How to weld an iron door with a window. How to make a metal front door with your own hands. Necessary materials, equipment and tools

Despite the fact that there are many models of entrance doors on sale, in some cases suitable option It's quite difficult to choose. Some are not satisfied with the dimensions due to the non-standard opening at the installation site, others are afraid of hidden defects in the product, and others are embarrassed by the high cost of the kit.

Handmade production of a metal door, with proper organization process has a number of advantages. For example, you don’t have to worry about the quality of the design; it can be assembled according to any acceptable drawing, and there won’t be any problems with the design - there are many techniques. In addition, the costs of assembling and finishing the block will be minimal.

Preparation stage

Work should begin with dismantling old door and complete cleaning of the opening. Only after a thorough examination of the condition of the base can one conclude whether it is suitable for installing a metal structure or not. It may be necessary to narrow (expand) it in accordance with the required dimensions and further strengthen it. The latter is typical for buildings made of cellular concrete, wood, as well as other materials with a significant degree of wear. Consequently, the necessary technological operations are carried out.

After obtaining a passage in the wall with the correct geometry, you can begin taking measurements. Based on this, a drawing of a metal door is developed. In addition to determining the dimensions of the frame and sash, you should also choose a design diagram. First of all, in which direction is it more convenient to open the canvas, where is it better to install locks, hinges (their number) and fittings (handle, peephole) on it. Sometimes it is advisable to make a “one and a half” version. In it, the small sash is rigidly fixed, but if it is necessary to temporarily expand the opening (for example, when moving large loads), it is easy to open it.

The design of a metal door is drawn up taking into account the fact that there should be a small gap (about 15 - 20 mm) between the jamb and the base. It is called editing. It allows, firstly, to correctly align the frame, adjust its position, and secondly, to additionally insulate the opening around the perimeter.
The hinges on the door are placed at an equal distance from each other, and their number is determined by the weight of the leaf; With its light weight, two canopies are enough. But in any case, their distance (top and bottom) from the sash cuts is selected to be about 150 mm (for openings of standard height).

Materials and supplies are being prepared. When working with iron, welding will be required. In addition to this - a hammer drill (electric drill with a chipper) and a grinder. Everything else is an ordinary household tool, a square, a tape measure. It’s a little more difficult with materials; you’ll have to choose.

Corners or profiles (with a side of 4 cm) are suitable for the frame. Here it is worth focusing on the purpose of the structure, the requirements for its stability and the option for further finishing. If high-quality insulation and increased strength are expected, then a door made of a profile pipe is best solution. But stiffening ribs can also be made from a corner.
The frame covering is made of sheet steel. It is necessary to optimally combine such indicators as the total mass of the canvas and its strength. But in any case, it is not recommended to use metal less than 2 mm thick.
Fastening elements. Any iron door, whether homemade or purchased, is fixed in the opening with anchor bolts. The only exception is for models mounted in wooden (frame) buildings. As a rule, when self-installation doors at their entrance, they are attached to special frames or to the base using welding or large hardware.

Everything else - seals, thermal insulation and finishing materials, fasteners, fittings - is at the discretion of the master.

If you lack experience in making steel doors with your own hands, it is better to limit yourself to overhead hinges. Hidden canopies are much more difficult to install and require a professional approach.

The procedure for manufacturing metal structures

A do-it-yourself iron door, regardless of its diagram and drawing, is assembled according to one algorithm. Initially, individual elements are made.

Box

There are no problems with it, but provided that all measurements and cutting of blanks are made correctly, in strict accordance with the drawn up drawing. It is not difficult to weld individual parts into a single structure of the correct geometry. You just need to work on a perfectly flat, hard surface and constantly monitor the angles. Once the jamb is assembled, all seams are carefully polished with a diamond disc.

It is mandatory to weld hinges and fastening strips with drilled holes to the box. Using the final details, it is fixed to a wall made of any material.

Door leaf

The frame manufacturing technique is absolutely identical.
For reinforcement, stiffeners are installed according to the selected pattern.
A groove is cut for the lock tongue.
Frame sheathing on one side. It is produced by fastening steel sheets by welding, with a slight overlap. In the area of the hinges it is about 5 mm, along the length of the frame it is about 10 - 15. It is recommended to “tack” the cladding with several seams, no more than 40 mm in length. To ensure reliability of fastening, the intervals between adjacent sections are selected within 20.

Depending on the design, at this stage of assembling a metal door, the lock fastening elements are installed, the hinges are welded (those parts that are attached to the leaf) and a window for the peephole is cut out.

If the sash is supposed to be insulated, then it is immediately laid thermal insulation material; it is placed between the stiffening ribs, which prevents it from sagging under its own weight.

All that remains is to weld the second sheet of metal to the wrong side of the frame and also cut a hole in it for the peephole and the lock cylinder.
The last thing to do with the sash is to carry out a control check of its geometry and sand all joints, welds and paint with primer to prevent metal corrosion.

If the “one and a half” scheme is chosen, then all technological operations for the small blade are absolutely identical, with the exception of the eye and door lock. But upper and lower stops should be provided for fixation in a stationary position.

Finishing

Making a metal door with your own hands is not all. It must be formatted accordingly. With blocks installed in outbuildings it is quite simple; as a rule, they are painted. But if we are talking about a door at the entrance to a residential building (apartment), then it is advisable to decorate it. The choice of option is at the discretion of the owner, and some recommendations will help with this.

How you can finish the canvas:

Hard materials - multilayer plywood, fiberboard, vinyl plastic, wooden lining, laminate, MDF followed by varnish coating (colorless or with tinting components).
Leatherette and leatherette are used to cover the sash.
The water door to the apartment can be covered with decorative film. Since the impact of atmospheric factors is minimal, this finish will last a long time. And taking into account the low cost and simplicity of design, it is one of the best solutions.

Assembly of the structure

Essentially, it all comes down to hanging the sash, checking its position, the operation of the locks and adjustments (if necessary). All that remains is to install the handle, lock and peephole. If the door design includes crossbars and lower (upper) stops, then you need to make markings.

The sash is covered, and the places for drilling holes are marked on the jamb. After readiness, their coincidence with the fixing elements is checked. This applies to both the main canvas and the additional, small one.

The final “touch” is installing the manufactured door into the opening and lubricating all rubbing parts (which many people forget about). After this, we can state that everything is complete, the work has been completed.

For those who have skills in working with metals and want to gain iron door high quality at low cost, its independent production - best option. Moreover, the drawing, diagram, external finishing It is not the manufacturer who chooses, but the master. This means that the entrance to the house will not only be reliably protected, but also designed in an original way, and the block structure will fit perfectly into the interior of a particular building.

If you have a welding machine and at least some skills in working with it, it would simply be unreasonable to purchase a Chinese product that is not very durable. A DIY metal entrance door will provide more reliable protection against burglary and bad weather. Let us describe in detail the process of its manufacture.

Required materials and tools

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

We will need:

measuring tape
carpenter's square for taking measurements;
metal corner for door frame and frame door leaf; 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: too thin material You shouldn’t take it, 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
spanner suitable size for tightening 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. Perfectly even, symmetrical doorways simply doesn't 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. The door leaf should be measured at the top, bottom, and 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 sizes the opening itself. The remaining gaps are subsequently filled 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 metal corner or pipes of specified dimensions must be laid 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 from a corner with a smaller shelf size internal frame. 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 with a 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. For this purpose in in the right places holes are drilled in the metal.

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 expanded polystyrene, 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

At mineral wool or stone wool there is 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 Furniture chipboard 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 using molding - 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 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 We check the horizontal and vertical position of the structure with a bubble or laser level. 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 re-checked.

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

Iron door finishing can be done MDF panels – they are produced according to the size of the door in the form of solid overlays, called cards, including veneer natural wood. You can also order panels according to your own sizes.

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, the frame method is considered more convenient. You can additionally lay thermal insulation material under a wooden frame made of narrow timber.
After cutting 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 begin installation of 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

Entrance doors should not only be beautiful, but also durable, warm and reliable. Metal doors provide this combination of qualities. But not all of those on the market can boast of reliability - many of the inexpensive ones can literally be opened kitchen knife. Really beautiful and reliable steel doors are very expensive. If you have a welding machine and some welding skills, you can make an iron door with your own hands. Even taking into account the costs of purchasing materials, it will be 30-50% cheaper.

What is needed

We will make an iron entrance door from a profile pipe and sheet metal. To work you will need a flat work surface, welding machine, drill, grinder, it’s nice to have something for measuring - a carpenter’s square, for example.

