloth to the canopies, both above and below. |
 |
The canopy should be slightly raised so that the sheet does not cling to the frame when opening. |
 |
The canopy is positioned so that when viewed from above, there is a gap of 1 - 2 mm between it and the sheet. |
 |
Before how to cook structure, place a spacer (a piece of the same sheet) under the sheet. The gap is needed for the rubber seal. |
 |
We scald the awnings. |
|
|
To hold the canopy more securely, you can weld a metal plate with an overlap onto the canvas frame, but this is more of a recommendation than a rule. |
Stage No. 5. We cut into the lock
The lock has already been inserted into the door frame, now you need to try it on and mark the places of the cuts in the door.
Marking for holes in the corner.
We drill holes for the keyhole with a large drill, and then bring it to the right size a round bastard file.
Hole for keyhole.
The holes in the corner for the lock itself are cut out with a grinder and also processed with a file. It is advisable to cover the lock bolts from the inside with a metal casing; it can be made from a profiled pipe or angle, the casing must be welded.
Cover for protecting the lock bolts.
Now all that remains is to try on the overlay on done earlier holes and you can proceed to facing work.
Installation of the lock escutcheon.
Stage No. 6. Cladding and insulation
It is cheaper and best to insulate iron doors with foam plastic; as a rule, PSB-S-25 slabs with a thickness of 40 mm are used. The slab is cut slightly smaller than the opening, and the gap is then filled in polyurethane foam.
Insulation entrance doors polystyrene foam.
There is no need to insulate entrance doors with mineral wool. The fact is that any cotton wool is afraid of moisture and shrinks after getting wet, so after a couple of years such insulation will stop working.
The inside of the structure can be covered with any board you like, from OSB to laminated MDF.
Laminated MDF door trims.
You can also read a more detailed article on insulating metal doors -.
The outer front of the doors can also be finished with a laminated board, but it will be easier and cheaper to paint the metal with hammer paint; this is done like this:
- All metal is cleaned with a cord brush (it is convenient to use a cord attachment on an angle grinder);
- The structure is degreased with acetone or gasoline;
- The metal is coated with primer for the previously selected hammer paint;
- Apply 2-3 layers of paint with a brush, roller or spray gun.
Painting iron doors with hammer paint.
Stage No. 7. Installation of metal doors
To secure the iron doors, you must first weld unique shanks made from a 40x4 mm strip around the perimeter of the door.
Shanks for fastening iron doors.
The structure is installed in the following sequence:
- Insert the loot into the doorway;
- Use a hammer drill to drill blind holes in the slopes through shanks;
- Next, you can hammer in metal crutches or fix the structure with anchor bolts;
- Hang the door leaf;
- Blow out the gaps around the perimeter of the tray with polyurethane foam;
- The door is installed, now all that remains is to cut off the excess dried foam and arrange the slopes.
This is how you install an iron door with your own hands.
Conclusion
As you can see in home “production”, without professional schemes and expensive equipment, I assembled a good iron door with my own hands and it cost about half as much as the factory equivalent.
With good decor homemade door will look no worse than the factory one.
Nowadays, finding a metal door to suit your taste is not at all difficult. However, some owners, feeling confident in their abilities, make the front door on their own. This is usually due to a person’s desire to create something different from other designs to suit his own requirements, or maybe with the use of specific materials or geometric and design requirements. One way or another, creating a metal front door with your own hands deserves special mention.
Material and tools
This may not be the easiest thing to do, but if you have the necessary skills, you can take it on. The more competent the owner, the less time he will spend on work. In order for the process to be successful and without any problems, you will need the following tools and materials:
Steel sheet with a thickness of 1.5 mm or more;
Metal corner;
Door hinges (selected according to the number determined by the strength of the hinges themselves and the power of the door);
Lock, door knob, peephole and other details;
Sheathing material (veneer, plywood, board - depends solely on your preference);
Construction foam;
Anchor bolts;
Welding machine;
Grinder with a metal disc;
Welding table or trestles for ease of work.
The list is only approximate, since creating a door is partly a creative process, and the design of the door may vary depending on the author’s ideas.
