The reason for the failure of the front door. Do-it-yourself wooden door repair: eliminating typical defects

Metal doors must not only reliably protect the house from thieves, cold and extraneous sound, they must also have a beautiful appearance and work properly. Although metal structures are highly durable and reliable, nothing lasts forever and after a certain period of use, some of their elements may fail. Such doors are heavy, so the load on the hinges is high, which can cause them to break. In addition, the lock, handle, or other damage may occur. Most of these malfunctions can be fixed with your own hands, and we will look further at how to do this correctly.

What malfunctions of metal entrance doors can be eliminated yourself and how to do it

The concept of metal door repair is collective and includes not only the repair of hinges, locks or handles, but also the restoration of the surface of the door leaf and trim. If the doors were installed 10–15 years ago, then during their operation, some elements may wear out and stop performing their job correctly, so they need to be repaired or replaced. Fashion is constantly moving forward, and even if the door is in good condition, it may no longer fit into the modern interior. In order not to completely change the doors, you can perform decorative repairs and radically change the appearance of the old metal panel.

Although the structure of metal doors is much more complex than wooden ones, their reliability will be much higher. Most of the breakdowns that may occur can be fixed with your own hands; to do this, you need to have the necessary tools, determine the cause of the breakdown and eliminate it.

Even high-quality metal doors may require repairs after a certain time.

The main causes of breakdowns of metal doors:

long service life, so some parts have a lot of wear, which prevents them from working properly;
at the time of purchase, a cheap option was chosen, so the service life of such doors will be short;
The doors were installed incorrectly, making their normal operation impossible;
the door was tried or opened without a key, this may happen if the owners lost the keys or if strangers illegally entered the house;
The appearance of the door does not match the interior, and the owner decided to transform it.

The following elements can fail in a metal door:

lock;
accessories;
door frame, it can change its geometry or be poorly fixed;
platbands;
door leaf, it may lose its original appearance or have a violation of the integrity of the surface.

Necessary tool

To repair a metal door with your own hands, you will need the following tools:

a set of screwdrivers or a screwdriver for loosening and tightening fasteners;
a set of hex and socket wrenches;
an electric drill for drilling out the lock fastenings or creating new holes for its installation;
hammer;
marker, it is necessary to mark places for new holes;
sandpaper and a metal brush if the paintwork will be restored.

Every home craftsman has tools for repairing metal doors.

Replacing a lock and cylinder in a metal entrance door

Depending on the model of the metal door, locks of different designs may be used. Before you begin the repair, you need to decide on the lock system. The following locking mechanisms are currently used in metal entrance doors:

cylinder, here you can simply and quickly replace the cylinder, such locks have a flat key, which has recesses or notches, this is the most common type;
lever mechanisms have a more complex design, but they also have the highest reliability; here the key is in the form of a rod with notches and cutouts;
Disc, cross-shaped or rack-and-pinion mechanisms can be used much less frequently.

The main types of locks that can be used on metal entrance doors

The need to replace a lock or cylinder may arise in the following cases:

loss of a key, even if you still have spare keys, in such cases it is recommended to replace the lock or cylinder, since there is a possibility that the lost key will be found by a not very honest person, and he will be able to freely enter your house;
breakdown of the mechanism, improper operation can cause breakdown of the mechanism or this is due to the use of low-quality locks;
replacing the lock with a more modern and reliable model;
after a break-in, this can happen when thieves entered the apartment or you lost the keys and opened the doors yourself;
buying an apartment, for security reasons, when buying an apartment, it is best to immediately change the locks or cylinders.

Cylinder lock

Most budget entrance doors use this type of lock. The design of such a device allows, in case of loss of the key, to change not the entire mechanism, but only the lock cylinder. Since the cylinders have standard sizes, finding one that fits your lock will not be difficult.

Sequence for replacing a cylinder lock:

First, the armor plate is removed.
Use a screwdriver or screwdriver to remove the cover.
The key opens the lock.
From the end of the door, use a screwdriver to unscrew the plate.
There are screws on the side that secure the plate and secure the lock core.
To release the bolts, the lock is closed.
In the center at the end there is a screw that secures the cylinder; you need to unscrew it and, turning it slightly, pull out the cylinder.
By turning slightly, you can easily remove the lock cylinder
A new “secret” is inserted and all operations are performed in reverse order.

