The better way to insulate the door frame of a metal door. How to insulate a metal door: choice of material and insulation methods. How to insulate an iron entrance door with your own hands

In winter, during severe frosts, ice, frost or condensation may appear on the inner surface of the door - this indicates freezing of the metal entrance door. What to do in such a situation? The difference in temperature outside and indoors leads to such consequences and indicates poor thermal insulation of the door. Therefore, let’s consider in detail how to insulate metal door in a private house and apartment.

Metal by itself cannot serve as a heat insulator, i.e. it has a high thermal conductivity coefficient. Honeycomb cardboard, which is used to fill most cheap ones, e.g. Chinese doors also fails to cope with the function assigned to it. Yes, and it does not have such a task; it is designed to reduce the weight of a metal door.

In rare cases, the cavity of the door leaf is filled with insulation, but it is impossible to check its presence in doors in the middle price range, so you have to take the seller’s word for it, and then think about how to insulate iron door with your own hands.

It's obvious that simple ways Like sticking a seal around the perimeter of the door leaf can do little to help in this situation. A more serious approach is required here, in particular, to insulate the entrance metal door in accordance with all the rules for carrying out thermal insulation work.

Do-it-yourself insulation of a metal entrance door

The process begins with choosing the optimal thermal insulation material, on which the effectiveness of insulation and its duration depend.

How to insulate a metal door

• penofol. Thanks to the reflective ability of the foil layer, it retains almost all the heat in the room. Used only as additional material;

• rigid insulation. These include polystyrene foam and expanded polystyrene (penoplex). Their advantage is ease of installation and relatively low price. Since it is not hygroscopic, it does not require additional films. This is the only suitable option for installation in a cottage, country or rural house. After all, in in this case the door serves as a barrier to low temperatures and wind, which is not observed in apartment buildings, where the door opens into the entrance.

Note. When choosing thermal insulation material, give preference to penoplex (expanded polystyrene). It is an order of magnitude denser than polystyrene foam and will provide the door with much more effective insulation.

• soft insulation. This category includes glass wool and mineral (basalt) wool. Their difference is only in the raw materials; in terms of their thermal insulation characteristics, they are not very different. Mineral wool is distinguished by its environmental friendliness, fire safety, and the ability to vary the installation height without additional trimming.

Cotton wool is sold in rolls or sheets, which makes it possible to cut blanks of the required sizes from it and place them in cells formed by the stiffening ribs of the door itself. To ensure the required height (thickness of insulation), simply press down the material (press cotton wool), thermal insulation properties will not be harmed.

But cotton wool has a drawback that prevents it from being recommended for installation in iron doors for private homes. Because With different sides the doors work different temperatures, and sometimes the difference is up to 40°C (-15 outside and +25 in the house). This leads to a shift of the dew point inside the insulation, and the wool gets wet. The effect can be neutralized by installing a hydrobarrier film. But, nevertheless, professionals do not recommend insulating an iron door with cotton wool in a private house. It can become an acceptable option only if the entrance door to the apartment is insulated, since in this case it is so big difference no in temperatures (it’s much warmer in the entrance than outside).

• inflatable insulation. Presented with polyurethane foam. Spraying makes it possible to fill all the cracks, but has a high price.

Thermal insulation of luxury metal doors is carried out using three types of materials: foam plastic (main material), penofol (additional), polyurethane foam (filling the voids of the stiffeners and frames).

Note: a set of materials, which can be found in stores, for insulation outer door made of metal is of little use, because They use dermantin, foam rubber or synthetic winterizer as insulation.

Additional materials for door insulation

• liquid nails, hardware, polyurethane foam - when insulating with rigid insulation;

• hydrobarrier film, vapor barrier, adhesive tape - when soft;

• fiberboard sheet, plywood, OSB (for cladding, if door leaf non-removable);

• decorative material for finishing: dermantin, MDF panels or plastic panels;

• seal (rubber, silicone).

Tools you will need: tape measure, drill, jigsaw, screwdriver, pencil, stationery knife.

Note. When working with glass wool, you need to take care to protect your respiratory tract, hands and eyes (respirator, gloves, goggles).

Frame structure inside the door (stiffening ribs)

After the door leaf is disassembled, it may turn out that there are no stiffeners in the door cavity, then they will need to be made.

For this, a metal profile or corner with dimensions corresponding to the thickness of the door is used. Its widespread use is due to the fact that it is easier to weld metal to the metal surface of the door.

However, many masters agree that it is better to use wooden beam, because Wood has lower thermal conductivity. The difficulty when working with timber is that it is difficult to secure it securely enough without damaging it. front layer door leaf.