Standard metal doors. This is roughly what we will do

Materials you will need:

profiled pipe 40*40 mm, 40*20 mm;
a sheet of metal 2 mm thick, the size of a door leaf;
metal hinges are powerful enough to support a weight of about 100 kg;

To “ennoble” the door you will need metal paint (preferably hammer enamel), a wooden batten, insulation (foam or mineral wool), plywood, OSB or other similar material, plastic or any other finishing material, door peephole, lock.

We cook the doors

First we cook the door frame. We make it from a profiled pipe 40*40 mm. Cut pieces to size. If there is rust on the pipe, we clean it. We fold the clean blanks, set the corners, and grab them together.

After welding, we check the angles and measure the diagonals. If there is even the slightest deviation, we correct it (hitting the floor with an angle usually helps, the main thing is not to overdo it).

We weld the hinges. We retreat from the bottom and top by about 20 cm, mark, cook, making sure that they are on the same straight line. It will be very useful here laser level, and if it’s not there, you have to measure the distances many times to set it accurately.

We weld everything, check the diagonals, try it on. If everything is fine, you can weld the crossbars to increase the rigidity of the door leaf. We make them from the remains of a 40*20 mm pipe.

We clean all welding areas, removing beads - everything should be even and smooth. You can grind off the excess with a file, but it’s faster with a corresponding disc on an angle grinder.

To prevent the frame from “bending” and to later have space for installing a rubber seal, we raise the frame by welding metal plates.

The frame inside the frame is exposed to the right level(check with a level or level so that everything is in the same plane), weld the counter loops.

We place a sheet of metal on the finished frame and mark it. It should extend onto the door frame pipe by 3-10 mm. Only on the side of the hinges the overlap should be 3-5 mm, on the other sides it can be more. We place the sheet on the hinge side, mark the cutting line, and cut it using a grinder.

After cutting, we process burrs and other irregularities with a file until the edge is smooth. To speed up the process, you can use a grinder with an emery wheel. Then we lay out the sheet the way it should be and lightly grab the frame to the frame, the sheet also to the frame (not to the frame). The entire structure needs to be turned over, and it’s difficult to do it any other way.

We turn over the almost finished metal doors and weld the sheet along the perimeter of the frame, then to the intermediate stiffeners. There is no need to make continuous seams - there is no need for tightness; we weld in small sections at equal distances. At the same time, we make sure that the clean does not “lead.”

We cut off the welded frame from the door frame, turn the doors over and remove the welded sheet from the tacks. We clean the former welding areas. Now you can install the locks.

Insulation and finishing

Next we deal with insulation. Foam plastic 4 cm thick fits well into the welded frame of an iron door. We take it of low or medium density, since there will be no load on it. These metal doors took 4 sheets measuring 1*1 m.

We cut the PP to size, take polyurethane foam with weak expansion (if you take regular foam, the polystyrene foam will displace). Stepping back about 1 cm from the edge, we apply it along the perimeter of the rectangle in which we place the foam, make a few more strips of foam in the middle, and lay insulation. We also pass through the remaining gaps between the PP and the pipe with foam.

You can also glue the insulation using a universal glue that is suitable for metal and foam, for example, “Moment”.

To save money, it was decided to use a sheet of oriented strand board available on the farm. The finishing is planned on a budget - self-adhesive film. As it turned out, this pair does not fit together very well - the OSB putty took a lot of time. It would be much easier with plywood (moisture-resistant, furniture).

A sheet of OSB is laid on top of the metal doors that have already been made by hand on top of the insulation. It is secured around the perimeter with self-tapping screws. First, a hole is drilled for the self-tapping screw, then the fasteners are screwed in.

We drill mounting holes in the door frame - there are two of them on each segment. We paint the frame in suitable color(enamel in a can is taken). The painted frame must be taken outside somehow. IN drilled holes We insert the long mounting screws, grab them and drag it outside.

There is only one way out - putty. We take putty, spread it, wait until it dries, and sand it. Then again - a layer of putty, sanding again. So - until the result is normal.

On the second side we also attach OSB, but it’s already puttied and sanded in advance - it’s easier. We cut out holes for the eye-handles and try everything on. Next we start gluing the film. In our stores the widest one available is 90 cm, the doors are clearly wider. Therefore, it was decided to make a finish with imitation paneling, for which rubber self-adhesive furniture molding was purchased.

The film will be pasted “figuratively”

We find the center on the door, set aside 45 cm on both sides, and outline a strip. It will be glued here center stripe films. We wet the surface with water (spray from a spray bottle), carefully, without bubbles, glue the film.

We cut off the missing pieces and glue them on too. We close the joints of the canvases with molding.

All that remains is to install the hand-made metal doors in place. They are installed at the entrance from the covered veranda to the house.

The doors look good. They turned out very heavy, can’t compare with store-bought ones. Most of the time was spent on finishing. If you choose another option, it will be much faster.

Video on the topic

You can weld steel doors from corners. One of the options is in the next video.

The installation of iron doors is carried out both in apartments of residential buildings, and in bathhouses, garages, outbuildings, private houses, providing reliable protection property from thieves and other criminals.

If purchasing a high-quality metal door is not possible due to the high cost of materials, or due to the need to manufacture a door of a certain size, then self-production iron doors, you can be sure that the design will be reliable, and the costs of the materials used will not be too high.

Useful information:

Planning and sketch

First you need to take careful measurements of the doorway, and also make sure that your walls are made of brick or concrete, and not plywood under a thick layer of plaster. After this, you should display the dimensions of the doors, the installation height of the hinges and lock, stiffeners and other features of the product on paper.

Since metal door blocks are installed at the entrance to the apartment, the door leaf should open from the inside to the outside. As prescribed fire safety the entrance door should not create obstacles for evacuation if necessary.

The quality of installation depends on whether you correctly prepare the doorway before installing metal doors. It is important to adjust its dimensions to the dimensions of the door - the more accurately this is done, the smaller the gap between the opening and the door, the more securely the door will be installed. This can be explained by the length of the protruding part of the anchor bolt. If the opening is too wide, then the door is installed in a suspended state - parts of the frame will not adhere to the walls.

Work is carried out on a metal workbench. First, we will assemble the box, for which we will cut a metal corner and a profile at 45 ° according to the markings. Then you should check the cutting accuracy, for this you need to connect the frame and attach a carpenter's corner. You can assemble a frame from pipes by welding them in the shape of a rectangle.

During the work, it is important to check the accuracy of the connection of corners and diagonals so that the structure does not become distorted. Weld seams should be processed using an angle grinder so that the blade fits tightly to the door frame.
We make blanks for the frame from a metal corner, using pre-prepared rectangles of a certain thickness as templates. The gap between the frame and the door frame will be about 5 millimeters on the lock side and about 3 millimeters on the other 3 sides. You should mark and cut it, then put it in the door frame, and then check the diagonal.

A slot for a lock is required in the side profile. Weld the frame corners and frames in several places around the entire perimeter. Now you can weld metal strips onto the frame that will secure the door trim.
It is necessary to weld the first stiffening rib inside the door leaf - measure the length of the frame, cut off the profile of the required dimensions and weld it vertically in the center. Then you should clean the weld seams with a grinder.
After all this, you need to mark the canvas. We recommend keeping the overlap of the steel sheet on the box within 10-15 millimeters, and on the side of the hinges – 5 millimeters. Cut the steel sheets with a grinder and weld them to the frame.

Stiffening ribs located horizontally should be welded inside the canvas. If they are not enough, then the volume of reinforcement should be increased.
To install the lock, make markings on the canvas with a marker or chalk. Drill a hole for the lock and file it. Drill the holes required to attach the lock, cut the threads and secure the lock with bolts. Install the lock handle.

To install a lock on a door, other steps may be required (it all depends on the type of product). Read the article about.
Lubricate the hinges and weld them to the door frame and door frame. Use a grinder to cut the junction of the frame and the leaf, open the door and fix the hinges from the inside using a welding machine.

You can also make a hole for a peephole in the door either through the central profile and metal, or by moving the peephole to the side and then drilling a hole only in the metal sheet.
To make fasteners for the door, take 6-10 strips of metal and weld them to the door frame.

We will then make the holes needed for the anchors in these strips.
To insulate the door, cut a piece of polystyrene foam, mineral wool or other insulation and fill it with the entire area located between the stiffeners.

To make interior decorative cladding, we recommend taking a sheet of plywood that has been pre-cut to size and fastening it with rivets. For finishing, you can use plastic, laminated panels or lining (if you install the door in a bathhouse).