Level castle

Such a device has higher reliability, but its design is also more complex. Depending on the manufacturer, if the lever lock fails, in cheaper models you will have to replace the lock completely. In expensive versions, it is possible to recode the levers; for this, a new core is purchased, complete with keys, and inserted into the lock. Spare parts must be purchased from the same manufacturer as the doors.

Procedure for replacing the lever lock:

If you have doubts that you can cope with replacing a lock or cylinder yourself, then it is better to invite specialists to carry out the work.

When a metal door squats, it is impossible not to notice such a malfunction. It begins to catch on the threshold, closes poorly and its thermal insulation characteristics are impaired.

The peculiarity of metal doors is that they have a lot of weight, so even high-quality hinges can change their original position over time. During the operation of the doors, a gradual subsidence of the leaf occurs and the moment comes when such a malfunction must be eliminated.

Typically, hinges on metal doors are not welded, but rather screwed. If so, they can be replaced quickly and easily. The main thing is to purchase the same hinges so that the mounting holes on them coincide with the holes on the door frame and leaf.

If the hinges are welded, then they can be cut off and new ones installed in this place, but there is no guarantee that in this case the need for repairs may arise again after some time. If possible, you can lift the doors using washers that are placed on the rod of the lower canopy, but before that they are lubricated with grease or a similar lubricant.

You can lift the door using washers installed in the hinges

If shrinkage of the house occurs, the door warps due to deformation of the door leaf, so the way out would be to replace the entire door block. If possible, you can try driving wooden wedges under the base of the door frame and using them to level it.

Before you begin to eliminate door sagging, you must first determine the reasons that caused it and eliminate them.

The entrance metal door does not close well

Often a situation arises when the front door begins to close poorly, it happens very tightly or, on the contrary, weakly. The new door may be difficult to close. This is due to the fact that the seal is still tight and to get rid of this defect, it is enough to wait 1-2 weeks until it becomes more elastic.

The door may not close well because the lock is not working properly. You need to see if the crossbar fits correctly into the groove. If there is a displacement, then the door must be aligned correctly, for which the hinges are adjusted.

To adjust the tightness of the lock, most metal doors have a latch plate with which you can adjust the tightness of the door leaf. In cheap models, you can eliminate the jamming of the bolt by filing the place in the door frame into which it fits, or you can bend the metal a little using pliers.

The door closing tightness is regulated by the shutter bar

In the case when the door closes very easily, you need to pay attention to the condition of the seals. If they wear out, they cannot provide the necessary tightness, and the leaf does not fit tightly to the door frame. It is enough to replace the seal and this problem will disappear.

Repair and replacement of metal door handle

One of the most vulnerable elements of a door is the handle. Metal doors are usually equipped with push handles, but they can also be stationary.

Most often, push handles are used; they are used to control the door lock tongue and also to move the door leaf, while the stationary handle only serves to open/close the door.

Using the push handle, the door is opened/closed and the lock tongue is controlled

A stationary handle rarely breaks; this usually occurs from strong mechanical impact. If it breaks, the handle is replaced, and if the fastening is loosened, the fasteners are tightened.

The push handle has a more complex design, which is why it breaks much more often. The following breakdowns may occur:

Failure of the moving mechanism. The fastening bar and the movable handle are connected to each other by a special movable mechanism. The handle falling out of the socket can occur due to strong mechanical stress if it is made of poor steel or bad riveting. In such situations, the handle cannot be repaired and it must be replaced with a new one.
Problems with the rod. The rod that transmits the force from the movable handle to the lock tongue has a square cross-section. If when you turn the handle, it works normally, but the tongue does not move, then there is a problem with the rod. It may break during operation or, due to loosening of the handle, jump out of its place. In rare cases, the seat in the handle wears out and the rod in it begins to rotate. It is enough to replace the rod or insert it into place and this problem will disappear.
The handle does not return to its original position. To return the handle, a spiral spring is used, which is attached to the bar on one side and to the handle on the other. The spring may come out of its fastenings or break. To eliminate such a malfunction, it is enough to insert the spring into place or replace it with a new one.
The handle falls out. This occurs due to a broken retaining ring. It can either loosen or burst; replacement is done after disassembling the handle.

In order to remove the push handle on a metal door, you must perform the following operations:

If there is a decorative trim, the disassembly procedure will be slightly different:

When it is only necessary to replace failed elements, then they are replaced, and if this is not possible, then they purchase the same handle and install it in place of the broken one.