How to insulate a metal entrance door in a private house

The technology for insulating a steel door from the inside will be described in several stages, in the form step by step instructions so that even without experience in construction you can do the work yourself.

• the door leaf is removed from the hinges. Masters are able to perform work “by weight”, but for a beginner this can cause difficulties;

• all overhead elements are dismantled. These include: lock lining, handle, peephole;

• The casing on one side is dismantled. If the door is collapsible, i.e. it can be opened without disturbing one of the layers, then the dismantled plane of the door is set aside and then put in place. Otherwise, one of the sides of the door (usually the inside) is cut off and subsequently replaced with a sheet of chipboard and finishing material;

Note. When planning to insulate a Chinese metal door, be prepared for the fact that it will not be possible to disassemble it. You just have to cut one of the front sides of the canvas and replace it later with an overlay made from a sheet of chipboard.

• If there are stiffening ribs inside the door cavity, you can begin laying insulation. Otherwise, you need to take care of their arrangement;

• formation of internal sheathing. To do this, first make a frame to which the stiffeners are mounted. The metal profile is welded, and the beam is fastened with hardware so that the integrity of the front covering of the door is not compromised.

Advice. It is not recommended to make only longitudinal or transverse frame cells; it is advisable to use a combination of them. Especially if we're talking about about insulation with soft insulation materials, which tend to settle (fall down) during operation.

• Insulation is placed in the cells of the frame. When laying, you need to ensure that it completely fills the entire space of the cell, while corresponding to its height;

• When insulating with foam plastic, it is cut into blanks of the required size, liquid nails are applied to the blank and glued to the surface of the door. If there are gaps, it is recommended to fill them polyurethane foam;

How to insulate a metal door with polystyrene foam - video

• when insulating with cotton wool, work begins with laying the film, which should occupy the entire inner surface of the door and extend beyond it by 150-200 mm. Next, the cotton wool is cut into pieces of 10-15 mm. larger than the size of the cell (expanding a little, the cotton wool will easily fill them) and placed in the cells. Then the cotton wool is covered with a second layer of film, and the folds from the bottom layer of film are wrapped on upper layer films and sealed with tape. Thus, the cotton wool turns out to be in a case, which will become reliable protection from moisture.

Note. If the cotton wool is not protected, it will get wet and conduct heat; in addition, it will come into contact with the inner surface of the door. And constant exposure to moisture on metal will sooner or later cause it to rust. Moreover, the average door does not have internal corrosion protection.

• the insulation is covered with penofol (if the door is facing the room) with a reflective layer into the room;

• if the door leaf is disassembled without problems, then the second removable part is installed in place, and the insulation of the metal door can be considered complete. But often, it is necessary to prepare a covering sheet that will replace the panel removed from one side of the door.

For these purposes, chipboard or plywood is used. To prepare the workpiece you need:

• transfer the dimensions of the door leaf, including the peephole and lock, onto the sheet;

• cut out a template;

• screw the sheet to the door frame with self-tapping screws;

• eliminate irregularities, protruding edges, and also grind off the edges of the sheet a little.

Note. Fastening cladding panel performed from bottom to top. This way it will level out as you screw it in.

• last executed decorative upholstery or door trim and installation of previously removed elements and fittings.

The result of all work will be an insulated metal door, which will reliably protect the premises from heat loss.

Now you can hang it back on the hinges and check the functionality of the handles and lock.

But it is worth noting that insulating a metal door only in the area of ​​the door leaf is a small part possible works on thermal insulation of doors.

One of the sources of heat loss is the door frame. In most cases, it is hollow, which means it transmits heat well.

Insulation of metal door frames

The door frame is insulated by blowing polyurethane foam inside metal profile. It's easy to do. It is enough to drill holes in the frame profile (not through holes) at a distance of 400-450 mm. Hole diameter equal to diameter tubes from a foam bottle. After this, the cylinder tube is inserted into the profile and the foam fills the free space.

Note. In the same way, you can insulate the metal stiffeners in the door cavity immediately after installing the frame.

Upholstery and insulation of an iron door - video

Additional insulation of the entrance metal door

In addition to the work performed, there are two more directions through which heat escapes outside (blowing from under the iron entrance door).

1. Through a loose fit of the door leaf to the frame. This problem can be eliminated by gluing a rubber seal around the perimeter of the door.
2. Through door slopes. In this case, you will have to dismantle the slopes and inspect the safety of the foam that was used when installing the door. Restore foam if necessary. Then make a new insulated slope.

