How to insulate an iron door

19-02-2018

Useful

The iron door serves not only as a reliable protection against unauthorized persons entering the apartment, but also prevents the penetration of cold air and noise. The ideal option is an iron door, the kit of which already includes material for insulation.

However, there are cases when inexperienced customers purchase a structure with a poor thermal insulation system, or else they specifically buy such a door in order to save financial resources. In such a situation it is necessary to self-insulate the door.

In this article we will explain how to insulate the iron front door with your own hands, consider the Chinese door option, and also give photos and video instructions.

Methods

On the Russian construction market there are special fillers designed specifically for insulating door structures. Today, the following types of material for insulation are very popular:

slabs of building mineral wool;
basalt wool as a filler;
warming foam rubber.

Each metal door should be equipped with a rubberized or foam seal. It is necessary for additional noise insulation when closing and preventing the penetration of cold air into the apartment from the outside.

In addition, a good result in noise protection is the treatment of all the gaps and gaps using assembly foam. In this case, similar functions with insulation are assigned to the assembly foam.

Materials required for work

The role of the basic structure of the door is played by a metal frame made of any profile material lined with an iron sheet on the outside. This kind of door can guarantee protection against burglary, but it cannot protect your home from cold air currents and other sounds.

To insulate the iron door, it is necessary to make a choice in favor of foam panels, whose thickness is equal to the width of the frame profile. In addition to the panels themselves, you need to purchase additional materials:

self-adhesive sealing foam;
sandpaper;
self-adhesive film;
wood fiber boards;
sealant.

You will also need the following tools to do the job:

jigsaw;
electric drill;
screwdrivers;
sharp cutter;
pencil, ruler, measuring tape.

Work performance technology

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

Initially, it is necessary to measure the dimensions of its door along with the profile. Consider that the MDF sheet, which is intended for covering the door frame from the inside, must completely hide the profile of the structure. After the measurements have been made and the sheet has been cut out according to the measurements, mark and cut out the holes for the eye and the keyhole;
Using foam panels cut to size, fill the gap equal to the thickness of the frame profile by fixing them on the metal surface with silicone glue;
Over the top, secure the harvested fiberboard sheet using special screws, twisted into a metal profile through fiberboard. Make sure that the screws are located at an equal distance over the entire surface. Then process the edges of the sheets using a knife and sandpaper;
Having finished 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 warming work is completed, and you can enjoy the acquired peace and warmth of your apartment, thanks to the insulated iron door.

Chinese door insulation

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

The first step is to disassemble the door structure. So, from one side completely remove the fittings and, if available, the upholstery.
If during the dismantling of the facing fabric to preserve its integrity did not work, then it is not scary. It can be replaced with a sheet of fiberboard. With this, you will save time when assembling, selecting the convoluted configuration of the Chinese bolt or other parts.
Further along the perimeter of the door you install a wooden frame, securing it to the canvas with metal screws. The thickness of the rails can be up to 20 mm, equaling the thickness of the foam.
Now all the space inside the rack structure is filled with foam. For this work, it is recommended to use a special adhesive that will not deform the foam. Due to gluing, the foam will not hang inside the door and crumble accordingly. Also glue filled the gap between the insulation.

Choosing foam, give preference to the material that has a higher density. And given that the price of this heater is low, it will be possible to buy it for everyone.
As we have said, the frame of the door will be stitched with sheets of hardboard. A sheet of hardboard is fastened to the metal with screws. In this work, it is recommended to use clamps. To make it easier to unscrew the screws in the future, it is advised to pre-drill a hole in the frame.
As in the foam, and in fiberboard perform the corresponding holes for the peephole, door lock and other elements of the door.
After preparing the fiberboard and gluing the foam, the top is covered with foam rubber and covered with its final skin (HDF). In this case, the thickness of the foam should be such that the sheet of hardboard can be fixed with little effort.
Finally, the surface is covered with leather or other finishing material. For beauty, you can also put foam rubber under the upholstery and, having thought through the figure, hammer carnations with a decorative hat.
Now you can install the hardware and hang the doors on the hinges.

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

Video

In addition to the above material, watch the video on how to insulate the door frame:

A photo

Below are a number of photographs from which you can visually familiarize yourself with other details of the insulation of a metal door: