How to insulate a Chinese iron front door for the winter

The popularity of Chinese metal doors on the Russian market of entrance structures can be explained quite simply. The fact is that such products have a cost that is much lower than the price of products of domestic enterprises. However, quite often this way of saving is achieved due to a significant decrease in the level of operational and technical characteristics of the steel structure, as a result of which it is often necessary to insulate the Chinese front door. For this, several options for performing work are used, and the choice of a particular one largely depends on the design features of the products.

Types and design features of Chinese entrance doors

Distinctive features of Chinese-made entrance doors are the small thickness of the metal used and the absence of any insulation inside. Iron does not have thermal insulation properties, therefore, it necessarily requires additional insulation. It is not in the Chinese version. In this regard, when buying, immediately think over a further increase in thermal insulation.

Cheap doors usually need insulation immediately after purchase.

There are two types of Chinese metal doors:

• one-piece type - in them the metal layer (sheathing) is connected to the frame by welding;
• detachable type - fastening the frame and sheathing, if it is done, then with self-tapping screws. This design will not cause any particular difficulties during insulation work.

A photo

Below is a number of photos, from which you can visually familiarize yourself with other details of the metal door insulation:

The door plays one of the main roles in the house, because the reliability and strength of the door is the guarantee of the safety of the house. But also, in addition to the reliability of the door, you need to remember that in winter, if the door is not sufficiently insulated, cold air currents can pass through it, therefore, insulating a house is also a very important process. How to insulate a Chinese iron entrance role is probably of interest to all apartment owners, especially owners of private houses. What materials are used by manufacturers of Chinese doors for insulation Whatever materials are used to insulate doors, they will always be mounted between the frame and the sheathing sheet. Most often, manufacturers of Chinese doors for insulating these doors use materials such as expanded polystyrene, felt, mineral wool and many others.

At the present time, mounting foam has also begun to be used very actively as a material for insulating doors. Some Chinese door manufacturers also use concrete or pine sawdust to insulate doors from time to time. The main thing is that all these materials are united by the fact that they all must completely fill the space between the extensive sheet and the frame, in order to thus generally not give access to this void for air. Corrugated board

- this is generally one of the most popular materials for insulation, but this material will not be able to cope even with slight frosts. How to insulate a Chinese iron front door with your own hands and is it generally possible is a rather curious question. Photo of corrugated board below:

Yes, you can do it yourself and it is done as follows.In order to insulate a Chinese-made door, you first need to select the appropriate material with a thickness of approximately 2 centimeters. A metal sheet can be used as additional insulation. Before you start making insulation, you will need to remove the door from the hinges, and then lay them on a flat surface. After that, it will be necessary to completely remove all the accessories from the doors. The door upholstery begins to be made along the edges of the door.

They exclude the possibility of drafts, since they will completely close the gaps that are formed between the frame and the door. Then, from the material for the upholstery, you will need to cut out the corresponding strips, usually 14 centimeters in size.

These strips will need to be attached face down to the edge of the door. You will also need to indent from the edge of the door by 1.5 centimeters. Then it will be necessary to make rollers from mineral wool, which will have a thickness of about 3 cm. They will need to be laid on the already nailed strips of dermantin, after which the strip should be completely rotated and attached to the edge of the door.

After all this is done, the door will be properly insulated and will be able to withstand severe frosts.

And also you can watch a video on how to insulate the front door

Due to its low cost, Chinese front doors have become very common among the population. But one of their significant drawbacks is the lack of protection from cold and noise. Therefore, the owner himself has to create comfort and coziness.

Possible insulation options

The choice of material is an important point in improving thermal insulation. Do not forget that insulation is directly related to the quality, strength and performance of the material. The higher the numbers, the warmer and quieter your apartment.

Ordinary cotton wool is the most unsuccessful and rarely used insulation option. It's environmentally friendly, affordable in terms of price and delivery. However, in turn, it has great disadvantages - it is afraid of moisture, quickly absorbs water particles from the atmosphere and combustible.

Mineral wool insulation - needs additional waterproofing

Minvata, its varieties - the owner of high insulating performance, environmentally friendly material. However, it requires additional waste on the waterproofing layer. The hygroscopic structure facilitates the absorption of moisture from the outside.

Polyfoam, polystyrene foam, polystyrene foam - they are lightweight, have high technical characteristics and will reliably serve for many years. The best options as insulation, hydro and sound insulator. In addition, they are affordable and are not afraid of high humidity. They will last for more than a dozen years. The only negative is that it undergoes mechanical damage, the structure is broken and can crumble. Therefore, it is recommended to close the seal from above with a layer of hardboard or MDF panel.