All work on insulating street or apartment metal doors can be done independently. But if you are afraid of making a mistake, it is better to order the services of a master. The cost of his work will be from 1,500 rubles. (excluding material cost). And the final price will be determined taking into account the type of door, the complexity of dismantling one side of the door leaf, the presence of stiffeners, the type of seal and the type of finishing material.

However, the costs of insulating external doors made of metal are always justified, since they entail a significant reduction in heat loss through the doorway and avoid the appearance of condensation on the surface of the door, which leads to the destruction of the door leaf.

Tags: Doors, Entrance doors, Metal door, Insulation

The closer the cold weather comes, the more apartment owners worry about drafts and the temperature in their home. According to statistics, about 30 percent of heat energy is “lost” due to cracks and insufficient thermal insulation. The most problem areas - This windows and doors. The first ones are easy to figure out: metal-plastic windows with double glazed windows protect the apartment from drafts and frost. But how can you prevent cold from entering from the front door? This issue is especially relevant for those people who have metal doors installed. Everyone knows that metal has excellent thermal conductivity. This means that valuable heat disappears without a trace. And although an iron door protects your home from burglars and thieves much better than a wooden one, it cannot cope with frost. To improve insulation, you need to take care of insulating the front door.

What is needed to strengthen an iron entrance door?

The main problem that apartment and house owners face is that this task seems very difficult. In fact create additional layer on the already finished door there is enough Just. Even a person who does not often do this kind of thing can cope with this work. In addition, they are not needed for insulation special tools and materials. Everything you need can be found at your nearest hardware store. If you don’t know how to insulate an iron door, then prepare tools from this list.

• drill,
• pencil,
• screwdriver,
• electric jigsaw,
• roulette.

And, of course, to you will be required the following materials:

• Fibreboard, MDF or chipboard (depending on personal preference),
• sealant,
• insulation (expanded polystyrene, polystyrene foam or mineral wool),
• screws,
• polyurethane foam,
• liquid Nails.

How to insulate an iron door from the inside: instructions

Most easy way to create the house is warm and cozy atmosphere and get rid of the cold forever - insulate the door from the inside. First you need a metal door remove from hinges. It will be much easier and more convenient to do this work if the door is in a horizontal position. The metal sheet is always secured with self-tapping screws. Carefully unscrew them and examine them inner space. Using a tape measure and pencil take all measurements and write them down. This must be done in advance to prepare the heat insulation materials. Inside you will notice profile pipes, which divide the space into small cells. It is this design that makes the door durable. But you can drill small holes in the pipes to fill them with foam. Choose a drill, slightly thicker than the thickness of a foam canister tube. Then carefully lay out the pieces of heat-insulating material, pre-cut to fit the required form. Make sure that the lock and peephole remain freely accessible.

The insulation is best mounted on liquid Nails to ensure its immobility. But cracks formed between different pieces of material, you need seal with foam. Leave no gaps to achieve maximum effect.

After completing the rough work, you can begin finishing. The lining of even expensive doors is very often not made from a single sheet of fiberboard. We recommend replacing the questionable material with a new, thick sheet of fiberboard (do not forget to adjust it to the required dimensions). It is attached using ordinary screws.

And only after this can you begin the final assembly. A metal sheet returns to its place and secured with self-tapping screws. Then carefully examine the resulting door. All possible cracks need to be sealed.

How to insulate an iron entrance door with your own hands?

But it is not always possible to insulate the door from the inside. In this case, care must be taken to conserve heat energy another way. Insulation is not attached inside, but outside. How to do it? After all, this part does not provide recesses for laying insulating materials.

This method will require a little more time and effort. You need to start with manufacturing special door frames. Remove the door itself from its hinges and carefully measure its sides. The frame will require regular wooden slats . They must be smooth (curved and deformed will not work). It is advisable to use materials with a thickness of about 20 millimeters and a width of no more than 30 millimeters.

Created wooden frame should go along the perimeter of the door itself. Increase strength designs will help cross slats. It can be secured using ordinary self-tapping screws. This way you create an internal cavity yourself. You can fill foam or mineral wool. It is best to attach the insulation to the same liquid Nails.

All gaps between pieces of foam plastic (or other insulation) it is necessary blow out with foam. Try not to miss even small voids. Leave the door until completely dry foam.

Now we need to get busy finishing, which will hide the insulating materials. If you want to know how to insulate a metal door, then take a sheet of fiberboard or MDF and adjust it to the size of the door. This layer must be attached with special care. To do this, first try the sheet on the door, and only then start screwing in the screws. We recommend making holes in the metal in advance so that the screws can be screwed in without much effort.

How to insulate an iron door in a private house?