Creating a Door Frame
Before you begin, you need to know the exact dimensions of the doorway. And not just accurate, but complete. That is, a layer of plaster or door casing is an obstacle that must be removed before you reach the concrete or brick end of the wall. You need to get to the actual wall material in all four directions, so knock down the plaster or cut into the trim using a hammer and chisel.
Usually standard sizes doorways range from 800-900mm in width and 2000mm in height, but in any individual case the parameters may be non-standard.
When you have the exact dimensions of the doorway in your hands, the dimensions door frame will immediately become clear. The door frame must be placed in the opening so that there is a 20mm gap on all sides. This value is enough to ensure that the door is installed correctly if the opening is skewed. After completion of the work, this gap will be filled with polyurethane foam.
The first thing to do is cut a corner required length according to the size of the future box (the length of the shelves can be 50x25mm) and lay it out on a plane (a hob is best suited) in a rectangular shape. You can check the corners of the future door frame for “straightness” by measuring the lengths of the diagonals. If they are equal, you can start welding the corners.
Making a door leaf (video)
Before you start making the door leaf, first make the frame. The frame is made based on the fact that between it and the door frame there should be a gap equal to, in general, 20 mm in height and 15 mm in width. The correct distribution of gaps on all four sides will be indicated below. Next, a corner of the required length is used (a 40x25mm corner is suitable for this), which is also used to lay out a rectangle, and welding begins.
You will need to use a grinder to cut a locking cutout in the profile. Hammer wooden slats of the required length into the frame to make it easier to trim the door later. The next step is to weld the hinge profile to the hinges themselves and the door frame. This will make welding work easier.
The distance between the hinges is carefully measured, both on the frame and on the door frame, since an exact match is needed. After this, we place the frame inside the box and make sure that everything is parallel to each other.
And here is the most important step - making the door leaf. A part of it is cut out of a sheet of steel that will cover the opening by 1 cm on each side, except for the one where the lock is. This side should overlap by 1.5cm.
It is important to remove any scale remaining on the edge of the sheet after cutting.
Now we lay the sheet so that the top and bottom edges of the box protrude by 10mm, on the side of the lock by 5mm, on the side of the awnings by 15mm. At several points the sheet begins to stick to the box.
Next, we turn the box over, and our sheet is at the bottom. The door frame, meanwhile, is inside the frame. It's time to set the gaps between the door frame and the frame. From the threshold this distance will be 10mm, as well as from above. On the side where there is a lock, it is 8mm, and on the side where the hinges are - 7mm.
To fix the gaps, you can use various improvised means such as metal strips of different thicknesses.
It's time to weld the frame to the sheet. The seam itself should not be longer than 40mm, and the distance between the beginnings of the seams should be about 200mm. Welding is carried out from the middle to the edges from different sides, using a reverse step. If the future door starts to get very hot, give it time to cool.
Installing door hinges
The future door must be raised above the hob before installing the hinges. Pieces of profiles or pipes on which the product can be placed will help with this.
To make the hinges, a 20mm steel rod is used. To make the hinges work better, a ball from a steel bearing is placed in them. Then the loops are assembled and fixed, making sure that everything is accurately correlated with each other. Once you are sure that there is a clear match everywhere, the hinges are welded to the box and the canvas.
The upper part of the loop will be welded to the sheet, the lower part will be welded to the box. After welding the hinges, you need to cut off the tacks that secured the sheet to the box.
Now all that remains is to clean up the welds and paint the finished door - and it will be ready.
Castle place
The corner flange of the door frame is where the cutout for the lock will be made. Moreover, the cutout should be made so that the lock fits there without the slightest gap. As soon as you can put the lock in place, you will need to make markings for the mounting holes, the places where the key will be inserted, for the handle, and others. Holes of the required size will be drilled according to the markings.
Holes are made around the perimeter of the door for 4mm screws, which will fasten the boards on the inside. One of these boards should have a cutout for a lock. The length of the screws is selected within the range of 35-40mm.
Cutouts for the latch and various latches are created only after the frame is installed and the door is hung, at which time the door peephole is also installed.
Finishing work
Not all owners will agree to stop there. After all, you can decorate the door and give it an attractive appearance. Can be used as cladding wooden slats, soft material or plain film with wood texture. Of course, painting is the easiest option of all. It allows decorative forged elements to be welded on top of the door.
Photo gallery of metal doors with upholstery
Original finish metal overlays combined with bronze painting - a reference to the Middle Ages 
Traditional faux leather upholstery always gives the front door a warm feeling 
Soft upholstery gives a seemingly hard door some softness
In addition to the fact that you will save significantly, you will also gain invaluable experience, which can become a starting point for creating something even more complex and interesting.
I would like to show and tell you how to make a full-fledged door with your own on our own. It's not that difficult, especially don't be afraid. I myself have little experience in welding. I had to deal with this problem at work. The technical room needed a metal door and preferably with a window. Of course, this type of door can be ordered and bought in a store, but you will feel the real savings when you make it yourself. Armed with a suitable door sketch, I got to work.
Equipment and materials for the manufacture of a metal door with a window
- metal corner 50×50×4 mm
- metal strip 20×2 mm
- square pipe 20×20 mm
- sheet steel 2000×1000×2 mm
- plywood sheet 2000×1000×12mm
- rivets 4×16-1 pack
- door hinges with a diameter of 16 mm, a length of 12 mm 2 pieces
- metal strip 40×4 mm
- PVA glue
- foam chips
- electrodes
- cutting discs for metal
- metal grinding disc
- car primer
- black paint
- hammer paint
How to make a metal door with a window and decor using cold metal forging technique
First of all, you need to decide appearance future door, make it yourself or find a sketch or photo of it on the Internet. I printed the sketch to scale, based on the actual dimensions of the doorway. If the opening width in the sketch is, for example, 20 mm, this means that its real width is 2 m.
To make the door, it's best to start with a frame, which I welded from angle metal.
We mark the corner and cut it with a grinder at 45 degrees.
We apply the carpenter's corner to the corner of the frame, maintaining an angle of 90 degrees.
Having welded the corners, we grind them with a grinder and a grinding disc.
From the same corner and a metal strip (20×2) I made blanks for the door frame. The template will help you calculate the exact distance to weld the strip. To do this, a template is applied to the inside of the corner (50×50) along with a strip (20×2), then the strip is welded to the corner.
In the future, the strip will serve as a plywood retainer. Then the excess material is cut off along the entire length of the corner.
On one of the strips I made a hole for the lock so as not to have to do it later when the whole frame is ready.
We make the key hole at a distance of 900 mm from the edge of the corner.
We make metal blanks for the door frame according to the dimensions of the internal frame. A frame for the doors is created from the already made corner. It is made in height and width internal size door frame.
In order to avoid rubbing of the frame and door frame, you need to put metal plates between them, which I made from the same 20x2 mm strip.
Between the frames we insert our blanks - metal plates 2mm thick.
Now we weld the door frame.
As a result, we got a door frame and a door frame.
We weld a sheet of metal to the resulting door frame. The distance from the edge of the metal sheet to the frame is 15mm
For the future window, use a grinder to cut out an opening in the center of the door.
We also make stiffening ribs, as shown in the photo, and weld them to the door so that it does not bend and retains its shape.
The initial number of stiffeners was not enough, so additional ones need to be made.
But this was not enough, so add diagonal ribs for strength.
There should be as many stiffening ribs as will allow the door not to bend.
This is what your resulting design should look like.
Using a drill and a drill bit with a diameter of 4.2 mm, we make a hole, then use a tap to make a 5 mm thread.
We fasten the lock to the door frame with bolts with a diameter of 5 mm.
Using a marker, you can make markings for the future hole for the core of the lock.
First, we drill a hole using a drill and a drill bit with a diameter of 12 mm, then we finish this hole with a round file.
Now let's cut out a rectangle from plywood to the size of the future door for the inside of the door.
Now let's work on the loops. To choose their location correctly, you need to retreat 150 mm from the top and bottom edges of the door.
In this case, the hinges should be positioned so that the lubrication holes face the front of the doors.
We weld around the perimeter of the door frame square pipe(20x20) to close the gap between the frames.
Now let's take small strips (40x4) of metal that will serve us to fasten the doors, and weld them perpendicular to the surface of the door. With their help, the door will be secured in the doorway.
We make two holes in the door frame for the lock “tongues”. We make markings for the “reeds” directly from the lock attached to the door.
To protect the lock, we weld a corner.
Now let's start painting the door. First we will cover it with primer paint.
After the primer layer has dried, cover the door with black paint.