Material selection

There are several types of insulation for insulating a Chinese door. Most often used:

1. Liquid. These include polystyrene, penoplex. They are easy to install and affordable. This is the best option for a country house or summer cottage.
2. Soft. Among them are glass wool, mineral wool. It is an environmentally friendly and fire resistant material. Designed for front doors in apartments and small spaces.
3. Inflatable. For example, polyurethane foam. The main difference is the high cost and decent quality.

It is also worth considering additional materials and tools for insulation.

One-piece door insulation technology

There are several ways to improve the thermal insulation properties of a one-piece door type:

• Internal filling with liquid insulation is a great option, but keep in mind that with leaking seams, this material will be outside.The appearance at the door will spoil a little, and in this case it is impossible to guarantee the absence of voids inside. There is nothing complicated - just the inner cavity is filled with material;
• one-piece door can be insulated by attaching the insulation to the surface of the case on the inside. Of course, the appearance of the door from the inside will change, it will become many times thicker, but also warmer.

Expanded polystyrene is an excellent insulation option

The insulation technique consists in the following sequence of actions:

1. Remove the hardware from the inner surface.
2. Fasten wooden planks around the perimeter of the door with metal screws. The thickness of the plank is identical to the thickness of the selected foam, and the width is 25-30 mm.
3. Pre-punch holes in the metal. They should be slightly smaller in diameter than the diameter of the fastening screws.
4. Screw in the screws, pushing them in a little. Grind the screw-in places with sandpaper, putty and paint over with enamel. This will prevent corrosion.
5. Place the foam sheets in the resulting space.
6. From above, close the insulation around the entire perimeter with a solid sheet of plexiglass, MDF plywood.
7. Install new fittings according to the changed dimensions.
8. Correct the slopes around the door frame if necessary.

Insulation of a metal door

What to do with a one-piece canvas?

Of course, it would be nice if the Chinese-made iron door was initially insulated. Since this makes the final product more expensive, it is customary for us to take the economy version and improve it according to our abilities. In the case when the entrance door structure has one-piece panels, you need to get ready to change the inner appearance of the canvas and make a new overlay. But first things first:

1. The door completely gets rid of the fittings located on the inside.
2. An additional frame is made, as in the photo. For this, wooden strips are fixed along the entire inner contour of the canvas with self-tapping screws for metal, the width of which should be similar to the width of the insulation. It will be better if the holes for the self-tapping screws are prepared in advance in the metal base, and their diameter will be slightly smaller than the circumference of the fasteners themselves. At this stage, it is recommended to fasten several transverse slats, and all wooden elements should be pulled as tightly as possible to the metal base.
3. Self-tapping screws must be screwed in with a recess in the wood, the fixation points must be sealed with wood putty, after which all wooden parts must be painted or varnished.
4. Then the Chinese door is filled with the selected insulation, which it is desirable not only to press well and squeeze into the newly created frame, but also to fix it with glue like "Dragon".
5. All this is covered with a sheet of fiberboard of the required dimensions, which, again, is attached with self-tapping screws or even nails to wooden planks.
6. Foam rubber is applied on top, on which high-quality leatherette is stretched. The latter is attached with specific studs with decorative or hidden caps. The whole process can be tracked in more detail in the video.
7. Since after such insulation of the door leaf it becomes much wider, it is important to buy the appropriate fittings.

At the final stage, it is important to fill with polyurethane foam all cavities and gaps found between the box and the wall. After it dries, everything is unnecessarily cut off with a sharp clerical knife, and the junction is sealed with putty or cement.

Alternative ways

If you decide to protect a private house with a Chinese door, try to make sure that all its seams are tight. Then it will be possible to insulate the structure by filling the internal cavities with vermiculite or perlite.

Related article: How to hide uneven walls with the right wallpaper
And one more thing: do not rush to get rid of the ancient entrance canvas.Try living with two doors with an air cushion between them. It has excellent sound and heat insulating abilities, and is quite capable of replacing the hundredth with its own insulation and keeping the metal sheet from freezing.

The procedure for insulating a split door

The principle of insulation, sound insulation of a split-type door is identical to a one-piece door. But first remove the metal sheathing. There are stiffeners inside the structure, and lay the insulation in them.

Advice. For the convenience of subsequent work, the sheet of insulation can be attached to the metal using "liquid nails".

When the interior is completely filled with foam, instead of metal sheathing, use the same size MDF or hardboard panel. You can attach them using self-tapping screws along the entire perimeter.

Fix several self-tapping screws on the stiffeners (3-4 screws along the entire length of the rib). If it is impossible to fix on the edge itself, use the corners pre-attached to them.

