How to weld a metal door with your own hands. How to make an iron entrance door. Equipping a metal door with fittings

Time forces you to save. At the same time, increased demands are placed on home security. Metal doors are an invariable attribute of every city apartment. An alternative to them in terms of reliability is only entrance doors made of solid wood, but they are incredibly expensive and themselves provoke an attacker to break in. Nice door made of metal and installation are also expensive. An alternative is a do-it-yourself metal door.

Of course, a homemade door cannot be a full-fledged analogue of a factory one: in artisanal conditions it is impossible to comply with the manufacturing technology. But opening a metal door is quite difficult, and it will produce the necessary psychological effect.

Blueprints " Steel door with your own hands":

Manufacturing Features

Attention: when measuring an opening, you must proceed from its real perimeter, i.e. Remove all paint and plaster from concrete slopes.

To make metal doors with your own hands you need:

1. Measure the opening.

2. When calculating the dimensions of the box, you need to lay two centimeters on all sides for the installation gaps.

Video “Making fireproof metal doors with your own hands”:

3. A steel corner is suitable for making a box. The recommended width of the shelves is 5 by 2.5 centimeters. The corner needs to be cut into pieces according to the size of the future box.

4. Place the workpieces on flat surface rectangle. Control measurement - along the diagonals: they must be the same length.

Video “How to make steel doors with your own hands”:

5. Weld the door yourself or ask a professional.

6. The canvas frame should be made two centimeters smaller than the box in height and one and a half centimeters in width. For the frame, you can use a corner 4 by 2.5 cm. Weld in the same way as a box.

Video “Making custom metal doors”:

7. Cut a hole for a lock in one of the racks.

8. Weld a loop profile to another rack.

9. Spot weld a steel sheet to the frame with a thickness of at least one and a half millimeters. The sheet should overlap the frame by a centimeter (from the lock side - by one and a half).

Video " Self-production doors":

11. Weld the sheet.

12. For hinges, a steel rod 2 centimeters thick is suitable. Place bearing balls into the hinge blanks.

13. Mark on the canvas and box the places where the hinges and their mating parts are attached. Weld the hinges.

14. Clean the welds, paint the canvas with protective enamel or powder paint.

16. The inside of the door can be sheathed MDF panels.

The metal front door is ready with your own hands. All that's left is the installation.

Installation methods

Attention: often if you install a factory door yourself, you lose the warranty on it.

First way mounting the door leaf into the opening - using mounting plates (if you made the iron entrance door yourself, you can weld them in advance).

1. Three plates (eyes) are installed on each rack. When installing the box, the plates must be adjacent to the wall from the inside (so that they cannot be cut off).

2. Place the box in the opening and measure it vertically. There should be a gap of about two centimeters between the box and the opening.

3. Holes for fastening are drilled through the holes in the plates and anchor bolts are inserted.

4. Foam the installation gaps. Once the foam has hardened, the excess is cut off.

5. Hang the canvas on the hinges.

6. They install the best locks for metal doors.

7. Close the gaps with platbands. If the walls of the opening are wide, they are covered with MDF panels.

Second way: if the walls of the opening are wide and the box is recessed inside.

1. Place the box in the opening and align it vertically. The gaps between the box and the walls are from half a centimeter to a centimeter.

2. Through the mounting holes in the box, drill holes for fastening in the wall of the opening (depth - 10-15 centimeters).

3. Insert anchors and tighten.

Third way: concreting the box.

In this case, a hollow box is used, the inside of which is filled with concrete. Measure the vertical position of the box, fix the box to the wall with anchors and leave until the solution has completely set.

2. Before hanging the canvas, the hinges need to be lubricated. When adjusting the hinges, loosen the fasteners on them.

A do-it-yourself metal door often surpasses many factory samples in both quality and reliability. It’s not without reason that they say that a house is a small fortress, and the front door is a fortress gate. And it’s difficult to add anything to this. After all, if entrance doors are ordered at the market or in a supermarket, this is not a guarantee that the doors are of high quality and reliable. On the other hand, often the situation associated with the need to weld and install a temporary structure for the period of repair makes the idea of doing everything yourself quite realistic and relatively cheap.

DIY metal door - from idea to practical implementation

Conventionally, the independent implementation of the idea of putting together a real metal entrance door from sets of metal pipes, plates and corners does not require extensive plumbing experience. True, we must immediately admit that assembling a metal door with your own hands will present certain difficulties. But with thoughtful organization of work and the availability of tools, many mistakes can not only be avoided, but also corrected in time.

The first step is to determine what kind of structure it will be:

a lightweight temporary structure for the period until a real armored door is purchased;
a structure that is planned to be built for a certain time as front door into the corridor from the landing;
a normal entrance door to an apartment or house with insulation and a reliable lock;
a monumental structure for centuries with the firm confidence that the door will protect against any vandals.

Based on this, the forces, time, and necessary materials are calculated. The entire process of work is planned from taking measurements to installing the outer and inner door trim. Conventionally, a door from a profile pipe is created with your own hands in several stages:

initial stage - taking measurements, preparing a drawing, selecting and ordering materials, preparing tools;
stage of development of individual components and connections, preparation of a slipway or assembly table for work;
creating a door block, welding doors, fitting, installing locking devices, installing metal sheets;
installation of a door in a doorway, fixing, finishing;
installation of cladding and internal filler, adjustment of systems.

Although this work scheme contains a large number of points, but step-by-step implementation their excellent results will be guaranteed.