How to lubricate a metal door

Lubricating a door is a simple task that any home handyman can do on his own. The creaking of the door leaf is not only annoying, but also indicates that the door is not working properly and this negatively affects its performance and service life.

First, you need to determine and eliminate the reason why the creaking occurred, and only then move on to the lubrication process. Reasons why creaking appears:

lack of lubrication; over time, lubricant leaks out of the hinges and they begin to creak during operation;
corrosion, this is the most common reason, since the doors are entrance doors, the hinges are constantly susceptible to the negative effects of moisture, which can cause rust and destruction of the metal;
wear of the hinges, when the hinges are not lubricated in time, they wear out and if it is large, then the failed elements will have to be replaced;
debris, dust or debris may get in and clog the hinges;
the canvas is distorted, and both the hinges and the canvas that rubs against the box can creak.

To lubricate metal doors, various materials can be used, but most often they are:

WD 40, this lubricant helps remove corrosion and creates a thin film on the surface that prevents the development of corrosion and improves gliding;
litol - frost-resistant and moisture-resistant material;
grease;
Cyatim is a universal product, which is a thickened oil with the addition of antioxidant additives.

It is better to use thick products to lubricate a metal door.

If you don’t have the described products at hand, you can use waste oil, sewing machine oil, or graphite shavings, which are obtained from the lead of a simple pencil.

It is preferable to lubricate parts with thick products, as they will provide good gliding over a longer period of time.

When lubricating the door, you must adhere to the following rules:

In order for a metal door to work for a long time and silently, it is necessary to lubricate it periodically.

Video: repairing a metal entrance door

Restoration of metal entrance doors

Over time, the appearance of a metal entrance door becomes less attractive, it loses its original appearance, and rust may appear. Even if the door is in good condition, after some time it may become outdated and will not match the interior or exterior design of the house, so there is a need to change its appearance.

The most popular methods of restoring a metal entrance door are:

Painting. For these purposes, acrylic, automotive, and hammer paint can be used, with which you can simply and quickly restore a metal sheet.
Painting is the most affordable method of restoration
Faux leather upholstery. This method is suitable for decorating a door on the side of the room. This solution allows you to additionally insulate the door leaf, but if there is a cat or dog in the house, it will not last long.
Faux leather upholstery allows for additional insulation of the door
Laminate covering. You can create a solution that will fit into any interior. It can be used both inside and outside the door. The disadvantage of this restoration method is the high cost of the material.
A metal door can be sheathed with laminate both inside and outside
Powder coating. The surface turns out durable and beautiful, but you won’t be able to apply powder paint at home; this can only be done in special workshops, but it will still be cheaper than buying a new door.
Powder paint can only be applied in a specialized workshop
MDF panels. MDF plates allow you to create a beautiful and high-quality coating; they are easy to care for and such a metal door will serve for many years.
Using MDF overlays, you can quickly and easily restore a metal door
Natural wood. This method allows you to transform an ordinary metal door and turn it into a real work of art. This canvas is decorated with carvings and does not differ in appearance from that made from natural wood.
A metal door covered with wood looks like a product made of natural wood

The choice of method for restoring a metal door depends on the desire and capabilities of the owner; most options can be implemented with your own hands.

Video: replacing a decorative MDF panel

How to dismantle a metal entrance door

In order to dismantle a metal front door yourself, you first need to prepare all the necessary tools:

hammer;
crowbar;
spanners;
Bulgarian.

Sequentially dismantling a metal door:

All that remains is to clear the doorway of debris and you can proceed to installing a new door.

Video: dismantling a metal entrance door

If there is a need to repair metal entrance doors, you need to adequately assess your capabilities and decide whether you can cope with such work without the help of specialists. If there is no such confidence, then instead of fixing one breakdown, you can create several more problems. Much depends on the quality of the door; if it is an expensive model, then you should not take risks and it is better to invite a specialist to repair it. You can handle the repair of a budget metal door yourself, you just need to first determine the breakdown, the cause of its occurrence, and only then begin to fix the problem. You must act in accordance with developed technologies and adhere to the recommendations of specialists.

Entrance doors protect the room from cold, dirt and temperature changes, but as a result they themselves are exposed to these factors. As a result, the structure may need to be repaired, the technique of which is selected depending on the type of breakdown or defect. High-quality tools and adherence to work technology will ensure that deficiencies are quickly eliminated and the functionality of the door is maintained.