The problem of a private house is that between the there is not a single barrier between the door and the street. In apartment buildings from cold and frost front door separates the entrance. The temperature there is always several degrees higher. This means that heat and cold do not collide on both sides of the same sheet of metal. In a private house the iron door is often covered with frost. The whole point is that the temperature in the hallway is positive when the temperature outside is negative. It will not be possible to get rid of this problem with the help of insulation. Best way to save heat energy in such a situation - make a small “dressing room”, for example, glaze the veranda.

How to insulate an iron entrance door: video

The main purpose of a steel door is to protect your home from burglary. However, in addition to its main function - “guard”, a well-insulated metal door makes a significant contribution to the overall energy efficiency of the house. Heat loss through blown and freezing doorway, an uninsulated door and an ineffective ventilation system without a recuperator can reach up to 20%. Based on this, the importance of installing a reliable and high-quality steel door becomes clear. This article discusses how to insulate a metal door.

Why is there a vestibule at the entrance?

To entry group has become energy efficient, you need to install two doors - an outdoor steel one that opens outward, and a second one - an internal one, a simple wooden one that opens inside the house. In this case, an air gap is formed between them, and air, as is known, is the best heat insulator. Such a tandem will keep the house warm and will also protect inner door from freezing and fogging in severe frosts.

However, homeowners do not always have the opportunity to equip a full-fledged vestibule.

Also, due to lack of funds, inexpensive doors are often installed at the entrance group, which do not differ high quality manufacturing. Result: such a design and a metal frame freezes from the inside of the room in cold weather, until ice forms, and seeps through from the cracks between the door leaf and the frame.

Accordingly, the money spent on heating goes down the drain. The way out of this situation can be to independently insulate the metal door and, no less important, the door frame.

Step one - choose a seal

In any business, to obtain a high-quality result, you must first develop a plan. This thesis is especially relevant when conducting construction work. Therefore, before taking on insulation, first of all we inspect the doorway. With a low-quality door, due to a loose seal between the door leaf and the frame, cold street air from outside enters the house.

Beer69 User FORUMHOUSE

You should not chase the large thickness of the door and, accordingly, the size of the insulation layer inside it. The main thing is how to insulate a metal entrance door – this is the clear geometry of the “frame-door” assembly, which depends on the thickness of the leaf and stiffening ribs. Street frost passes to a greater extent through the junction unit (the gap between the leaf and the frame), and not through the door leaf. The best performance is achieved when installing a double box with two sealing circuits.

Even the number of locks and their locations affect the tightness of the fabric to the rubber seal. Optimally when door locks(2 pcs.) located slightly below and slightly above the middle of the canvas.

From the point of view of frost resistance, best type The lock device is a lock with a lever (pack of plates) type of mechanism.

Polinka User FORUMHOUSE

On inexpensive doors, the wind often blows between the door leaf and the frame. To eliminate this, you need to lay a high-quality self-adhesive seal around the entire perimeter.

The main purpose of the seal is to seal the joint between the door and the door frame. This prevents frost, extraneous noise, dust and wind from entering the room.

If, as a result of examining the seal, it turns out that it does not fulfill its function: it is damaged, has lost its elasticity, or is laid incorrectly, then it must be replaced. Before you go to the store to buy a sealant, you need to:

• select seal material;
• determine the thickness of the seal;
• select the shape of the seal profile.

The seal can be made from:

• rubber;
• silicone;
• polyurethane;
• plastic;
• foam rubber.

Most often, to seal the door-frame junction, they are used rubber seals. They are durable, resistant to adverse weather conditions, low cost. Silicone sealant has similar qualities. Polyurethane self-adhesive seals have become widespread due to their ease of installation.

It is also important to choose a seal required thickness and profile. To do this, you need to measure the size of the gap between the door leaf and the frame. As a guide, you can adhere to the following rules:

• If the gap does not exceed one to three mm, then you can choose a rectangular seal.
• If the gap is 3 mm, you can choose a seal with a C, K, or E-shaped profile.
• When the gap is from 3 to 5 mm, a seal with a P or V profile shape is used.
• If the gap is more than 5 mm, then a seal with profile shape O or D is installed.

If the seal is glued with silicone glue, then before applying the glue, the surface must be cleaned of the old seal and degreased. Special attention When gluing the seal, it is necessary to pay attention to the corners, because When cutting the seal, gaps may remain in them.

Step two - insulate door frame

Many novice developers believe that it is enough to buy and install a well-insulated metal door, and the entrance area will become energy efficient. Often overlooked is such a factor as the most powerful bridge of cold, which is a metal door frame.