Preparatory stage - where to start

It is not difficult to guess that an iron door is created with your own hands from metal pipes, angles, channels and sheet metal. But you should start by organizing your workplace and selecting tools for the job. It’s worth remembering that you can’t have enough tools. Having always learned to work with one tool, it turns out that it is more convenient to use several more tools for work. So for normal operation you need to prepare:

metal ruler, scriber, tape measure, metal square, crayons;
grinder with a set of cutting, stripping and grinding abrasive wheels;
with a set of metal drills and a center punch;
welding machine, here it is preferable to choose an inverter, it is today optimal choice for newbies;
hammers of different weights;
files for metal - triangular, round, square, flat;
magnetic holders - multi-profile, with a mandatory angle of 90 degrees;
clamps, clamps, clamps;
Be sure to wear a welder's mask and gloves for working with hot metal.

The next point is organizing the workplace, because before you weld a metal door yourself, you need to at least prepare a platform for laying out all the elements for fitting. It is ideal to have a mounting table or workbench for this, but you can first prepare a simple flat area on concrete or OSB.

A do-it-yourself metal door will require the following materials:

metal profile 20x40 mm - 22-24 linear meters;
sheet metal - 1x2 meters with a thickness of 2.5-2.8 mm;
hinges for fastening the door with bearings;
lock with overhead handles;
to fill the internal volume;
insulation and material for external and internal door cladding.

Marking and preparing parts for assembly

At the stage of preparing parts, the design of metal doors, a drawing of which is drawn to scale, is drawn in the form of separate drawings - the elaboration concerns how the parts will be attached and what the sequence of work will be. Detailed drawings make it possible to minimize errors and waste when cutting metal.

When transferring drawings to metal, you need to clearly understand how a metal door is structured, which elements require special precision, and for which it is necessary to make a gap of 1-2 mm. For door frame it is important that all parts are manufactured with the smallest deviations, especially if the profile pipe will be butt welded along 45 degree cuts.

The first step is to prepare the door frame. Tolerances on the outside should be no more than 1 cm in relation to the doorway. And here inner part must be ideal in all planes.

A do-it-yourself metal door, the drawings of which are developed taking into account the installation of safe locks with fixation at several points on the block, must be reinforced with an internal frame made of a profile pipe or corner.

In the process of laying out the door block parts on the assembly table, the installation location is determined:

anchor bolts for fastening the block to the wall;
door hinges;
key holes and fixing the safe mechanism;

Even before welding the hinges to the metal door and connecting the block into a single structure, it is recommended to drill the necessary holes in the profile, and only after that proceed with final assembly.

Door block assembly

When creating a metal door with your own hands, assembling the door block and the frame of the door itself have a lot in common. In both cases it is an assembly of simple rectangles. Assembly technology using welding joints of profile pipes at an angle of 45 degrees provides for:

preparing a profile with pre-cut corners;
laying out all the parts in one plane;
check internal corners door block;
with the help of several touches of the electrode, the structure is literally seized into one whole;
using a square, the correctness of right angles is checked, and internal diagonals are measured with a tape measure;
the entire structure is welded with a construction seam.

Before welding a door from a profile pipe, the finished door block is tried on in place of the opening. Next, using a stripper and grinding wheels The grinders remove the beads and form beautiful, even seams.

Door frame assembly

A do-it-yourself entrance door made of metal is welded using the same technology as the door block, with the only difference being that its dimensions must be as accurate as possible from the outside of the structure.

In fact, the door block in this case can be used as a template for laying out parts and fixing the frame before welding. The first step during assembly is welding the door hinges. The parts are adjusted so that at the top the gap between the block and the door itself is 2-3 mm, but at the bottom the gap needs to be made larger - up to 3-5 mm. When using simple garage hinges in the design, they need to be welded on top of the frame and block. For hidden hinges, additional space must be provided in the door block. To do this, it makes sense to make the side where the hinges are attached from a pipe of a larger cross-section. A gap at the bottom of 5-7 mm between the door and the block is needed because the armored door is welded with your own hands from 3-4 mm metal, and the weight of the door over time causes wear in the hinges, gradually lowering the door.

After welding the hinges and guide, we begin welding the frame of the door itself. Door block placed horizontally on a flat surface. Using a level, its position is checked. Pipes, cut to size using wooden planks, are laid out level inside the block. The gaps between the door frame and the block are established using wooden wedges or plastic crosses for installing tiles.

Further, as with the block, temporary fixation is carried out with individual points. After checking the corners and diagonals, the final welding of all elements into one unit. After welding the door frame, the entire structure is raised and checked in a vertical position. If the door opens and closes easily without touching the block, you can begin installing internal struts and locks.

When forming the frame, all elements must be fixed in one plane. Metal tends to deform during welding. As a result, made homemade doors Made from metal with your own hands, they turn out to be curved.

Installation of a lock and locking hardware

There can be no trifles in the question of how to weld a metal door with your own hands. Especially when it comes to safety. Installation of the lock and safe hooks must be carried out during the manufacturing process of the door frame.

Until the frame is covered with a metal sheet, it is convenient to make holes in it and install a lock. When placing the lock, you need to keep in mind that an armored door, like any other, can be lowered during operation. This means that the locking mechanism should be placed so that when the door is lowered, it cannot jam.

The gap between the bottom of the lock tongue and the bottom of the hole in the block must be no less than the gap between the door and the threshold of the block. Marking on the door frame mounting hole this fact must be taken into account. Alternatively, you can cut an opening in the door frame to the size of the lock mounting plate. Then, simply make a mounting strip from a metal strip and weld it into the body from the inside.

The second installation option involves making a slot in the door frame pipe and processing it with a file until the right size. However, the lock may prevent the door from closing. It simply will not allow the door to close if the gap between the frame and the block is less than 4 mm.

Installation of metal sheet

The final stage of assembling the metal door structure is installing the door tightly onto the frame. The marking of the sheet is carried out last, when the entire structure is ready.

Before welding a metal door into the final structure with your own hands, it is recommended to attach the block to a sheet. Circle it with chalk to visualize how much metal needs to be removed and from which side.