We use it as insulation for doors foam chips. It needs to be mixed with PVA.
Then carefully fill the entire surface of the door with the insulation mixture.
We fasten the pre-painted plywood with rivets to the door frame.
Now we paint the door on both sides with hammer paint.
To avoid drips and distribute the paint evenly, it is advisable to lay the door horizontally.
We have an empty hole for the window. We install a decorative grille in it, made using the cold forging metal
In addition, we need to install double-glazed windows to keep the door warm.
The door is ready, now it needs to be installed in the doorway. To do this, you need a level to keep the door vertical. I welded a metal strip perpendicular to the frame; a hole with a diameter of 12 mm is made in it for fixing with anchor bolts (D12 mm and 100 mm long).
Now the door not only gives you a feeling of pride and satisfaction for the work done, but is also ready for constant use.
The preparation stage for the manufacture of a metal door includes measuring the entrance opening and planning its structure. When making calculations, in addition to the size of the box, it is necessary to take into account the thickness of the insulation layer and external finishing, the presence of which significantly increases the sound insulation and sound insulation of the door. After this you need to do detailed drawing, which includes the main elements of an iron door: its leaf, hinges, stiffeners and frame. The resulting drawing will allow you to determine the required dimensions of a solid metal sheet for making a door leaf using them with your own hands, structural stiffeners and the total quantity necessary materials. Regular door metal box has standard dimensions of 2000x800mm. For a larger opening height, it is necessary to manufacture an additional upper frame or a side frame if the opening is more than 800 mm wide.
Tools and materials
If the drawing of the future metal entrance door has been made and its data has been verified, you can begin equipping the workplace with materials and tools. For work you will need:
- metal corners for the door leaf and door frame;
- door hinges, their number depends on the size of the door and its weight;
- construction foam;
- welding machine;
- steel sheet having a thickness of at least 2 mm;
- drill;
- corner Sander“grinder” equipped with a disk for cutting metal;
- reliable door lock and handle;
- facing material - plywood, veneer or boards;
- anchor bolts for fastening.
The list of materials is quite approximate; it can be made and adjusted with your own hands depending on the design, functional purpose of the door and the insulation used.
Making a metal door
Correct installation of an entrance door involves four main stages: creating a frame with your own hands, creating a door leaf, installing the necessary fittings and external cladding.
Each of these stages has its own characteristics:
In order to make a metal door with your own hands, you need to follow these steps step by step:
- According to the selected dimensions of the door leaf and door frame, you need to cut a corner with a section of 50x25 or 40x20mm and lay it on welding table, which it is advisable to place in the workshop before starting work. Then the diagonals and angles of the future frame are checked. The diagonals of the resulting rectangle must be the same. If the result is satisfactory, you can start welding.
- It is necessary to take dimensions from the manufactured box along its internal space, providing a gap of 0.5-1 cm on each side of the perimeter. After this, you should cut a corner with a section of 40x25mm - the future basis of the metal entrance door leaf. At the level of the planned lock, a slot is made in the profile using a grinder; you can also install slats into it yourself to install insulation and simplify the work on door trim.
- To ensure the convenience of welding work, at this step you need to weld the hinge profile to the hinges and the box. In this case, it is necessary to measure with great accuracy the distance between the hinges of the box and the frame to ensure their perfect match. This will help you easily hang the door on simple or hidden hinges.
- Then the parallelism of the profiles of the leaf and the door frame is checked. After this, the remaining profiles are placed in it and fixed by welding.
- Now you need to weld into a joint a metal sheet. When measuring the canvas, you need to take into account that it is taken with a margin of 1.5 cm more on the side of the locking mechanisms and 1 cm more on the other sides. The sheet should be cut according to the specified dimensions, and then laid on a frame of profiles connected by welding.
- You need to weld the loop part on the back side of the sheet, and after that you need to weld along its entire perimeter with your own hands.
- Then you need to weld a false strip from the inside of the sheet. To reliably strengthen the entire structure of the front door, you can weld several additional stiffeners.
- After completing the welding work, you should clean the seams and anti-corrosion paint the door, regardless of whether you will sheathe it or not.
- To install the lock, you need to make a hole in the corner of the frame for the bolt of the locking mechanism to fit in, and form a slot at the end of the door leaf for its installation. Then you need to make holes for the handle, key and mechanism fasteners.