Warm and dry User FORUMHOUSE

I “looked” at the door frame through a thermal imager and was surprised at how much it stood out in color against the general background of a well-insulated door. I had previously assumed that the metal froze strongly, but now I am convinced of how great the heat loss is in this unit. The box needs to be insulated. The only question is how to do it.

Recently, metal structures with thermal breaks have been gaining popularity. In this case, the internal and outer surface the canvases and boxes are separated from each other by material with low thermal conductivity. As a result, the cold bridge is eliminated.

Using the principle of thermal break, you can modify the metal door frame of a cheap door. To do this, the metal (metal box) is insulated from the warm room. This can be done by installing an additional wooden frame and platband. As an option, glue the outline first metal box thermal insulation strip isolon.

SergeiSt User FORUMHOUSE

The insulation inside a steel door is needed more for sound insulation than for thermal insulation. Therefore, in the fight for energy efficiency, it is necessary to close all metal parts of the door from inside a warm room. This is exactly what we do, closing and isolating the metal circuit (door frame) with a wooden panel with a rubber seal.

What such a knot looks like can be clearly seen in this figure.

Also, a wooden box, due to the texture of the wood, ennobles the entrance area.

In addition to the above-described method of how to insulate an iron door, an option for insulating a door frame is often proposed, such as foaming its internal cavity. To do this, holes are drilled around the perimeter of the steel frame, through which polyurethane foam is injected inside from a can. Let's conduct an experiment to understand whether this method is justified. Let's take any metal pipe, fill it and put it out in the cold. Let's leave it for a while and then touch the metal with our hand.

Polyurethane foam, when expanded, can lead to deformation of the door frame or stain the door leaf. You also need to remember that polyurethane foam can get into the deadbolt cavity and, when dry, jam the crossbars and damage the lock.

Andrey-AA User FORUMHOUSE

I decided to insulate the metal entrance door at the dacha by foaming the door frame with polyurethane foam. Foamed from the heart. As a result, foam got onto the crossbars through small cracks and froze. Trying to open the door, I first broke the key, then I decided to drill out the lock or even break the door open with a crowbar. Having calmed down somewhat and thought, I opened the box with a grinder and, sticking my hand in, pushed the bolts out with my fingers. The foam, which had not completely hardened, flowed out of the slot. In order not to spoil the canvas, I had to seal itit with cellophane and construction tape. Then I waited for all the foam to dry so that it could be removed from the crossbar cavity with a chisel.

Conclusion: you need to be careful when foaming the box!

Andrey 203 User FORUMHOUSE

Foaming the box improves sound insulation to a greater extent than serves the purpose of insulation. This should only be done with the door open and then, before closing it, wait until the foam has completely hardened. After that, the holes for the crossbars need to be cleaned with a drill, or a narrow chisel or other tool.

Step three - insulate the door leaf

Having completed the previous two steps, we proceed directly to insulation door design. There are two options here:

1. Internal insulation of the door cavity. Why does the door need to be removed and disassembled?

1. If the door cannot be disassembled, then it will have to be insulated along the surface of the leaf.

In the first option, we do the following:

1. We're filming.
2. We dismantle the decorative panel.
3. We insert foam plastic or extruded polystyrene foam.
4. We foam the cracks and install the decorative panel back.
5. Let's put it in place.

A door insulated in this way can be covered with clapboard, glued artificial leather, finish with brushed boards. There is a wide scope for creativity here. You should not drill holes in the door leaf and try to foam it from the inside or pour granular foam into the cavity through these holes. If you insulate a metal entrance door blindly, such an upgrade can lead to jamming and failure of the locking mechanism.

If the metal door leaf cannot be carefully removed without destroying it (it is rolled), then the insulation will have to be mounted on top of the door.

WAAD User FORUMHOUSE

The forum member did this - first he drilled holes and foamed it carefully door frame, which ensured its 100% sealing and increased sound insulation. Outer part I covered the doors with advertising film. Then on this film using liquid nails glued extruded polystyrene foam 2 cm thick.

Sticking the film on the door will allow you to dismantle the insulation in the future without the time-consuming operation of removing glue from the door leaf. The film comes off easily if you heat it with an industrial hair dryer.

Also as temporary option, for emergencies or emergencies, you can temporarily “insulate” the entrance to the house in this way.

From within, in doorway, a thick and heavy fabric is hung, which is folded to the side when leaving or entering the house. It should look like a curtain or curtain. The fabric is not hung close to the door, but at a short distance from it (5-10 cm). If the depth of the opening allows, then you can hang two curtains, also at a short distance from each other. It turns out to be a mini vestibule. Due to air gap heat from the house will not escape outside.