Rules for repairing entrance doors with your own hands

Many damage to entrance doors can be repaired independently and without the help of a specialist. To do this, you should take into account the basic repair rules to prevent new damage to the structure. This is true for doors made of different materials and of any type.

Correctly carried out repairs to the front door can restore its appearance and functionality.

The repair method is determined depending on the material from which the door is made. But there are situations when the technology for eliminating breakage is suitable for paintings of any type. In such cases, the following rules must be taken into account:

before work, you need to carry out an inspection to assess damage, determine the quantity and type of materials needed;
if any part needs to be replaced, you need to prepare a new element with the same parameters as the broken one;
power tools must work accurately and efficiently, since their improper operation can cause new defects;
after repair, it is best to take measures to prevent breakdowns, for example, install a door closer for accurate movement of the blade;
If restoration of a wooden door or extensive work to improve the metal door is necessary, the door is removed from its hinges and the repairs are carried out in a spacious room.

These recommendations will help make repairs effective and easily master the technology on your own. There is no need to use complex tools, but all materials used must be of high quality.

Repair tool

A set of tools for repairing the front door is selected depending on the type of problem. A building level will be needed to level the canvas, and a tape measure will allow you to take measurements. These tools will be useful for repairing any type of door damage.

The level is used to align structural elements horizontally and vertically

The following equipment and materials may also be needed for the work:

screwdriver and screws;
gun with polyurethane foam, sealant and glue;
flat and Phillips screwdrivers;
pencil, sharp knife;
socket and hex keys;
hinge lubricant.

If wooden doors are being repaired, it may be necessary to use a sanding machine to eliminate uneven surfaces. To repair such paintings, you also need brushes or a spray gun, colored wood putty, a hacksaw and a drill.

How to adjust entrance doors

One of the most common repair operations is adjusting the entrance blade. This process involves adjusting the door hinges, which is required when the structure is sagging, as well as adjusting the lock, handle and other fittings if necessary. To do this, you will definitely need a construction level that allows you to control the quality of work.

Most elements of modern door hardware have built-in adjustment mechanisms

Adjusting the movement mechanism and other parts requires precision and accuracy in work. Without this, you cannot get the desired result, and the doors will not be functional enough. Incorrect actions may result in new damage.

Adjusting internal hinges

Hidden or internal hinges are a common option for fittings for entrance doors made of steel, aluminum, and wood. Such parts are invisible from the outside, are mounted inside the canvas and the box and are distinguished by the fact that they are difficult to hack. Adjustment can be carried out in three directions; there is no need to remove the fittings for this.

The internal hinges are adjustable in all three directions.

Adjusting the hinges is necessary when the leaf touches the door frame when moving or there is a gap when the door is closed. Adjustment is made with a 4 mm hex key in the following sequence.

Open the door completely to gain easy access to all adjustment screws.
Use a wrench to tighten or loosen the screws, depending on what kind of adjustment is required. If the canvas touches the threshold at the bottom, then tighten the upper loops.
Loosen the outer tightening screws - lower and upper, turning them counterclockwise. Unscrew the recessed screws. Tighten or loosen the central fastening as necessary.
Hidden fasteners are cleaned of dust and lubricated. After this, all the screws are tightened in the opposite order.

When adjusting, it is important to remember that if you tighten the top screw and loosen the bottom screw, the blade will lower slightly. The opposite manipulations allow you to lift the door, but it is important not to tighten the parts too much.

What to do if the door sags

As a result of frequent opening/closing or deformation of the opening, the front door may settle and begin to touch the threshold when moving. This can happen to both wooden and metal structures. One of the common causes of such a defect is loosening of the hinges. In this case, you should tighten the bolts with a screwdriver, adjusting the blade.

If the adjustment does not solve the problem of web sagging, a number of other actions should be taken.

Eliminating subsidence in wood, plastic or metal sheets always requires inspection and determination of the location of the strongest deviation. This will help find out the reason. It is worth remembering that deformation is possible due to shrinkage of the building, which often happens in monolithic and block houses. In such situations, a major alignment of the opening and removal of the door and frame is required.

Setting up the front door peephole

Any entrance structures can be equipped with an optical device such as a peephole, which serves to view the space behind the door. Its design includes a lens and an eyepiece housed in a metal housing. The effectiveness of the peephole depends on compliance with the installation and adjustment rules.