When installing the sheet, the external loops must also be outlined. Because you will need to specially cut openings for them in the sheet.

Having adjusted the sheet to size, it is installed on the mounting table and the door frame is placed on top. Welding is carried out with reverse polarity, the fact is that when thin metal is used, it simply begins to deform or at the welding sites, a burn-through is formed - a hole in the thin metal. When changing the polarity on the inverter device, the risk will be significantly less.

Welding of the sheet and frame is carried out with thin electrodes with a diameter of 2 or 2.5 mm. Never use electrodes with a diameter of 4 or 5 mm. Welding is carried out in one direction - gradually pressing the sheet to the frame. The length of the welding seam should be no more than 1.5-2 cm. In this case, the distance between the seams should be 5-6 cm. When welding a sheet and a pipe, welding is done on both sides of the pipe in a checkerboard pattern.

Familiarize yourself in more detail with the procedure for carrying out work and working on separate elements you can type in a search engine - how to do it iron door with your own hands.

Making a metal door with your own hands - video

If the prospect of fulfillment welding work scares you less than the price tags on metal entrance doors - you can make it for your home just as well with your own hands. And if compared with Chinese consumer goods, it is also much more reliable.

Below detailed instructions will help you cope with this task. It would seem that the choice on the market is so huge that there is no need to make it yourself. But for many, this process itself can be very interesting, and the opportunity to save plays a significant role. However, in order to cope with this on your own difficult work, one desire is not enough. At a minimum, you need to have at least some skills in welding and have the necessary tools.

To understand where to start, what materials you will need for this and in what quantities, you need to carefully study the opening. Often in old houses, the entrance doors are kept “on word of honor”: if you pull out the frame, it turns out that between it and the main wall there was a void, sealed with plaster.

Therefore, you need to clean the opening to its actual size in order to determine the size and design of the future door (see). If the opening is standard (in our realities it is approximately 900x2000 mm), it will not be so difficult to do it yourself.

If it is much wider, you will have to weld an additional metal frame and secure it to the side of the door. If the opening is higher, then an additional frame is welded above the frame. If desired, you can insert shockproof or armored glass into it.

Having received all the dimensions you are interested in, make a detailed drawing of the design of the future metal door and calculate required amount materials.

Tools and materials

In this case you will need:

Steel sheet measuring 1000x2000 mm and thickness 2 mm.
Profiled pipe 50x25 mm – 9 l.m. Of these, 6 l.m. for making a box and 2-3 l.m. for stiffeners.
Steel corner 32x32 mm – 6 running meters. for the door frame.

For reference. Metal corners and profiled pipes are sold in whole lengths of 3 or 6 meters. Take this into account when purchasing so that you don’t have to weld one part from two elements. Buy in stock.

You can cover the doors wood panels or slats, stick a PVC film that will imitate the structure of wood or decorate the doors soft material. You can also simply paint the canvas, and to improve appearance weld some forged decorative elements to the door.

In the presence of welding machine and even if you have little skill in working with it, it would be simply unreasonable to purchase a Chinese product that is not very durable. A do-it-yourself metal entrance door will become more reliable protection from burglary and bad weather. Let us describe in detail the process of its manufacture.

Required materials and tools

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Free instrument 50% success

Before you start making a metal structure, you should prepare the necessary materials and tools for the work.

We will need:

yardstick
carpenter's square for taking measurements;
metal corner for the door frame and door frame; it can be replaced with a square pipe 40x40 mm; for the manufacture of the internal frame of the box and stiffeners, slightly smaller pipes of 40x20 mm are used
metal sheets: you should not take material that is too thin; its thickness should be at least 1.5-2 mm
welding machine
grinder or wire brush for cleaning welds
drill with drill bits
metal anchors or pieces of reinforcement for attaching the structure to the wall
screws, bolts
a wrench of the appropriate size for tightening the bolts
screwdriver
door hinges capable of supporting the weight of a door weighing over 100 kg
rim lock
plywood, MDF, lining or laminate for finishing

Taking measurements

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Welding a metal structure

Even when using standard drawings to assemble an iron door, you will need to take measurements. Ideally even, symmetrical doorways simply do not exist. Therefore, it is necessary to be extremely careful when taking measurements.

One measurement will not be enough - you need to take measurements three times and then select the smallest number obtained. To measure door leaf follows above, below, in the middle.

The height of the opening is determined in exactly the same way. If the old doors have not yet been removed, it is easier to measure them.

In most cases, the width of the canvas is a multiple of 10 cm - its width can be 70, 80 or 90 cm. Please note that the size of the future opening should be 1.5-2 cm smaller than the size of the opening itself. The remaining cracks are subsequently filled with polyurethane foam. After all, it will be difficult to insert and perfectly align a door cut exactly to the size of the doorway.

Immediately determine which direction they will open. According to SNiP, entrance doors must necessarily open outward, so that in the event of an evacuation or transfer of a sick person, it can be opened without hindrance. In this case, it will also be possible to save useful space in the hallway.

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How to correctly measure the width of an opening

The opening side is selected taking into account comfort and convenience. Traditionally, doors are made right-handed so that upon entry they can be opened using right hand. But this option can be changed taking into account specific circumstances.

After all, the door should open so as to occupy a minimum of free space without creating interference. IN apartment buildings The location of adjacent doors is also taken into account.

Door frame

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So, we will describe in detail how to make an iron door yourself:

1 After cutting a metal angle or pipe to the specified dimensions, it must be folded on a flat surface or welding table make a rectangle from the resulting parts, once again double-checking its dimensions.

2 There is no need to cut 45° corners. The metal strips are simply joined end to end.

Metal strips are joined end to end

3 We weld the inner frame from the corner with the smaller shelves. The distance between it and the frame is 3-5 mm.

4 Stiffening ribs are welded from the same corner - sections that are inserted inside the frame.

5 Don’t forget to thoroughly clean all seams with a sander, special abrasive fiber, brush, or pickle them with a seam treatment agent. Otherwise, the smallest remnants of metal, and behind it the metal corner itself, will immediately begin to rust. It is more convenient to grind off large deposits with a grinder or a file.

6 A fairly common mistake made by novice welders is to immediately connect the frame parts cleanly, “tightly”. There is no need to do this under any circumstances - most likely, the frame will have to be trimmed. Therefore, first you just need to “grab” the metal corners, and then align the assembled door frame building level not only horizontally and vertically, but along the corners and both diagonals.

7 Check that all parts fit exactly at 90°. Final welding can only begin after alignment.

Frame with internal frame

8 The next step is drilling holes for anchors and attaching hinges. At the same stage, holes are prepared for the lock bolts.

9 To attach the sealing rubber and protect the frame from deflections, small metal plates are welded to it.

10 To insert the frame into the doorway, you can weld steel eyes to it or provide through mounting holes.

Finished door frame

Door leaf

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The height and width of its frame must match the size of the door frame minus 5 mm on each side for the door to move freely.
After cutting the sheets (this can be done with a grinder), we clean the edges from burrs with a file or grinder with emery.
Metal sheets are attached to the frame so that they protrude 10 mm at the top, bottom and side of the lock. The allowance on the hinge side is made slightly smaller - 3-5 mm.
After “grabbing” the sheets, we check the correctness of fastening, and then weld the seams completely. If the sheets do not move, we proceed to final welding. First, we “sew” them to the main frame, and then attach them to the intermediate stiffeners. There is no point in making continuous seams - it is enough to weld the sheets in small sections.
The cutout for inserting the lock must be provided before the sheathing.
At the same stage, you can attach a wood frame to the door leaf to secure the trim. To do this, holes are drilled in the metal in the right places.

Single sheet metal door design

Connecting the door leaf to the frame

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Just as with the previous assembly, the seams should first be “tightened” by welding. The final connection is made only after checking the correct installation.
We drill holes for inserting a key and, if necessary, a peephole.
To attach the hinges, you need to step back 20 cm from the bottom and top of the door.
Raise the door (it’s easier to do this together). We fasten the canopies in such a way that the lower elements (the pins are attached to them) are attached to the frame, and the upper ones, called counters, are attached to the door leaf.
All loops must be located strictly along the same axis. This is not easy to do - you will have to take measurements many times. Otherwise, if an error occurs, the door will warp.
It is better to hang a massive door not on 2, but 3 hinges.
Lubricate them immediately so that the door opens easily and does not creak.

Entrance metal structure

Even if the door will be upholstered or finished in the future decorative panels, it should be treated with an anti-corrosion compound or painted. For painting metal, it is better to use the so-called “hammer” enamel, made on an alkyd-styrene base.

Insulation

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Insulate an iron door welded from metal You can use polystyrene foam, polystyrene foam or mineral wool. When using polystyrene foam, sheets 4 cm thick are sufficient. Too much density of the material is not needed - after all, the load on it will be small. You will need to purchase 4 square sheets of 1 m wide.

When purchasing polyurethane foam, choose a composition with minimal expansion, otherwise the foam will simply squeeze out. We apply it around the perimeter of the frame, stepping back slightly from the edges. Next, polystyrene foam is laid. All seams between sheets, cracks between foam plastic and a metal corner should also be sealed with foam. It can be replaced with Moment glue or any other suitable adhesive composition.

Installation of insulation

Mineral wool or stone wool has a significant disadvantage– these materials are capable of absorbing moisture. A metal door with this type of insulation will quickly rust. For apartment buildings this is not critical - there is not so much moisture in the entrances. But it is highly not recommended to insulate a street door with mineral wool.

If in the future the door is finished with self-adhesive film, There is no need to cover the insulation with chipboard. Any irregularities will be immediately visible. Replace chipboard with furniture-grade moisture-resistant plywood. It is attached to the metal using self-tapping screws through pre-drilled holes.

Metal door covered with film, trimmed with molding

You can decorate a door covered with film with moldings - decorative strips made of metal or polymer materials, painted to resemble wood, stone, silver or gold.

Inserting a metal door into an opening

Install massive metal structure alone is unrealistic. You will need an assistant.

Removing the old door

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Before installing iron doors, the old door leaf should be removed from its hinges. To do this, place a crowbar under its bottom, lift the structure and remove it from its hinges. Some types of hinges have to be unscrewed. This must be done starting from the bottom.
On an old metal door, after dismantling the slopes, you need to find its attachment points. To do this, plaster is knocked down in the area of the proposed anchors or reinforcement. All metal parts are cut off with a grinder, and then the old box is pulled out.
Regular wooden box easier to remove. It is enough to cut the side posts in the center, and then, using a crowbar, pry them out of the opening.
All loose pieces of brick and putty should be knocked down. The resulting voids are filled with new bricks and then covered with cement mortar. Small potholes will be filled with foam in the future, so you can leave them alone for now.
Significant protrusions are knocked down with a hammer or cut off with a grinder.
Pay attention to the condition of the threshold. In old houses in these places they install wooden beam. If it is damaged, the beam needs to be replaced. You can check its safety with an awl. Insert it into the wood and try to loosen it. If this can be done easily, the timber has become unusable.

Removing the door frame

Door insert

1 It is more convenient to install it with the door leaf removed from its hinges.

2 The frame is installed on pads 2 cm high. With their help, the structure will be leveled. If no mistakes were made when welding the front door and all measurements were taken correctly, it should fit into the opening freely.

3 Check with a bubble or laser level arrangement of the structure horizontally and vertically. When checking vertically, you can use a plumb line - a weight suspended from the side.

4 After leveling, we wedge the door frame using wooden or special plastic wedges. They are located closer to the fastening points. There should be three of them on the sides, two on the top.

5 We check again with the level to see if we accidentally moved the frame to the side.

6 There are two ways to fasten metal doors. In the first case, the lugs should be pre-welded to the frame. If the walls are not thick enough, they make it in a box through holes, into which anchors or small pieces of reinforcement will be inserted.

Door fastening methods

7 To install anchors or reinforcement in the wall, you will need to prepare holes with a depth of 30 cm. The size of the drill must match the diameter of the fastener. You can mark the drilling depth on it using masking tape.

Installation of anchors

8 After inserting anchors or reinforcement, they are additionally driven in with a hammer. If you need to move the fastener slightly, insert a screwdriver between it and the wall, tapping it with a hammer.

9 Fastening begins from the hinge side. Then two fasteners are inserted from above, below and one from the side of the lock. The anchors should not be over-tightened - the door frame may need to be adjusted.

10 We check with a level to see if we have displaced it when driving in the fasteners.

11 We hang the door leaf. Let's check its progress. If there are distortions, cracks, or jammed locks, you will have to remove it and re-align the position of the box horizontally and vertically.

12 If the door leaf is installed correctly, it must be removed again and the anchors finally tightened. First, tighten the bolts from the hinge side, then from the lock side. The last ones are the bottom and the top.

13 After the final hanging of the web, its progress is checked again.

14 To create a reliable sound and heat insulating barrier, all gaps between the door frame and the wall are filled with foam. Its expansion coefficient should be minimal - it is easier to work with such a solution.

15 Excess foam should be removed immediately with a damp cloth. If you delay a little, after 5 minutes it will be problematic to erase it - the surface of the door will have to be scraped.

Slope fastening

After fastening the slopes with self-tapping screws or gluing with liquid The platbands are fastened with nails. The screws are recessed a couple of millimeters deep and then sealed with putty matched to the color of the platbands.

Entrance door threshold

According to the standard, its height should be 30 mm. But in most cases this parameter is not followed. The threshold can be made a little lower - about 20 mm. Too high will make it difficult to enter or drag heavy bulky objects into the house. Yes, and stepping over a high threshold is not very convenient.

Such a structure can be made not only from metal, but also from wood, stone or plastic.

All debris and dust must be removed from the installation site.
After taking measurements and cutting, grooves are prepared in the thresholds according to the size of the door frame.
Holes are drilled in each part for inserting screws.
There is no need to screw the threshold on right away - you just need to secure it with self-tapping screws and check whether it interferes with the opening/closing of the door.
If it moves freely, without effort, we finally attach the threshold, and cover the locations of the screws with the help of special covers, which can be purchased at a furniture store.

Threshold for entrance door

Finishing

The metal iron door looks too rough, therefore, it is better to finish it using veneer, MDF, laminate, self-adhesive film or painting with special paints. Chipboard is not suitable for these purposes - even with internal lining, after a year the sheets will begin to delaminate.

Special powder paints look very decorative, which are applied by spraying. However, their cost is quite high. Finishing with laminate is allowed only in apartment buildings - this material is too afraid of moisture.

Laminate installation

The finishing of an iron door can be done with MDF panels– they are produced according to the size of the door in the form of solid overlays, called cards, including those made from natural wood veneer. You can also order panels according to your own dimensions.

For quite reasonable money you will receive elite doors that are indistinguishable in appearance from products, for example, made of natural oak. Very good quality for MDF panels from Belarusian and domestic manufacturers.

Types of MDF overlays

When finishing a metal door with clapboard, you will need to make special frame. In principle, wooden planks can be attached to it with liquid nails or using special fasteners - clamps. But still frame method considered more convenient. You can additionally lay thermal insulation material under a wooden frame made of narrow timber.
After cutting the wooden parts, the cut areas are thoroughly sanded. To protect the wood from moisture penetration and premature destruction, it is treated with a special impregnation and dried well.
The door leaf must be removed and all interfering elements must be unscrewed from it - handle, locks, peephole. The sealing tape must also be removed.
After attaching to a metal door (for this, holes are prepared in it) wooden frame start installing the lining. The planks must be joined to each other as tightly as possible. The step between the fastenings is 15 cm.

Material costs

Practicality

Among other types of doors, metal ones stand out for their strength and reliability. They are installed at the entrance to a house or landing, where increased protection is needed. Using simple tools and equipment, each person can assemble a metal door in one day. This also requires certain materials and knowledge.

Is it possible to make metal doors with your own hands?

Reliable metal doors have long won the sympathy of consumers. They are used wherever necessary additional protection: in houses, garages, apartments, warehouses. According to the demand, the supply market has also grown; a great variety of ready-made steel doors can be found on the pages of newspapers and Internet resources.

There are various types of metal doors on the market.

However, many craftsmen prefer doors to purchased products. self-made. Their advantages include lower financial costs and independent choice designs and materials. These factors allow you to assemble a door of any shape, including non-standard options, and also give confidence in the quality of the finished product.

Thin steel on the front surface of finished metal doors is cut without much effort

Self-assembly of a metal door requires not only special equipment, but also certain skills. This is especially true for welding joints. To apply a seam of the required quality, you need skill and a certain dexterity. The cost compared to a factory door will be 30–35% lower, but the quality may be higher.

Metal door manufacturing technology

When making metal doors, the main emphasis is on reliability. This factor depends on:

door leaf and frame designs;
materials used;
installation quality.

Reliability also implies the strength and durability of the doors. Additional devices - closers and electronic eyes - make the operation of the structure more comfortable.

Varieties of door hinges and locking devices allow you to select the necessary components depending on the specific situation

All these innovations are also used for self-made doors. First of all, when drawing up a project, it is important to think through in detail all the elements included in the future design and select necessary materials. It is necessary to take into account technological sequence, the procedure for assembling, installing and finishing the door block.