- At the final step of manufacturing a metal door, you need to install its cladding yourself. Many materials are suitable for this: wooden planks, PVC film, forged decorative elements and others.
Door insulation
Iron doors must be insulated. At the same time, their noise insulation increases significantly. The work can be done with your own hands using sheet materials. First, you should attach a heat-reflecting material such as foil insulation from the inside of the door. Sound insulation is placed on top of it - mineral wool, polystyrene foam, polyurethane or any other type of insulation with such properties. Sealing joints and cracks door design performed using sealant. The fit of the door leaf to the frame is sealed using a glued rubber strip, and the noise insulation of the door is greatly increased. The door sound insulation is covered with an MDF panel or a sheet of plywood and the entire casing is secured using screws or liquid nails.
Door installation
There are two methods to install a metal entrance door. The first of them is used if the front door is located in the same plane as the wall. The second method is used if there is door slopes from the side of the room.
Fastening the door to metal plates
Most often, mounting a metal door to a wall is done using metal plates. Such plates can be installed on the side profiles of the box, based on the calculation of three pieces on each side. This technology can be used when installing the door from the inside flush with the wall surface.
Anchor bolt mounting
This installation is used when the door needs to be moved inside the wall mass, which makes it impossible to use plates. To install the door you will need welding.
- The door is installed on spacers and three holes are made in the side posts of its frame on each side.
- Through the resulting holes, pieces of metal rod 12 cm or more in length are driven into the wall. The ends of the rods are welded to the door frame. Welding is performed through the cavity of the side of the box. This eliminates sagging that could prevent the door from closing.
- After this, the space between the door and the opening is filled with polyurethane foam. All that remains is to wait for it to harden.
- As you can see, making and installing a metal door with your own hands is not such a complicated task. Subject to the right technology and careful work, you can get a high-quality and economically feasible result.
Despite the fact that there are many models of entrance doors on sale, in some cases suitable option It's quite difficult to choose. Some are not satisfied with the dimensions due to the non-standard opening at the installation site, others are afraid of hidden defects in the product, and others are embarrassed by the high cost of the kit.
Handmade production of a metal door, with proper organization process has a number of advantages. For example, you don’t have to worry about the quality of the design; it can be assembled according to any acceptable drawing, and there won’t be any problems with the design - there are many techniques. In addition, the costs of assembling and finishing the block will be minimal.
Preparation stage
Work should begin with dismantling old door and complete cleaning of the opening. Only after a thorough examination of the condition of the base can one conclude whether it is suitable for installing a metal structure or not. It may be necessary to narrow (expand) it in accordance with the required dimensions and further strengthen it. The latter is typical for buildings made of cellular concrete, wood, as well as other materials with a significant degree of wear. Consequently, the necessary technological operations are carried out.
After obtaining a passage in the wall with the correct geometry, you can begin taking measurements. Based on this, a drawing of a metal door is developed. In addition to determining the dimensions of the frame and sash, you should also choose a design diagram. First of all, in which direction is it more convenient to open the canvas, where is it better to install locks, hinges (their number) and fittings (handle, peephole) on it. Sometimes it is advisable to make a “one and a half” version. In it, the small sash is rigidly fixed, but if it is necessary to temporarily expand the opening (for example, when moving large loads), it is easy to open it.
- The design of a metal door is drawn up taking into account the fact that there should be a small gap (about 15 - 20 mm) between the jamb and the base. It is called editing. It allows, firstly, to correctly align the frame, adjust its position, and secondly, to additionally insulate the opening around the perimeter.
- The hinges on the door are placed at an equal distance from each other, and their number is determined by the weight of the leaf; With its light weight, two canopies are enough. But in any case, their distance (top and bottom) from the sash cuts is selected to be about 150 mm (for openings of standard height).
Materials and supplies are being prepared. When working with iron, welding will be required. Plus, a hammer drill (electric drill with a chipper) and a grinder. Everything else is normal household tool, square, tape measure. It’s a little more difficult with materials; you’ll have to choose.
- Corners or profiles (with a side of 4 cm) are suitable for the frame. Here it is worth focusing on the purpose of the structure, the requirements for its stability and the option for further finishing. If high-quality insulation and increased strength are expected, then a door made of a profile pipe is The best decision. But stiffening ribs can also be made from a corner.