Metal doors – reliable means protection of living quarters from outside intrusion. But it happens that the insulating characteristics of such a device leave much to be desired. Fortunately, this problem can be solved using Additional materials. detailed information How to insulate a metal door is contained in the article.

Choice of insulation

When deciding on choosing insulation, users have several options regarding which product to use:

Mineral wool

It got its name because it is made from fusible natural minerals. In the process of exposure high temperatures, the structure of the source material becomes viscous. It is transformed into the finest threads that are woven together to form a thick web. The resulting mass actually looks like cotton wool.

The cost of the final product depends on how valuable and quality material was used for its production.

Pros:

1. Excellent insulating properties.
2. High resistance to temperature changes, changes in humidity, chemical composition air, etc.
3. This insulation is considered safe in case of fire. Its properties contribute to the fact that the flame, colliding with the layer mineral wool, will not be able to go to the next room.

Minuses:

1. Although the material is resistant to external factors , over time it begins to sag under its own weight. Accordingly, it will no longer perform its functions so well.

Styrofoam

This lightweight material, actively used in construction as an insulator. The composition is unique: it is almost 100% air. To obtain it, polystyrene granules are alternately foamed several times, then blown with a stream of hot air. This technology allows you to make weight finished material minimal, while it has good insulating properties.

Having received the desired consistency, the foam is left to dry to get rid of excess moisture.

Pros:

1. The insulation structure withstands external influences, maintaining the given shape.
2. Foam is easy to work with, easily cutting out elements required size and shapes.
3. Holds up well, does not move.
4. Not high price.

Minuses:

1. Insulation performance is very mediocre. In particular, this is due to the fact that polystyrene foam is not able to make hermetically sealed contact with other material, so there are loopholes for cold and extraneous sounds in the smallest cracks.
2. The structure is destroyed under the influence of hot water.
3. Unfortunately, high level fire safety foam plastic also cannot boast.

It is the result of the activities of the pulp industry. These are thick sheets of cardboard, glued and laid in such a way that the structure is multi-layered and cellular.

Pros:

1. Low cost.
2. Easy to install.
3. Light weight.

Minuses:

1. The insulating properties are even lower than those of polystyrene foam.
2. May respond to humidity levels, over time, the structure may become compacted under the influence of moisture, which will worsen the insulation.
3. Low level of fire safety.

This is essentially plastic, which, being inside special device, looks like liquid. When applied under pressure, this liquid foams and becomes voluminous at the outlet. Over a short period of time, the mass hardens, creating a reliable protective barrier.

Pros:

1. It is considered to be the best insulation material today.
2. Resistant to temperature and humidity changes, exposure to chemicals.
3. Mold and the development of pathogenic organisms are not dangerous for this material.
4. Safe for residents.
5. Fire resistant.

Minuses:

1. Requires careful professional application.

Required materials and tools

So, to carry out work on insulating a metal door, you will need the following tools:

• putty knife;
• screwdriver;
• jigsaw (preferably electronic);
• construction knife;

Materials:

• the insulation itself;
• construction foam for installation work;
• universal glue (insulating material will be attached to it), or liquid nails;
• seal;
• putty;
• plywood, some wood to create the internal frame of the door;

Insulation options

Depending on the location of the material, the following insulation options are possible:

1. From the inside.
2. Outside.

The first method is suitable if the inner door leaf is collapsible. In this case, it is enough to simply remove it and fill the space with the selected type of insulation. The only thing you need to do is ensure that the material is not exposed to moisture. To do this, a water-resistant film is usually applied over the insulation.

The second method is most often chosen in cases where the door frame is non-removable.

There are two options here:

1. Bulk. Several holes are made in the door leaf with a drill, through which the internal space is filled with granular foam. Possible disadvantages:
   
   • Insufficient insulation, if there is not enough material or it is distributed unevenly.
   • May have a negative impact on work locking mechanism.
   • Holes, even closed with plugs, can spoil appearance canvases.
2. Creating an external frame. The method is more painstaking and requires some skill. Most often, to create an additional layer between the leaf and the door, they are used wooden blocks or plywood. They are cut out in accordance with the parameters of the source material, and a frame is formed from them, the cavity of which is filled with insulation.

Do-it-yourself insulation

Before you choose a method self-insulation doors, you need to study its design: whether the leaf is disassembled or not, how it is constructed locking mechanism etc. You can increase the insulation of the leaf or door frame.