The door peephole consists of a lens and an eyepiece placed in a metal housing

To properly configure and adjust this device, perform the following steps.

Video: installing a peephole on a metal door

Do-it-yourself front door repair

During operation of the front door, not only adjustments, but also repairs may be required. This process can be carried out independently using high-quality tools and materials. In particularly difficult situations, for example, when there is a lot of wear on the door leaf, it is necessary to replace the old door with a new one.

Any doors may require repair or replacement after some time

Repairing doors made of wood and metal in many cases has a common troubleshooting technology. If you need to repair plastic or aluminum structures with double-glazed windows, you need to contact a professional technician.

Replacing a door handle

The front door handle is a common reason for front door repairs. If the handle is broken, you will need to replace the old part with a new one. In this case, carry out the following actions.

Replacing stationary models is easier. To do this, you need to unscrew the screws on the broken handle, and then install a new one with the same parameters.

How to repair a front door lock

There are several types of locking devices for entrance doors. The most popular of them are cylinder and lever. In both cases, jamming or poor movement of the mechanisms is possible. To eliminate such defects, you need to lubricate the device with grease. This process involves the following manipulations.

If, when opening the lock, the key turns out to be broken, and part of it remains in the keyhole and it is impossible to pull it out, you need to remove the old cylinder and install a new one. Lubrication will help eliminate jamming, squeaking and other similar defects.

Video: repairing the front door lock

How to replace the front door

Door structures that have not been repaired for many years and are characterized by a high degree of wear and tear (large dents, chips, cracks, delamination, etc.) require replacement. This requires large-scale actions, which include the following.

Dismantling the old door along with the frame, if it is severely deformed, split, etc.
It is necessary to remove the old door along with the frame, and then level the entrance opening
Leveling the opening by filling and installing even wooden blocks.
Assembling and installing a new box, if necessary.
Installation of hinges on the frame post, hanging the door leaf.
After installing the door frame, hinges are mounted on it, and then the leaf is hung
The lock, handle and peephole are installed after hanging the canvas.
At the final stage, the platbands are mounted along the edge of the box on the wall.

These stages of work are relevant when replacing wooden, metal or plastic doors. The main difference in working with these structures may lie in the fittings used, for example, the type of hinges.

Video: installing a metal entrance door

Door hinge repair

Hinges are the driving mechanism of the door. At the entrance structures, these elements are exposed to dust and dirt, temperature changes and other negative factors. Abrupt opening/closing of the blade can also lead to breakage of the hinges, resulting in the need for their repair. This process involves replacing broken or lubricating creaking fittings.

If the hinges creak, they need to be lubricated with a few drops of machine oil or a special aerosol.

If the core wears out as a result of friction, it is best to replace the entire element. In some cases, an additional steel ring can be installed. To do this, remove the fabric from the hinges and install a ring on the core of each of the elements remaining on the box. Its diameter must be sufficient to fit freely onto the core and securely fix it. The hinges are pre-lubricated, and after repair the canvas is hung in place.

Installing a ring is a temporary solution; in the future, you need to replace the hinges

If the door is metal and the hinges are welded to the door leaf, then their repair is complicated and requires removing old elements by cutting them off with a grinder and welding new ones.

Video: features of metal door elements

What to do if the box breaks

A metal or wooden box is the base in which the canvas is placed. Deformation and slight curvature of the box can be eliminated using a mallet or screwing self-tapping screws/anchor bolts to the wall. If the structure has cracks, severe dents, or a high degree of wear as a result of lack of repair for many years, then the box must be replaced.

When repairing a metal box, you need to take into account its design and degree of wear.

Deformation of the door base can occur as a result of too much weight of the door leaf and insufficient number of hinges. If the defect is small, then additional hinges should be installed as soon as possible, and if the box is cracked or detached from the wall, it may need to be replaced. If the opening has a greater depth than the one occupied by the door, then installation of extensions is necessary.