- The frame covering is made of sheet steel. It is necessary to optimally combine such indicators as the total mass of the canvas and its strength. But in any case, it is not recommended to use metal less than 2 mm thick.
- Fastening elements. Any iron door, whether homemade or purchased, is fixed in the opening with anchor bolts. The only exception is for models mounted in wooden (frame) buildings. As a rule, when self-installation doors at their entrance, they are attached to special frames or to the base using welding or large hardware.
Everything else - seals, thermal insulation and Decoration Materials, fasteners, fittings - at the discretion of the master.
If you lack experience in making steel doors with your own hands, it is better to limit yourself to overhead hinges. Hidden canopies are much more difficult to install and require a professional approach.
The procedure for manufacturing metal structures
Iron door with your own hands, regardless of its diagram and drawing, it is assembled according to one algorithm. Initially, individual elements are made.
Box
There are no problems with it, but provided that all measurements and cutting of blanks are made correctly, in strict accordance with the drawn up drawing. It is not difficult to weld individual parts into a single structure of the correct geometry. You just need to work on a perfectly flat, hard surface and constantly monitor the angles. Once the jamb is assembled, all seams are carefully polished with a diamond disc.
It is mandatory to weld hinges and fastening strips with drilled holes to the box. Using the final details, it is fixed to a wall made of any material.
Door leaf
- The frame manufacturing technique is absolutely identical.
- For reinforcement, stiffeners are installed according to the selected pattern.
- A groove is cut for the lock tongue.
- Frame sheathing on one side. It is produced by fastening steel sheets by welding, with a slight overlap. In the area of the hinges it is about 5 mm, along the length of the frame it is about 10 - 15. It is recommended to “tack” the cladding with several seams, no more than 40 mm in length. To ensure reliability of fastening, the intervals between adjacent sections are selected within 20.
- Depending on the design, at this stage of assembling a metal door, the lock fastening elements are installed, the hinges are welded (those parts that are attached to the leaf) and a window for the peephole is cut out.
- If the sash is supposed to be insulated, then it is immediately laid thermal insulation material; it is placed between the stiffening ribs, which prevents it from sagging under its own weight.
- All that remains is to weld the second sheet of metal onto wrong side frame and also cut a hole in it for the peephole and the lock cylinder.
- The last thing to do with the sash is to carry out a control check of its geometry and sand all joints, welds and paint with primer to prevent metal corrosion.
If the “one and a half” scheme is chosen, then all technological operations for the small blade are absolutely identical, with the exception of the peephole and the door lock. But upper and lower stops should be provided for fixation in a stationary position.
Finishing
Making a metal door with your own hands is not all. It must be formatted accordingly. With blocks installed in outbuildings it is quite simple; as a rule, they are painted. But if we are talking about a door at the entrance to a residential building (apartment), then it is advisable to decorate it. The choice of option is at the discretion of the owner, and some recommendations will help with this.
How you can finish the canvas:
- Hard materials - multilayer plywood, fiberboard, vinyl plastic, wooden lining, laminate, MDF followed by varnish coating (colorless or with tinting components).
- Leatherette and leatherette are used to cover the sash.
- The water door to the apartment can be covered decorative film. Since the impact of atmospheric factors is minimal, this finish will last a long time. And taking into account the low cost and simplicity of design, it is one of the best solutions.
Assembly of the structure
Essentially, it all comes down to hanging the sash, checking its position, the operation of the locks and adjustments (if necessary). All that remains is to install the handle, lock and peephole. If the door design includes crossbars and lower (upper) stops, then you need to make markings.
The sash is covered, and the places for drilling holes are marked on the jamb. After readiness, their coincidence with the fixing elements is checked. This applies to both the main canvas and the additional, small one.
The final “touch” is installing the manufactured door into the opening and lubricating all rubbing parts (which many people forget about). After this, we can state that everything is complete, the work has been completed.
For those who have skills in working with metals and want to get a high quality iron door at low cost, its self-production – the best option. Moreover, the drawing, diagram, external finishing It is not the manufacturer who chooses, but the master. This means that the entrance to the house will not only be reliably protected, but also designed in an original way, and the block structure will fit perfectly into the interior of a particular building.