Drawings for making a metal door with your own hands

To create a working drawing, you need to take measurements doorway. The sketch is drawn on paper at the selected scale. Using a tape measure, the width, height and depth of the opening are measured.

Doorway parameters: W-width, H-height, T-depth

There is a certain standard for metal doors. It is undesirable to make the dimensions of the door leaf more than 200x90 cm. This is due to the fact that the weight of the structure increases and, accordingly, the requirements for the quality (or quantity) of loops increase. If doorway larger, it is more advisable to install an additional top or side block. The top block is often equipped with glass inserts for additional lighting. The side can be hinged or blind.

The drawing must reflect in detail design features doors

All these nuances are reflected in the drawing. The dimensions of the box are usually taken into account the installation gap, which allows you to align the structure in the horizontal axis. It is subsequently filled with foam. To adjust the door position and eliminate distortions, a gap of 2.5–3 cm is sufficient.

To evenly distribute the weight of the door leaf onto the frame, 2 to 4 hinges are used. Awnings can be of indoor or outdoor design. External loops are used more often. The distance from the edge of the leaf to the hinges at the top and bottom is 15–20 cm. If the door is heavy and there is a need for additional suspension, one or two auxiliary hinges are installed between the main hinges. The exact location of the canopies is noted on the drawing, taking into account their own dimensions.

The support ball inside the sleeve softens the working stroke of the hinges

Any door is equipped with stiffening ribs. They are metal corners or pipes with a tetrahedral cross-section, located along, across or diagonally to the canvas. When placing them, two factors are taken into account:

location of the lock and door handle (for ease of installation, the stiffening ribs do not intersect with the location of the locks);
a method of insulating a door (since the heat-insulating material is attached in the recesses between the ribs).

The insulation is located between the door stiffeners

The drawing needs to show the exterior decoration of the door and the structural components necessary for this. For example, if one of the sides is planned to be covered with clapboard, wooden blocks are placed inside the canvas, to which the cladding is subsequently attached. If the sash is covered with paint or laminated film, there is no need to install bars, but more attention is paid to the plane of the canvas. The surface is thoroughly polished, eliminating metal leaks that form during welding.

Equipment and materials for making metal doors with your own hands

After the working sketches are completed, you need to prepare tools and materials. Here is the main list of equipment:

Electric drill with a set of metal drills. The sharpening angle of the drill should be 110–130°, tool steel, high strength, hardened. It is convenient to use a core to make a hole.
Using a core and a hammer, a metal drilling point is prepared
Screwdrivers or a screwdriver with a set of necessary attachments, including Phillips and flat slots.
Welding machine, preferably injector type. Electrodes with a rod thickness of at least 2 mm.
The power of the welding machine must correspond to the thickness of the metal of the door
Angle grinder (grinder) and cutting discs. You also need one scraping disc to remove metal deposits.
Vices and clamps for fixing structural elements during the assembly process. The solution of the working planes of the tool is selected based on the size of the workpieces.
The clamp securely holds the workpiece while working with it
Metal files with fine structure.
Workbench or sawhorses.
A mechanic's workbench simplifies and speeds up the assembly of a metal door
Tape measure, square, marker (or chalk) and other measuring tools.
Having a variety of tools speeds up the assembly process
Hydraulic level or laser level.

As for materials, the set will vary depending on the door design. Here is the list for a standard product:

Steel (frontal) sheet measuring 1x2 m. Thickness from 1.5 to 3 mm. Cold rolled steel is preferable as its strength is higher.
Metal corner, size 35x35 mm, number 6 linear meters. Other options are possible depending on the dimensions and design of the door frame.
The corner takes on the main load and does not allow the door leaf to deform
Profile pipe with a rectangular section 50x25 mm - 9 m. If the door is intended for utility room, use reinforcement that is welded to the canvas with inside. At the same time, the pitch of the stiffening ribs is reduced, and the crossbars are placed more often.
The size of the pipe must correspond to the thickness of the door leaf and insulation
Metal plates (thickness 2–3 mm and cross-section 400x40 mm) - 4 pcs. (for attaching the door frame to the walls of the opening).
Loops - from 2 to 4 pcs. Ball bearing supports are inserted into “advanced” models.
Bearings facilitate and prolong the operation of hinges
Anchor bolts, diameter from 10 to 12 mm.
Polyurethane foam with a low coefficient of expansion, quick-setting.
A special gun is used to direct foam into the gaps
Primer, anti-corrosion coating. Automotive primer has proven itself well.
Door furniture. Lock with escutcheons, handle, peephole, closer (the last two elements are optional). Locks are selected according to the functions of the door. Sometimes, to increase reliability, crossbar structures with three-sided fixation of the canvas are installed. Installing them is more difficult, but breaking such a door is much more difficult.
The deadbolt lock secures the door leaf on three sides

Step-by-step instructions for assembling a metal door

It is advisable to adhere to the following sequence of work:

Metal corners are cut to specified sizes. The blanks are laid out on the workbench in a rectangle in the shape of the door frame. Control is carried out with a plumber's square and tape measure. All parts of the structure must be perpendicular to each other. The lengths of the diagonals can differ by no more than 1.5–2 mm. The permissible error in frame height is 2 mm. It is recommended to connect the corners to each other at an angle of 45 degrees.
Plates are immediately welded to the frame, which will attach it to the wall.
The composite structure is welded. First, “potholders” are placed in all corners. Final measurements are being carried out. If all dimensions correspond to the working drawing, the box is finally welded. For convenience, clamps are used. Corner seams are processed with a grinder.
Welding work should be carried out in a well-ventilated area or outdoors.
When the door frame is ready, the exact dimensions of the door leaf are measured (based not on the drawing, but on the specific dimensions of the frame). 10 mm is subtracted from all sides. To make a sash, a corner is cut, and a corner is made at the location where the lock is installed. longitudinal hole. The grinding disc on the grinder is replaced with a cutting disc of the required thickness.
Inside the metal profile are placed wooden slats. With their help, future door finishing work is simplified.
In order to weld the hinges, the frame of the door leaf is inserted into the corners of the frame. The location of the canopies must be accurately measured and secured with clamps.
Before fixing the hinges, you need to mount the frame of the door leaf
The remaining sash profiles are installed if the frame of the door leaf is congruent with the frame (minus technological gaps) and the loops work in the desired mode.
A prepared metal sheet is welded onto the canvas frame. It is cut to size in such a way that there is 1 cm on each side of the flap, and 1.5 cm on the lock side. Before welding, fitting is carried out by placing the plate on the frame. If the calculated dimensions are met, the structure is turned over and the connections begin to be welded sequentially.
The metal sheet is welded to the frame from the inside
First of all, part of the sheet is attached to the hinges (from the inside). Then the canvas is scalded around the entire perimeter.
The porch is being installed. To do this, a cover strip is attached to the inside of the sash with two seams.
The narthex ensures the security of the door
On the inner plane of the canvas, stiffening ribs consisting of profile pipes are installed and secured.
Forging is carried out and the seams are cleaned of slag. The reliability of welded joints is checked. All irregularities need to be smoothed out. After this, the structure is coated with an anti-corrosion primer. Drying time is 24 hours.
Seams are cleaned using corner grinding machine and a file
The lock and strike plate are installed, then door knob and the rest auxiliary fittings. When installing components, it is recommended to follow the instructions in accompanying documents products.
Insulation, sound insulation, and decoration of the outer and inner surfaces of the door leaf are carried out.

A metal door is a means of securing your home, so it is reasonable to take precautions when making it. Grinder, hammer drill, welding - these useful tools if handled carelessly, they become dangerous to human health and life. The use of personal protective equipment - a respirator, a welder's mask, mittens, etc. - is a natural norm of work; it is unwise to forget about it. In addition, a fire extinguisher and a bucket of sand are required in the welding area.

Video: how to cook loops

Thermal insulation of a metal door

During the cold period, ice, drops of water or frost sometimes appear on metal doors. This indicates that the structure is freezing. Warm air indoors falls on metal surface and cools down sharply. As a result, condensation forms, which either drains or freezes and turns into ice. To prevent this from happening, the door leaf is insulated. Previously, they used synthetic winterizer or dermantin, but this did not bring effective results. Today the arsenal of insulation materials includes:

Styrofoam;
mineral and basalt wool;
polyurethane.

Styrofoam

It is considered very good insulation, since it contains 98% air, “sealed” in plastic bubbles. The advantages include ease of installation, low price and absolute resistance to corrosion. Most industrially manufactured doors are equipped with foam plastic or its modification - penoplex. Except thermal insulation properties, the material has good sound absorption. Disadvantages include fusibility and release large quantity toxic gases during combustion and heating. Therefore, it is not recommended for installation directly in residential premises. The ideal location is the entrance doors of garages, warehouses, multi-story buildings.

Polystyrene foam reduces the thermal conductivity of metal doors in garages and utility rooms

Video: insulating a garage door with foam plastic

This category includes basalt and glass wool. They differ in the source raw materials - basalt is made from rocks, and glass wool is made from sand and glass, stretched into thin long fibers. There is no noticeable difference in thermal insulation properties, but glass wool is more environmentally friendly. Both materials are characterized by high fire safety and ease of installation.

When laying mineral wool inside metal doors, certain rules must be followed. For example, you cannot crumple mats between the stiffening ribs - this reduces the thermal insulation characteristics. The material must be cut with an accuracy of 1–2 mm.

Mineral insulation is available both in the form of mats and in the form of rolls of various thicknesses

A significant disadvantage of mineral wool for insulating a metal door is its hygroscopicity. The fact is that with a large difference in air temperatures on both sides of the door, the dew point shifts into the inner space of the door leaf. This leads to the fact that condensed excess moisture is immediately absorbed by the fibers. Over time, water accumulates and the thermal insulation characteristics decrease to 80%. This scenario can be avoided by using an additional vapor barrier film, which is attached over the entire area of the sash. A hydrobarrier neutralizes the effect of moisture accumulation, but there is no complete guarantee. It is for this reason that insulation mineral wool recommended for doors that are not exposed to significant temperature changes. For example, at the entrance to an apartment.

Video: insulating a metal door with mineral wool

Polyurethane, or inflatable insulation

Quite expensive, but effective technology. Internal cavity door leaf filled with polyurethane foam. Cured polyurethane is a synthetic substance that is not subject to corrosion and is an excellent heat insulator. The difficulty is that for inflation you need special industrial equipment that combines a diffuser and a compressor. But using foam from household spray cans is too expensive.

The polyurethane coating is not afraid of water and is a hard, sealed layer

Regardless of the chosen material, preparation for insulation consists of planning the locations of the stiffeners. Experts recommend placing them in such a way that the insulation is securely held inside the sash without additional fastening. That is, the crossbars are placed not only vertically or horizontally, but they are also combined so that the insulation does not sag over time.

The cotton wool is placed tightly between the stiffening ribs inside the door leaf

Stages of installing insulation on the door leaf

Experts advise installing insulation in doors that are in a horizontal position - on a table or trestle. The key to successful thermal insulation is careful laying of the entire surface and minimization of gaps. The process is performed before sewing up the inside of the fabric:

The dimensions of the frame cell are measured.
Insulation blanks are cut out with an error of maximum 2 mm (in the larger direction).
The material is placed in the sash:
- if polystyrene foam is used as insulation, several points (4–5) of liquid nails are applied to the surface of the workpiece, the resulting cracks are leveled with polyurethane foam;
- when insulating with mineral wool, a waterproofing film is first laid over the entire area of the door, with a release (reserve), then the insulation is laid out and covered with another layer of film, the edges of which are rolled up into a single “cocoon”, only after that the door is sewn up from the outside (to enhance the impenetrability air, the edges of the membrane are carefully taped).

