Door weather sealing assistance required.....please

TrimTheKing · 1 Oct 2007

Good evening all

apologies in advance for the length of post, but I wanted to make sure I got as much info in as possible up front.

I am calling on your collective good nature to help me with an issue that, even after much beard scratching, I am having trouble getting my head around.

I have recently moved into a new house and have a nice size garage (6x5 metres) that I want to turn into a workshop. The problem I am having is the doors. I will explain as best I can, and the pics will hopefully help.

Currently the doors sit within the frame, but open both in and outwards so I am having problems working out the best way to seal them up before I go putting any machines in there as rain get blown in around the edges at the moment.

Pic #1 - This is the doors from the outside. The two middle doors are hinged internally and open inwards, and can then hook to the back of the outer doors. The outer doors are hinged externally and can swing outwards and hook to the walls giving the full opening.

Click on image for larger view

Pic #2 - This is the doors from the inside, showing the door opening orientations.

Click on image for larger view

Pic #3 - This is a closer view of the doors and shows how there is no jamb as such and the doors just swing freely in the opening.

You know the drill by now

What I want to do it come up with some way that I can create a kind of jamb (I guess!?!), that when closed, all the doors will sit tight up against to stop draughts and rain ingress, but still allow the doors to open in their correct orientation.

Hopefully that ramble makes sense, if not please let me know and I will try and articulate a little better. More pics available/possible if required.

Cheers in advance for your help

Mark

PS The crude run offs at the bottom of the doors were a temporary measure to try and get the rain to drip away from the door. These will be replaced with a much nicer, properly fitted set once I am up and running.

DaveL · 1 Oct 2007

Mark,

I think you will have to limit the wild open any which way options to achieve much in the way of draft proofing.
I have a similar set of doors on the end of my workshop (built by the last owner).
How about this, fit a batten on the frame around the two outermost doors.
Now the inner doors cannot be folded back tight to the outer ones but can still be opened in to allow access. You can still open the double doors by releasing both and folding the inner to meet the outer as they are opened outwards.
I have used the brush type draft excluder on the inner doors, not perfect but better than nothing. I don't open the big doors very often, I use the small side door most of the time. In the depths of winter I have been know the run a strip of gaffer tape round the door joints to stop the last of the draft.

:roll:

MooreToolsPlease · 1 Oct 2007

The only idea I have at the moment would be to route in brush pile into the doors.
Reddiseals sell the carrier, and then the brush pile fits into that.
It comes in a number of heights depending on the clearences int he doors you have.
You could put this on the top and sides of all the doors.
Would help the draughts, but is by no means weather proof.

Woodmagnet · 1 Oct 2007

I would change the hinges on the inner doors to open out, then batten round the inside. :wink:

MooreToolsPlease · 1 Oct 2007

for the 2 outer doors, you could plant on a stop with a groove for aquamac weather seals.
You could put that up the lining, and across the head up until the door hinges in.
You could rebate the doors out too where they meet.
I would rebate out both sides, and then insert a piece to take up the whole rebate and just fix to one door.

TrimTheKing · 2 Oct 2007

Thanks for all the replies everyone.

I'm starting to think that for ease the best way is to change the hinges on the middle doors to swing outwards as Kevin suggests. This will limit how flush the doors will go to the outside walls, but will still be more than far enough to clear the opening. Maybe even just the one on the right.

My dad came up with another suggestion of leaving the doors as they are and cutting a smaller porthole style entry door into one of the doors. This would mean needing to open both doors to get anything big in, but that is not the biggest ache in the world. Would this over compromise the strength of the door? Any thoughts?

Next question, if I decide to re-hinge the inner doors, any suggestions on what type of hinges and where best to get them???

The hinges on the outer doors are bolted through and have what look like non-removable screws. How would you get these off if needed, or is the whole point that you can't and I would have to drill them out? And I'm guessing it would be best practive to put the new hinges on with the same type of screws, do they need a special type of driver?

Thanks again

Mark