If after production you still have suspicions that the door was not insulated reliably, we recommend reading.
Everything is ready. All that remains is to coat the door with auto primer and then paint it.

If you wish, instead of painting, you can cover the door with leather or leatherette. If necessary, seals should be installed on the door frame. Drill holes in the welded steel strips, secure the door frame with anchors in the opening, use a level to prevent the door from skewing.

Decorating a door with a window and a figured grille

An entrance door with double-glazed windows is installed in private houses. Due to the fact that light penetrates the window, the hallway will be better illuminated, and forged elements will give the front entrance a respectable look.

High quality steel door, even with budget hammer painting, now it’s worth good money. Of course, cheap Chinese products that can be opened with a can opener are not taken into account. Therefore, a homeowner with below-average income has no choice but to make a metal door and install it with his own hands, or order it from some garage technician. But if you are familiar with first-hand welding machine, then there is no need to pay for someone else’s work - read our article about the manufacturing technology and get to work yourself.

Preparing for work

At this stage, you need to take measurements of the entrance opening and prepare all the necessary materials. The list of tools is standard - measuring devices, welding and a grinder with a drill.

Advice. To secure the welded units, be sure to prepare 2-3 clamps; without them, working is much more difficult.

Measuring the opening at the entrance to the apartment or private house produced in several places, especially in width. It is necessary to identify the narrowest point in order to focus on this size during manufacturing. Apply the measurement results to the diagram according to which you will prepare the metal.

It is assumed that you do not have personal experience in assembling iron doors, so to begin with we suggest making the most simple design. Even if it doesn’t turn out too beautiful, you will subsequently cover the sash with insulation and decorative overlays that will hide all the minor flaws. From construction materials you will need:

1 standard sheet steel, preferably cold rolled, 1.5-2 mm thick per sheet;
for the frame and door frame, take a profile pipe with a cross section of 40 x 20 mm with a wall thickness of 1.5-2 mm;
canopies 2 pcs. (you need to order a turner) and metal plates 4-5 mm in thickness for their installation;
a simple and reliable door lock, or a homemade one.

Design drawing from corners

Advice. There is no point in taking metal that is too thick (for example, 3 mm), since it will still not be possible to weld a real armored door, and the product will be too heavy. A thickness of sheet and professional pipe of 1.5 mm is quite sufficient. Instead of the latter, you can use an equal angle corner 45 x 3 mm.

If your welding skills have not yet been honed, then it is better to take a steel sheet 2 mm thick, it is more difficult to burn through due to lack of experience. Also think about the future exterior decoration to select materials in advance. Read more about preparatory stage manufacturing a metal door with wooden overlays explained in the video:

Door Making Guide

The first operation is the preparation of parts. It is performed according to this scheme:

Cut 4 profiles for the vertical posts of the door frame (or 2 corners), guided by the drawing.
Prepare 4 box crossbars from corrugated pipe or corners.
For the canvas frame, cut 4 horizontal lintels and 2 racks.
Using a grinder, adjust the dimensions of the steel sheet to the dimensions of the door frame.

Drawing of a door made of corrugated pipe in the entrance opening

Note. Between door block and the wall, provide 1 cm gaps around the entire perimeter, as shown in the drawing. On the rebates, a gap of at least 4 mm must be maintained for the sealing tape.

After cutting the elements of the product, clean the sharp ends and remove burrs, then proceed to assembly. To make it easier for you to process before painting, at this stage it is recommended to remove all rust from the surface of the workpieces using coarse sandpaper and a wire brush.

Making a door leaf

Traditionally, welding an iron door with your own hands begins with making a frame, into which the finished leaf is then inserted. But personal experience Many craftsmen say that it’s worth starting with the canvas - it’s easier to maintain an angle of 90° and prevent a “helicopter”, in which the product is skewed relative to the frontal plane.

First of all, lay the sheet of metal on a table or stands and level it flat, using a building level and shims in the right places. Then proceed in this order:

Lay out the frame blanks on the sheet, leaving 1 cm from its edges and maintaining 90° angles. Tack the upper and lower cross members by welding at several points, securing them with clamps.
Repeat the same operation with the vertical posts, tacking with inside profile. How it looks visually is shown in the photo above.
Finally weld the frame elements with the sheet and with each other. Install 2 intermediate jumpers and secure them in the same way.
Finally, clean all welds with a grinder.