Video: how to insulate a metal door with foam plastic

Insulation of the door frame

For good insulation, it is necessary to insulate the door frame. The method depends on the design of the frame, which may consist of an all-metal frame or a hollow profile. This is not difficult to do. Polyurethane is poured inside the profile polyurethane foam from a household spray can. If necessary, holes are drilled on the surface along the diameter of the tube into which polyurethane is blown. It fills all free space.

The internal cavity of the frame is filled with foam

It will not be possible to insulate an all-metal frame in this way, so you need to carefully treat the gap between the frame and the doorway with foam.

An innovative means of insulating a metal door is the insulating paint of the “Akterm” series, produced on the basis of modern nanotechnology. The composition includes microscopic ceramic balls (several microns in size). A 1 mm layer of paint is equivalent in its thermal insulation characteristics to 5 cm of polystyrene foam. The disadvantage is the rather high price and difficult application of the composition to the metal surface.

Video: insulating door frames with mineral wool

Soundproofing a metal door

An important property of an entrance door is its ability to contain noise from outside. Metal doesn't help in this regard. On the contrary, it enhances sounds. Therefore, the door is supplemented with special internal and external coatings that reduce the level of penetrating noise.

External covering

This is done using sound-absorbing and vibration-proofing materials. These include:

polystyrene;
vibroplast;
bitoplast;
bimast.

This synthetic coatings, are a canvas that actively dampens any sounds and vibrations.

Sound-absorbing materials consist of several layers of different densities

The work order is as follows:

The material must be spread over the surface to be insulated and smoothed. Some types are equipped with an adhesive layer; it is enough to free them from protective film and press it against the plane of the door.
For others, you need to first clean and degrease the canvas. Then evenly distribute the waterproof glue, cover the surface with the material and wait until it dries completely. It is advisable to paste both from the outside and from the inside.

Installation of seal

The product is simple but effective. Previously, felt was used as a sealant; today there is a wide range of ready-made rubber and caoutchouc products. There are no installation difficulties, you just need to remove the protective covering and carefully stick the profiled strip along the perimeter of the sash. Its width should not be more than 25% of the size of the door frame support strip. The thickness is chosen in such a way that in a compressed state (at behind closed doors) the seal was reduced by half.

The seal consists of rubber tubes of a special section

Metal door finishing

The exterior decoration of the door performs two important tasks. Hides the unsightly appearance of bare metal and protects the canvas from exposure to adverse factors. It is especially important to protect the steel surface from excessive moisture, as this can cause corrosion.

Choice finishing materials huge. But the most popular are:

MDF panels;
leather vinyl;
solid wood.

Microwood fiber (MDF) is a mixture of wood and carbide chips, compressed under high temperature and pressure. The material retains the color, texture and tactility of wood, but is not inferior to plastic in strength and elasticity. The big advantage of MDF panels is their low price. However, this type of finishing belongs to the “premium” class and, from an aesthetic point of view, is not inferior to natural solid wood.

An entrance door finished with MDF is difficult to distinguish from natural wood

Professionals also note a number of other advantages of MDF:

high heat and sound insulation;
increased fire resistance, fire safety;
combination of high strength and ease of processing;
resistance to the influence of biological factors: mold, mildew, dampness;
environmentally friendly, the boards do not contain toxic and harmful chemicals.

In retail chains you can find four types of MDF panels:

painted with RAL dye;
coated with a polymer-based composition;
laminated panels;
veneered products.

In addition to sheet products, there is a wide range of additional decorative elements doors - platbands, extensions, etc.

Leather vinyl - view exterior finishing, made from artificial materials imitating natural leather. This group also includes vinyl artificial leather and dermantine. If the covering technology and operation are followed, the cladding retains its properties for a long time. Kozhvinil is the champion among inexpensive ways protecting doors from noise and hypothermia. Easy to clean with regular cleaning products.

Disadvantages include the flammability of the material and vulnerability to vandalism. It is customary to drape a door in this way in interior spaces. Contact with open air and direct sunlight quickly leads to loss of color and gloss of the coating.

One of the solutions for finishing a metal door in the middle price range is covering the door with anti-vandal film. This wonderful product is not produced in Russia, so its price is high. The most popular is the film from Israel from Vinorit. PVC coating has a variety of colors, textures and thicknesses. Resistant to ultraviolet radiation, mechanical damage and fire.

Natural solid wood is the most expensive type of finish for iron doors. The overlay panel is made by gluing wood lumber and their further processing: grinding, milling, polishing, etc. Expensive wood species are used for production - oak, beech, mahogany, alder, ash. As a rule, the form of release of a solid wood panel is an overlay with a thickness of 18 mm. This allows you to inlay the surface with various “subjects”. Often the outer metal cladding imitates the paneled structure of the sash. It is possible to apply ornaments, drawings and other decorative elements. In the factory, wood is not only coated with paint or varnish, but also impregnated with special compounds, thanks to which the material becomes resistant to the adverse effects of the atmosphere, does not dry out and almost does not burn.

Solid wood compares favorably with other finishing materials:

elegance of appearance;
absolute naturalness and environmental friendliness;
durability;
increased performance in terms of thermal insulation and sound absorption;
possibility of restoration.

Oak flooring only becomes more beautiful over the years

The entrance metal door, lined with natural wood, is a symbol of respectability. Most often found in expensive restaurants, five-star hotels, reputable organizations and offices of large companies.