Canvas:

1. If the canvas can be disassembled, then it is best to place insulation material inside. To do this, it is cut the right size depending on the parameters of the canvas (if laid solid). To prevent the insulation from moving, it is secured with spacers. It’s easier to work with a soft one, the only thing is that if the chosen product is not moisture resistant, after installation it needs to be covered with a special film.
2. If the canvas is not removable, then you can apply the bulk method described in the previous section.

Insulating a box is a time-consuming method, but a high-quality result is worth it.

So here's how to proceed:

1. Remove the fabric from the loops.
2. Remove the door peephole, locking system.
3. Remove the screws, with which the finishing panel is attached to the door frame.
4. If the insulation is solid, it must be cut so that it completely occupies the internal cavities. You can fix it universal glue, or liquid nails. All, even the smallest gaps remaining between the material and the door body should be filled construction foam, otherwise, there will be paths for cold air flows.
5. Soft material It is also attached to an adhesive base and, if necessary, additionally covered with a protective film.

After completing the installation work, external panel is attached back, the peephole and locks are returned, the door is installed in its place.

The presence of tiny gaps between joints can become a source of noticeable drafts. This problem can be easily solved using sealing tape. It can be made of rubber or foam rubber. The main thing is to choose correct thickness(usually the choice is made in favor of the minimum) to prevent interference with the normal closing of the door.

Sealing material is used to cover the joints around the entire perimeter of the door.

Ready-made insulated metal doors

Take care of tightness and insulation characteristics the door should be considered at the stage of its acquisition. Having purchased an already insulated copy, you will not have to subsequently look for ways to improve it yourself.

Even at the production stage, one or another type of insulation is placed in the door cavity. Maximum tightness is achieved by gluing the entire perimeter of the box with a sealant.

Price finished product depends on the quality of the materials used in production, the manufacturer, the cost of insulation, the type of cladding and burglary resistance. The range of prices for insulated doors is quite large - from 12,000 to 70,000 rubles.

So, when planning to insulate a metal door, you should remember the following:

1. Knowledge design features doors will allow you to choose the most suitable way insulation.
2. It's better not to save on insulation material , because the higher cost is due not only to insulation parameters, but also to fire resistance, independence from the influence of factors external environment, as well as environmental safety.
3. During installation hard material you need to make sure that all joints are filled with construction foam, otherwise drafts cannot be avoided.
4. If inner surface the door consists of stiffening ribs, they also need to be filled with foam by drilling several holes in them, since in essence these are small hollow pipes that will allow cold air into the living space.
5. By purchasing a door that is already insulated from the start, you can save yourself from the need to make design changes. Besides, industrial installation insulation is usually made of higher quality than hand-made insulation, and therefore its service life is much longer.

When comprehensively insulating a house or apartment, it is important to take into account all possible places of heat loss, since only in this case can truly effective thermal insulation be obtained.

Statistics show that about 25% of the total heat loss of a cottage or private house occurs through doors and windows.

1 Why insulate the front door?

The issue of thermal insulation of windows, due to the huge amount of information on the Internet, has already exhausted itself, while the thermal insulation of doors, which, in practice, is a fairly simple task that can be done with your own hands, requires some explanation.

In most cases, both in apartments and private houses, metal doors are used as an entrance door. Such structures, in comparison with wooden doors, have one key advantage– maximum strength characteristics.

Having installed quality door made of metal and a good lock, you can be sure that your home is reliably protected from intruders. However, metal structures also have certain disadvantages.

First of all, this is the high thermal conductivity of the metal itself, which, given the relatively small thickness that they have steel doors, leads to very serious heat losses. It is not uncommon for the temperature in the corridor where the street door is located to be 3-4 degrees lower than in the rest of the house.

In addition, a metal street door, as a rule, has gaps between the door itself and the doorway, the thickness of which can reach up to 5 millimeters. Such gaps cause a constant draft, which should not be allowed, especially if small children live in the house.

Another weakness of metal doors is that they do not have normal sound insulation, and in the house you can perfectly hear all the sounds coming from the entrance or from the street.

High-quality insulation of metal entrance doors with your own hands using basalt (and it is safe, by the way) can fully solve problems with both sound insulation and heat loss.

1.1 Which insulation is better to use?

Ordinary foam rubber has been and remains a widely used material for door insulation, but using this material for thermal insulation of the front door is unjustified due to a number of reasons.

In general, this is the lack of the required technical characteristics that can ensure the fulfillment of all the requirements for high-quality thermal insulation - foam rubber does not act as additional sound insulation, and does not have a sufficiently low thermal conductivity. The only thing it is good for is use as a sealant to eliminate drafts.

Of the insulation materials on the market for thermal insulation of doors with your own hands, fiber insulation materials such as mineral wool are best suited, and panel materials– polystyrene foam or extruded polystyrene foam.