Attention! When connecting a profile pipe to the fabric, do not make continuous seams, otherwise the metal will move and you will get that very “helicopter” at the output. Fuse points on the inside every 10 cm.

We weld the box

In our case, the outer frame is mounted from two profiles installed at an angle of 90° relative to each other (see above in the drawing). Therefore, first form the outer frame by laying profiles along the entire perimeter of the canvas and fastening them with tacks.

The next corrugated pipe is laid flat on the previous 2 with an overlap and forms the internal frame of the box. Study the photo carefully to understand this combination.

When all the frame profiles are in place, grab them and then spot weld them together. Be careful not to mistakenly weld the frame to the door leaf. Visually, the finished box lying on the sash looks like this:

Before the next operation, you need to separate the canvas and the box, and turn the latter over and put it on the work table. Now you can thoroughly weld the joints from the outside and sand them with a grinder. Do not place sutures on the inside where the sash will rest.

There is no need to seal the joint from the inside, only from the outside

Important point. Before removing the frame from the door leaf, place marks on both elements to remember their position and during assembly not to confuse the top and bottom.

We install awnings

To continue working, you need to put the finished sash on the table again, only now on top of the box. At this stage, it is important to clearly check all the gaps: the gaps from the edge of the canvas to the outer cut of the tray should be uniform around the entire perimeter and be 1 cm, the size of the rebate gap for laying the sealant should be 4-6 mm. To ensure this, slip gaskets of the required thickness under the steel sheet.

Now about how to make canopies correctly:

Determine the position of the canopies by measuring the same distance from above and below - 25 cm. Make marks and cut grooves in the canvas with a grinder in order to weld the hinges directly to the frame profile, and not to the sheet.
Weld a thick plate to the top of the canopy, fitting the parts in place to the end of the beam.
Attach the loop with the plate to the box so that there is a gap of 3-5 mm between it and the plane of the sheet. Tack the part by welding.
Place the second amplifier on the door leaf and weld it with the canopy and leaf. Repeat all operations on the other loop.

When the iron door is held on by tacks, check its opening and fit, then finally weld the awnings and clean the seams.

Installing the lock

When a freshly made front door has not yet been placed in the opening, installing locks with your own hands is not a problem. To begin, attach the lock to the end of the canvas and outline its outline.

To cut a groove for the lock, use a grinder and a drill. When you remove the cut piece of metal, align and clean the edges of the opening.

Insert the lock into the groove and drill holes for fastening. Cut an M5 or M6 thread into them and secure the product.
Opposite the hole in the body for the handle and keyhole, place marks on the door leaf. Cut the same openings in it and place a handle with an overlay on the outside.
Determine the location in door jamb, where the lock bolts should fit into the holes when closing. Make these grooves, clean them up and check how the lock works. If necessary, adjust or widen the opening.

When finished, make 4 mounting holes in the box where the anchor bolts will fit during installation. More information and important points You can learn about making an iron door by watching the video:

Product cladding

Whatever method of finishing the door you choose, first it must be protected from corrosion - primed and painted. To do this, you need to remove slag from the welds, clean them and degrease the entire surface, and then apply 2 layers of primer. After drying, paint the product 2 times, starting from the back.

You can decorate your entrance doors in the following ways:

insulate the inside with polystyrene boards, placing them on glue, and cover them with plastic panels;
screw the outer and inner wood lining, in particular lining, with self-tapping screws;
cover the canvas with leatherette, laying a layer of insulation under it;
buy and install ready set for MDF doors.

You can make platbands from iron and paint them the same color

The finished product is installed in the entrance opening on anchor bolts, and the cracks are traditionally sealed with polyurethane foam. Here it is important to maintain horizontal and vertical lines so that the door closes well and the loot is not “piled up” inside the apartment. To hide the foam, the outside and inside of the box is lined with platbands made of wood, metal or plastic. The correct painting of the door leaf is described in detail in the latest video:

Conclusion

Homemade iron entrance doors are not inferior in service life to factory ones, if the technology was followed during the manufacturing process and the structure was welded without distortions. Otherwise, problems will arise, first of all, with the lock, which will begin to close poorly and jam. To prevent this from happening, spend more time adjusting all the elements during the assembly process, when errors are easier to correct.

Design engineer with more than 8 years of experience in construction.
Graduated from the East Ukrainian National University. Vladimir Dal with a degree in Electronics Industry Equipment in 2011.