How to insulate a Chinese iron entrance door? Step by step guide

Many domestic consumers often have a question: how to insulate a Chinese iron entrance door? Metal doors from Chinese manufacturers are very popular, because they are of good quality and reasonable price. Their only disadvantage is the absence of a layer of insulation, which is simply necessary under our climatic conditions. In order to understand how to insulate a Chinese iron entrance door, the video lesson will tell you quickly, and the article will tell you efficiently.

Material selection

There are several types of insulation to insulate a Chinese door. Most often used:

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

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

What to do with one-piece fabric?

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 an economical option and improve it to the best of our abilities. In the case where the entrance door structure has one-piece panels, you need to be prepared to change the internal appearance of the door leaf and make a new overlay. But first things first:

The door completely gets rid of the fittings located on the inside.
An additional frame is made, as in the photo. To do this, wooden strips are fixed along the entire internal contour of the canvas with metal screws, the width of which should be similar to the width of the insulation. It will be better if the holes for the 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 secure several cross slats, and all wooden elements should be pulled as tightly as possible to the metal base.
Self-tapping screws must be screwed into the wood with a recess, the fixation points must be sealed with wood putty, after which all wooden parts must be painted or varnished.
Then the Chinese door is filled with the selected insulation, which it is advisable not only to press well and squeeze into the newly created frame, but also to fix it with “Dragon” type glue.
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.
Foam rubber is placed on top, onto which high-quality leatherette is stretched. The latter is attached with specific nails with decorative or hidden caps. The entire process can be followed in more detail via video.
Since after such insulation of the door leaf it becomes much wider, it is important to buy the appropriate fittings.

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

Alternative methods

If you decide to protect a private home 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.

And one more thing: do not rush to get rid of the ancient entrance panel. 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 self-made insulation with hundredths and preserving the metal sheet from freezing.

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Insulation of split doors, insulation of Chinese doors

One of the main features of split doors is that a spatial frame is already built into them. Therefore, insulating such a Chinese door will take much less time and effort, since they do not require preliminary preparation.

In this case, professionals use expanded polystyrene foam. Before its appearance, polystyrene foam or stone wool were often used, but they encountered a problem - over time, the material absorbs moisture and becomes painted. This material is still used today, since it is cheaper than expanded polystyrene.

Adjusting hinges on a Chinese door

If traces of friction appear on the threshold or vertical post, then the Chinese door needs to be adjusted in the hinge area, which will help the door leaf fall into place and evenly distribute the gap. To do this you need:

Open the sash 90 degrees.
Place a wooden beam under it, which will take its weight and relieve the load on the hinges.
Using a hex wrench, loosen the four bolts on each canopy.
Using a 17 mm wrench and a screwdriver, unscrew the eccentric.
Move the blade in the desired direction, within the length of the grooves, to increase the gap on the side where friction was present.
Use an eccentric to set the insertion depth of the sash and secure this indicator with a lock nut.
Tighten the hex screws at the corners of each hinge.

After this, you need to test the functionality by closing and opening the sash several times. The result will be visible both in the width of the gap at the bottom and on the sides of the canvas on the vestibule.

Insulation of Chinese metal doors with liquid filler

Craftsmen often use liquid fillers to insulate a door with their own hands. But to ensure that the material does not crumble, it can only be used if the seams are sealed. Care must be taken as there is no guarantee that you will be able to completely fill the space. And this is one of the most important points.

Required materials and tools

In order to efficiently insulate a metal door at home, we need:

insulation material;
drill;
liquid Nails;
foam for installation.

These are the most basic tools without which you cannot get started.

The main disadvantages of cheap entrance doors

Doors made in China are characterized by savings on materials. This greatly reduces their price tag in the store, but gives rise to a number of problems:

Door without insulation

insufficient thermal insulation. It can manifest itself in the form of cold drafts from the corridor and the appearance of condensation on the inside of the door. The main reason is that the insulation is too thin and/or unevenly laid. In some cases it may be absent altogether;
poor sound insulation. The main material that helps absorb external noise is insulation. If the manufacturer saved on it, then there can be no sound insulation.

You can get rid of both disadvantages by installing insulating material inside the door frame yourself.

Insulation of doors along the internal perimeter

The final stage is insulation of the doors from the inside along the entire perimeter. Use polyurethane foam and rubberized insulation as materials.

To begin, remove the trim and fill the internal cavity evenly with polyurethane foam. Please note that polyurethane foam tends to expand 3 times. A few days after complete hardening, cut off any excess foam that sticks out with a knife. Secure the trims in place.

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

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

So, the insulation process has come to its final stage. There is no particular difficulty in doing 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.

Solid door insulation technology

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

internal filling with liquid insulation is an excellent option, but keep in mind that if the seams are not sealed, this material will be on the outside. The appearance of the door will deteriorate a little, and in this case it is impossible to guarantee the absence of voids inside. There is nothing complicated - just the internal cavity is filled with material;
a one-piece door can be insulated by attaching insulation to the surface of the body on the inside. Of course, the appearance of the door from the inside will change; it will become many times thicker, but also warmer.

The insulation technique consists of the following sequence of actions:

Remove the fittings from the inner surface.
Secure wooden strips around the perimeter of the door using metal screws. The thickness of the plank is identical to the thickness of the selected foam, and the width is 25-30 mm.
Pre-drill holes in the metal. They should be slightly smaller in diameter than the diameter of the fastening screws.
Screw in the screws, pressing them inward a little. Sand the screw-in areas with sandpaper, putty and paint with enamel. This will prevent corrosion.
Place sheets of foam plastic in the resulting space.
Cover the top of the insulation along the entire perimeter with a solid sheet of plexiglass or MDF plywood.
Install new fittings according to the changed dimensions.
If necessary, adjust the slopes near the door frame.

Possible insulation options

The choice of material is an important point in increasing thermal insulation. Do not forget that insulation is directly related to the quality, strength and technical characteristics of the material. The higher the indicators, the warmer and quieter it is in your apartment.

Cotton wool is the most unfortunate and rarely used insulation option. It is environmentally friendly, affordable, and affordable in terms of delivery. However, in turn, it has major disadvantages - it is afraid of humidity, quickly absorbs particles of water from the atmosphere and is flammable.

Mineral wool insulation - needs additional waterproofing

Mineral wool and its varieties have high insulating properties and are an environmentally friendly material. However, it requires additional expenses for the waterproofing layer. The hygroscopic structure favors the absorption of moisture from the outside.

Foam plastic, penoplex, expanded polystyrene - they are lightweight, have high technical characteristics and will reliably serve for many years. The best options as insulation, hydro- and sound insulators. In addition, they are affordable and are not afraid of high humidity. They will last for decades. The only negative is that it is subject to mechanical damage, the structure is damaged and may crumble. Therefore, it is recommended to cover the seal on top with a layer of hardboard or an MDF panel.