Insulation of a metal door with foam

Work execution technology

To carry out the insulation process of a standard metal structure, you will need to act in several stages:

1. Initially, it is necessary to measure the dimensions of your door along with the profile. Please note that the fiberboard sheet, which is intended for sheathing the door frame from the inside, must completely hide the profile of the structure. After the measurements have been taken and the sheet is cut according to the measurements, mark and cut out the holes for the peephole and keyhole;
2. Using foam panels cut to the required size, fill in the gap equal to the thickness of the frame profile by fixing them to the metal surface with silicone glue;
3. Fix the prepared fiberboard sheet on top using special screws screwed into the metal profile through the fiberboard. Make sure that the screws are evenly spaced across the entire surface. Then process the edges of the sheets using a knife and sandpaper;
4. After finishing processing the door leaf, glue it with a sealant (foam rubber). To do this, fix the material on the frame, after removing the protective film from it.

This completes the insulation work, and you can enjoy the acquired silence and warmth of your apartment thanks to the insulated iron door.

If you have Chinese doors installed, then over time they will also need to be insulated. Although some perform their insulation immediately after purchase. Below we offer you detailed instructions on how to carry out insulation work:

1. The first step is to disassemble the door structure. So, on one side, completely remove the fittings and, if any, upholstery.
2. If, when dismantling the facing sheet, it was not possible to preserve its integrity, then it's not scary. It can be replaced with a sheet of fiberboard. Thanks to this, you will save time during assembly by choosing an intricate configuration of a Chinese bolt or other part.
3. Further along the perimeter of the door, install a wooden frame, fixing it to the canvas with self-tapping screws for metal. The thickness of the slats can be up to 20 mm, equal to the thickness of the foam.
4. Now fill the entire space inside the rack structure with foam. For this work, it is recommended to use a special glue that will not deform the foam. Thanks to gluing, the foam will not dangle inside the door and, accordingly, crumble. Also, the gaps between the insulation are filled with glue.

1. When choosing polystyrene, give preference to the material that has a high density. And given that the price of this insulation is low, it will be possible to buy it for everyone.
2. As we have already said, the door frame will be sewn up with fiberboard sheets. The fiberboard sheet is fixed to the metal with self-tapping screws.It is recommended to use clamps for this work. To make it easier to unscrew the screws in the future, it is advised to drill a hole in the frame beforehand.
3. As in the foam, and in the fiberboard, make the appropriate holes for the peephole, door lock and other door elements.
4. After preparing the fiberboard and gluing the foam, cover the foam rubber on top and cover it with the final sheathing (fiberboard). In this case, the thickness of the foam rubber should be such that the fiberboard sheet can be fixed without much effort.
5. Finally, cover the surface with leather or other finishing material. For beauty, you can also put foam rubber under the upholstery and, having thought over the figure, hammer in carnations with a decorative hat.
6. Now you can install the hardware and hang the doors on the hinges.

Due to the increased thickness of the door after it has been insulated, you may need to replace the door lock or handles. Think about it before starting work, otherwise you will have to sleep with open doors!

Insulation of doors along the inner perimeter

The final stage is door insulation from the inside along the entire perimeter. Use polyurethane foam and rubberized insulation as a material.

First, remove the platbands and fill the inner cavity evenly with polyurethane foam. Please note that polyurethane foam tends to expand 3 times. A few days after complete hardening, cut off the excess, protruding foam residues with a knife. Fasten the trims in place.

Get rid of gaps, gaps between the frame and the door using rubberized insulation tape glued to the door frame. Check that it does not make it difficult to open, close the door.

You can insulate the door frame around the perimeter with a seal

So, the process of warming has come to an end. There is no particular difficulty in performing the work. Therefore, there is no need to worry about possible failure. The knowledge gained will help you simply and quickly insulate a metal entrance door without outside help.

Output

Installing and insulating a Chinese door yourself is a great way to save money.

At the same time, having correctly performed each described action, you do not lose anything in quality for a low price. The materials needed for work are available in every home and do not require special training.

Metal entrance doors, made by the hands of hardworking Chinese, have firmly settled in the apartments and houses of domestic citizens. And it is not surprising, because their price, relatively good workmanship and variety of appearance invariably attracts and lures people. Unfortunately, such structures have one significant drawback - the absence of a solid layer of insulation, which is unacceptable in our climatic conditions.

We insulate the Chinese door

As usual, craftsmen quickly found their way around the situation, and found ways of how to insulate a Chinese door leaf in order to keep the precious warmth in the house. It turns out that with a minimal set of devices and skills in handling them, it is quite possible to make a real wall out of the budget door, through which not a single draft will pass. Sounds tempting, doesn't it?

This article offers options for how you can insulate detachable and one-piece entrance canvases from China with your own hands.

Warming and sound insulation of a metal door - video