Video: how to install front door trims

How to restore the front door with your own hands

Significant repairs to the front door may not be necessary if there are minor scratches on the door leaf, creaking has occurred, or other small defects have appeared. In such cases, the door is restored, the technique of which depends on the material of the door. The most common situations are:

small scratches on a wooden door can be easily removed with colored furniture wax or a marker, applying the product to the damage and removing the excess with a napkin;
cracks up to 1 mm wide on wooden panels can be repaired with a special acrylic putty, which is applied in a small amount to the surface, and then the area is covered with paint, varnish or painted over with a furniture marker;
scratches and chips on a metal door can be painted over with a furniture marker, but there is a high probability of corrosion when the paint is chipped;
if the doors are plastic, then they should be washed with products for glass and plastic; restoration of such products is not carried out;
wooden doors with old leatherette upholstery need periodic replacement of this material. To do this, foam rubber is glued to the canvas, and then leatherette is secured with staples, tucking the edges.

Video: example of restoration of a wooden door

Repairing entrance doors made of any materials requires care and adherence to technology. This will allow you to get a high-quality result and avoid the need to replace an expensive element of the furniture. Regular inspection of the structure and its careful operation will also help prevent serious damage.

– the most common way to protect premises of any type: from a warehouse to an apartment. They have long come to replace old, Soviet wooden panels and meet a number of mandatory criteria: safety, reliability, durability and others. Over time, as a result of frequent use and external (atmospheric) phenomena, the door and parts may begin to malfunction and cause inconvenience to the owners. Therefore, it is important to know what problems you can fix yourself.

Main defects of entrance doors

Most often, troubles happen with the following components of door structures (in descending order):

Locks;
Accessories;
Door frame;
Damage to the canvas;
Decorative elements (platband).

No matter how careful their use is, sooner or later, if not man, then nature becomes the cause of various defects.

The sun damages the coating, the paint fades, cold and moisture negatively affect the fit of the metal. In addition to operation and atmospheric phenomena, there is another reason - negligence during the installation of a door block in an apartment, house, or warehouse. If you are unable to identify and neutralize the breakdown on your own, you can contact the installer; it’s good if there is a warranty.

Warp door leaf

A number of signs indicating imbalance:

Doesn't close well;
Clings to the threshold of the doorway,
Thermal insulation violations appeared;
Extraneous noise is heard from the street.

If one of the signs is present, it is necessary to repair metal doors. Reasons for failure:

Heaviness - the hinges of the mechanism are not powerful enough and wear out. It is necessary to replace the parts with more powerful ones. But if welding was used when installing the door leaf, the hinges cannot be replaced. If there is sagging, there is another little trick - put a nut or washer on the top hinge, be sure to lubricate the parts with machine oil.
Shrinkage of the structure - the problem concerns private houses (brick, block, cinder block buildings). The frame moves, so you can put something under the bottom of the doorway to correct the situation.

Removing rust from iron doors

Before installation, the door leaf is always coated with a special product and then paint is applied. But as the years go by, the paint cracks and peels off.

The first signs of corrosion are usually observed at the bottom of the doorway.

To revive the door and give it a “fresh” look, it is necessary to carry out a number of actions. Repairing entrance doors should begin with preparing the necessary tools:

Sandpaper (medium and fine);
Brushes for working on metal surfaces;
Solvent;
Rubber spatula;
Putty;
Primer;
Dye;
Gloves.

When everything is ready, you can begin repairing steel doors:

In order not to stain the casing, you need to cover it with fabric (film);
Remove the fittings;
Removing old paint;
Sanding the structure (first with coarse sandpaper, then with fine sandpaper);
Lubricate the door with solvent (degrease);
After drying, putty on the desired areas and let dry;
Second stage of grinding;
Primer;
Correct painting of doors is done in a horizontal position to avoid drips. Sand the unsatisfactory areas. Return to the location of the doorway.
Return the fittings to their place.

The front door creaks

Most often, old entrance doors creak due to many years of exposure to temperature changes. There is no need to repair such old wooden door panels, limiting yourself to processing with graphite powder (even a pencil from office supplies will do).

When a creaking noise appears in a new structure, repairs should begin with diagnosing the doorway.

You need to look for places where wear is visible. This is a consequence of misalignment, so the door must be adjusted immediately. You will need the following tools:

Key (hexagon);
Wrench (socket);
Flat screwdriver;
Phillips screwdriver;
Lubricating fluid.

Repair options:

Check the hinges: loosen, press the door leaf, tighten the hinges little by little. You need to shake it to get the hinges into place. Close - open the door several times.
Hinges and screws “walk” due to poor fixation - tighten the bolts, use glue and matches to make a plug and fix the screw.
Due to moisture, rust can form in the hinges; they must be lubricated with any oil (machine oil, sunflower oil).