We recommend that you insulate your front door with ordinary polystyrene foam or, since this insulation has an optimal ratio of cost and thermal insulation characteristics. Polystyrene foam is a good sound insulator; it significantly reduces the sound penetrating into the house through street doors.

Mineral wool, in comparison with polystyrene foam, has one significant drawback– it is vapor permeable, and when saturated with moisture it shrinks. While insulating a door, it is extremely important that the insulation retains its size and tightly fills all the cavities inside the structure.

One of key requirements to the insulation that will be located in the front door - this is hydrophobicity. Since the door is a structure that is constantly in contact with warm air inside the cottage, and cold air outside, condensation will constantly form in it.

Insulation saturated with moisture gradually loses its thermal insulation characteristics, and ceases to be effective sound insulation. Polystyrene foam will not absorb condensation, since the material has a closed structure that does not allow steam or moisture to pass through.

If the budget does not limit the choice of thermal insulation material, then it makes sense to choose extruded polystyrene foam and. Essentially, this material is both visually and technical specifications similar to polystyrene foam, but it is an order of magnitude better in terms of thermal conductivity.

The thermal conductivity coefficient of polystyrene foam is about 0.04 W/μ, while that of extruded polystyrene foam is 0.029 W/μ. This suggests that with equal insulation thickness, the efficiency of thermal insulation with polystyrene foam will be an order of magnitude higher.

1.2 Required tools and materials

To insulate street doors with your own hands, in addition to insulation, you will need the following tools and materials:

• Plywood panel, or laminated chipboard, identical in size to the dimensions of the door, which will be used as internal lining;
• Wooden blocks for arranging the internal frame that holds the cladding material;
• Liquid penoizol or non-expanding foam;
• Plaster or putty mixture;
• Sealant in the form of a polymer tape;
• Adhesive for foam plastic to metal surfaces;
• Hacksaw for cutting bars;
• Stationery knife for cutting insulation;
• Screwdriver and wood screws;
• Spatula as for .

1.3 We insulate the door frame

As a rule, the door frame is fixed in the wall with reinforcing pins, and the frame itself consists of a frame welded from metal corner. This design, even after sealing with polyurethane foam, often has gaps from which a draft can be drawn.

Even if the sealing with polyurethane foam is done efficiently, it affects main drawback of this material - loss of properties under direct influence sun rays, to which the street doors of the cottage are constantly exposed.

High-quality insulation of a door frame with your own hands is carried out according to the following algorithm:

1. The opening between the frame and the wall is cleared of any remaining foam;
2. The resulting gap is moistened with water and foamed with liquid foam insulation;
3. After the penoizol hardens, the excess material is cut off flush with the wall;
4. Within 3-5 centimeters from the door frame, the wall is covered with a putty compound that will perform protective function. The places where penoizol is located are puttied with a fairly thick layer using.

Such insulation of entrance wooden doors necessary to the same extent as for metal structures. Such thermal insulation guarantees the absence of drafts and acts as additional sound insulation.

2 We insulate metal entrance doors

The technology for thermal insulation of the front door with your own hands involves lining the inside of the door with slats, and subsequent installation decorative panel on top of the insulation.

The first stage of work is the arrangement of the internal frame of slats. The bars are installed along the inner perimeter of the door, including along the central stiffeners.

It is first necessary to drill holes in the load-bearing elements of the door for the self-tapping screws that will secure the timber. The hole spacing should be 5-10 centimeters.

To attach the slats, it is necessary to use self-tapping screws approximately 5 millimeters longer than the total thickness of the slats and metal frame doors.

After the holes are drilled, the door is measured, the bars are adjusted to size, and secured around the perimeter of the structure.

We cut the foam panels so that the insulation fits tightly between the wooden frame. The smaller the gaps, the better thermal insulation and the insulation will have sound insulation. All cracks between the wooden slats and the surface of the metal door are foamed.

Polystyrene foam is installed into the cells of the wooden frame, and the insulation is fixed using glue. The joints between foam plastic and slats are sealed with polyurethane foam.

After the foam has hardened, we cut off its excess and cover the door with decorative material. To cover the front door with your own hands, they are often used chipboards, plywood, laminate, wooden slats, etc.

The front door trim is attached to wooden frame using liquid nails, after which it is additionally fixed with nails or self-tapping screws.

Along the perimeter wood paneling metal is installed, or plastic corner. Also, entrance door trim made of leatherette or dermantin is often attached on top of the decorative panel - construction stores sell special kits that include all the materials necessary for upholstery.

2.1 Features of insulating entrance doors with your own hands (video)