To avoid a similar problem in the future, you need to lubricate the hinges of the doorway with paraffin.

More information about repairing iron doors in the video:

Blowing through metal doors

Both owners of old and new iron door structures face the problem of ventilation (when installed in the summer, the problem is unnoticeable, but in the winter, drafts do their job, especially in the apartment). Fortunately, there is a special material that eliminates the problem. It contains silicone and rubber. The sheet, approximately five meters in diameter, has an adhesive side that is securely attached to the outside of the façade.

Trim and fittings and poor entrance door ledge

Sheathing is replaced when the old covering is worn out and does not suit the design of the room. The choice of material is huge:

Leatherette finish;
Laminated coating;
MDF type panels are aesthetic and durable;
Vinyl covering;
Leather and leatherette;
Films.

The fitting components include:

Pen;
Peephole;
Chain;
Other details.

Most often the problem is in the handle. To repair it, it is necessary to dismantle it and check the tongue.

If the new door leaf does not close well or the door handle is difficult to press, then most likely this is not a breakdown, but the result of the fact that the parts have not yet been fully adjusted and need a little time.

If it is difficult to open, there may be a problem with the insertion of the tongue. Then you need to install a rail in the mechanism box to accurately fit into the doorway block. This problem is the lot of cheap lock models.

During operation, any, even the most reliable and strong structure, sooner or later loses its consumer qualities and becomes unusable. The metal entrance door is no exception. However, before you start searching for and purchasing new iron doors, you should think about the possibility of repairs, which will certainly cost much less. Of course, it is not always possible to do it on your own and often you have to turn to specialists. But timely identification of the causes of malfunctions helps to avoid complex and time-consuming work.

Possible reasons for repairing metal doors

Repairing a steel door means restoring its functions, as well as restoring or replacing the decorative coating. The root causes of malfunctions may be:

initial violation of the structure installation technology;
attempted unauthorized entry;
broken door locks;
natural wear and tear of parts during operation.

For metal entrance doors exposed to direct environmental influences, additional reasons are considered: exposure to humidity and temperature changes. Water condensation that collects in the locking mechanisms and freezes at subzero temperatures can damage them. The formation of rust destroys door hinges, which causes misalignment of iron doors. In addition, the weld seam is always the most vulnerable point of metal structures to rust, so a welded door hinge can simply come off.

Timely identification of the causes and proper maintenance of entrance doors help in some cases to get by with minor preventive repairs. However, some types of malfunctions that require a radical reinstallation of the door leaf may require significant financial expenses. In these cases, the most practical solution would be to purchase and install new metal doors.

Warping of entrance doors

The presence of stiffeners inside the metal door leaf greatly helps prevent distortion. The resulting defect is immediately noticeable - the door begins to cling to the threshold, closes poorly, and the heat and sound insulation is compromised. The reasons for the distortion are often:

shrinkage of the foundation of the house;
large mass of metal doors;
hinge wear.

In new buildings, especially block or monolithic construction, shrinkage often occurs. Residents who move in, trying to quickly furnish their own home, begin its renovation by installing new doors. Shrinkage of the foundation of the house leads to skewing of the door and disruption of the geometry of the door frame. If in a private household it is sometimes possible to eliminate such a distortion by driving a wedge under the sagging part, then in a panel high-rise building such an option is practically excluded. This will probably require reinstallation of the entire door unit.

The multilayer structure of entrance doors made of steel sheets can have quite a significant mass, as a result of which even high-quality hinges will not be able to hold it. After some time, the door sags and does not close. It is difficult to cope with such a problem, since dismantling and installing new hinges usually requires welding. Over time, such a breakdown may occur again, therefore, when choosing entrance doors, the closest attention should be paid to the compliance of the door being hung and the massiveness of the retaining hinge.

It is quite possible to radically solve the issue and change the door hinges yourself, if they are not tightly welded, but screwed on. The correct selection of fittings, in which the holes on the hinge card and on the box match exactly, will greatly simplify such repairs.

But most often, misalignment of iron doors occurs due to mechanical wear of the door hinges, which even their regular lubrication cannot save. Constant work on abrasion with a significant weight of the canvas leads to uneven selection of the base of the hinge body, so the doors give a slight distortion. In this case, it is possible to restore the hinge by attaching a washer of appropriate thickness to its pin.

Broken metal door lock

The most common and common cause of malfunctioning metal doors is damage to the locks. In some cases, depending on the type of constipation installed, you can make such repairs yourself. For cylinder-type locks, for example, sometimes it is enough to replace the cylinder. It is removed by simply unscrewing the fastening screw at the end of the door. Level locks, as a rule, cannot be repaired, so the issue is resolved by completely replacing the failed mechanism. The main obstacle here is finding locks of similar design and dimensions.

A more serious problem arises when using complex safe-type locks as locks. Such repairs cannot be done without the help of specialists and involve the removal of the door trim. The cost of repairs can be expensive and it is often cheaper to install a new door.

Sometimes when closing the door, when it is impossible to turn the key when locking, it turns out that the door has sagged a little and the lock bolts do not fit into the counterpart on the frame. In this case, the hinges will need to be replaced or restored. If the lock jams when opening the doors, it may simply need to be lubricated.

Installation of armored lining

When repairing metal doors, sometimes additional protection against burglary is necessary, which is the installation of an armored lining. It consists of two hardened steel plates, tightened through the door leaf with screws. There are three main types of such protection:

armored lining;
mortise-type armor plate;
mortise plate on the lock cylinder.

The cheapest and most accessible method is the first option, in which the plate is installed directly on the front of the cylinder. The mortise armored lining is located directly on the lock body and is tightened with screws on the back side of the doors. Such protection is invisible and reliable. An armor plate embedded in the steel door leaf is considered practically impregnable.

Restoration and replacement of sheathing

When repairing painted steel doors, it is usually necessary to restore the protective paint layer. If the sash is peeling and rusty, then it will be difficult to get by with simple painting. Repair and restoration, in this case, includes a certain list of works:

removing fittings and seals;
cleaning the surface from rust and degreasing it;
applying putty to rusted areas;
priming the surface followed by applying the first paint layer;
sanding the dried layer from smudges and final painting of the doors.

After the surface has completely dried, the removed fittings are installed on the repaired canvas in the reverse order and a new seal is glued.

Restoration and repairs are carried out on a door removed from its hinges and positioned horizontally.

Replacing the cladding for the purpose of updating is usually done with similar cladding materials. However, restoration and repair also make it possible to add additional performance qualities to it. A large selection of materials - lining, MDF panels or laminate - help give a completely new and attractive look to an old door.

The entrance metal door is regularly exposed to the negative effects of atmospheric phenomena, as well as the process of opening and closing. As a result: the door leaf, frame and fittings prematurely lose their appearance and fall out of working condition. There is an urgent need to carry out routine repairs to the metal entrance door.

Regardless of what kind of repairs are planned, you need to remember that the external metal door is designed to be reliable protection against intruders and to ensure the safety of warmth and silence in the house. It should also decorate the facade of a private house or the entrance to an apartment.

Main faults of the entrance door

Most often, the following elements of a metal entrance door fail:

A lock is a locking mechanism.
Accessories - handles, hinges, peephole.
Box. A common situation is when the box changes its geometry or simply falls out of the opening.
Door leaf. Loss of the original appearance and damage to integrity is a fairly common problem for front door users.
Platbands are a decorative element that is very often subject to mechanical stress.

Each problem, to one degree or another, occurs due to improper operation. The scorching sun heats the surface of the door leaf, causing it to lose its color, the paint begins to fall off, and the casing begins to burst. Rain, snow and ice also have a very negative impact on the integrity of the structure.

As a rule, repair of metal entrance doors includes the following activities:

lock replacement or repair;
elimination of distortion;
cleaning of corrosion stains on the door leaf;
restoration of worn upholstery;
worn out fittings.

Lock failure

The technological process of repairing and installing locks on metal doors completely depends on the features of their design. The most commonly used and easiest to repair iron doors are lever and cylinder mechanisms.

Replacing the cylinder lock

To begin, unscrew the locking screw, which is located in the strip of the end part of the door leaf. Insert the key into the hole from inside the house, and turning it lightly, remove the lock core. Prepare new components. The basic parameters of the new core must completely coincide with the part that requires replacement.

Insert the new cylinder into the corresponding hole in the door leaf. Secure the core with the locking screw. Check the quality of work.

Replacing the lever lock

Repairing lever locks on a metal entrance door follows almost the same pattern as installing a new cylinder-type lock.