Soundproofed Entrance Doors: Device, Components, Installation And Operation Features

2024 Author: Bailey Albertson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-01-17 22:26

Arrangement of entrance doors with noise insulation, their installation and operation

While in their home, many people want to rest, fenced off from the outside world. But the silence and tranquility of home comfort can be disturbed by the banal noise penetrating through the doorway. It's all to blame for the poor-quality soundproofing of the front door. This problem is especially relevant in multi-storey buildings, where stomping and shuffling of feet on the stairs, the voices of neighbors and the noise of an elevator are constantly heard. To all this can be added the driveway echo, which increases extraneous sounds. To avoid such unpleasant moments, you need to think about soundproofing the front door, especially since this work can be done independently.

Content

• 1 Arrangement of entrance doors with noise insulation

  1.1 Video: soundproofing the front door

• 2 Varieties of soundproofed entrance doors and their characteristics

  • 2.1 Photo gallery: types of entrance doors
  • 2.2 Video: how to choose an entrance door - ways to cheat a buyer
  • 2.3 Resistance to hacking
  • 2.4 Absorption of external noise and low thermal conductivity
  • 2.5 Fittings
  • 2.6 Frame of the door frame
  • 2.7 Appearance of the front door

• 3 Making an entrance door with noise insulation with your own hands

  • 3.1 Removing the upholstery
  • 3.2 Selection of noise insulation materials
  • 3.3 Installation of noise-absorbing materials
  • 3.4 Installing electrical wiring
  • 3.5 Door decoration
  • 3.6 Video: insulation and noise insulation of the front door

• 4 Installation of entrance doors with sound insulation

  4.1 Video: how to install an entrance metal door with your own hands

• 5 Repair and adjustment of soundproofed entrance doors

  • 5.1 Adjusting the buttonhole

    5.1.1 Video: repair and adjustment of the hinges of the Chinese entrance door

  • 5.2 Troubleshooting the door lock mechanism

    5.2.1 Video: why the entrance lock wedges

  • 5.3 Misaligned door or door frame
  • 5.4 Corrosion of metal parts of the door

  • 5.5 Front door creak

    5.5.1 Video: how to lubricate hinges - three ways

  • 5.6 Stiff doorway
  • 5.7 Slots and gaps

• 6 Maintenance of soundproofed entrance doors

  6.1 Video: how to give an iron door a neat look

• 7 Accessories for soundproofed entrance doors

  7.1 Video: door fittings - types of metal alloys

Arrangement of entrance doors with noise insulation

The entrance doors, which isolate the interior of the dwelling from external noise, are a structure consisting of a solid supporting frame with stiffening ribs, into which special materials are installed to prevent the penetration of sound waves. But the creation of high-quality and functional sound insulation of entrance doors is not limited to their internal content. Important components of the entire structure are also:

• sheathing of external and internal doors;
• special overlays on the outer surface of the entrance door;
• door frame with installed sealing strips, in which all gaps are treated with polyurethane foam or sealant;

• special overlays, plates and fasteners that not only protect the door from burglary, but also additionally hide all cracks and gaps.

  

  To ensure good sound insulation, special sound-absorbing materials are installed inside the canvas, and all other elements are carefully treated with sealants and covered with sealing tapes and plates

Noise insulation layer for entrance doors is produced in the form of hard and soft slabs, roll, bulk or sprayed material. The installed sound barrier of the doorway simultaneously delays external noise and serves as a heater.

An important element of both sound insulation and insulation of the entrance door is the seals located around the sash perimeter. It should be borne in mind that these parts are most susceptible to wear, therefore, after 2-3 years of operation, you need to take care of their repair or replacement.

Front door seals have a self-adhesive surface protected by an easily removable tape

Very often, tenants, without dismantling the old doorway, install new entrance doors. As a result, an air pocket of 15 to 30 cm is formed between the old and new sashes. This distance depends on the thickness of the load-bearing wall or the depth of the door frame in the opening. T Which option to some degree justified, since the airbag holds the cold, and the double amount of linings and internal doors materials well insulates noise. However, such a design over time will require double the cost of repair or replacement of materials. In addition, not everyone likes to open and close several locks in order to get out of the room or enter it.

Double entrance doors isolate the home well from extraneous sounds, but require opening and closing several locks

Video: soundproofing the front door

Varieties of soundproofed entrance doors and their characteristics

As a rule, the bearing part of the entrance door is made of metal. In this regard, metal doors with soundproof fillers can be found in any private or multi-storey building. Entrance doors with noise insulation can be roughly divided into several types or classes:

• inexpensive doors or in another way - economy class;
• premium and luxury doors.

Depending on the requirements for the production and selection of materials, they differ in the following indicators.

1. Resistant to hacking.
2. The ability to high-quality sound insulation and thermal insulation.
3. The quality of the fittings used.
4. The reliability of the door frame.
5. Appearance and aesthetics.

Photo gallery: types of entrance doors

Inexpensive doors are the most popular, but not the most reliable and high quality

In such doors, as a rule, more expensive and high-quality materials are used, therefore the level of sound insulation is much higher.

Elite entrance doors are usually produced according to special projects, which indicate the requirements for all characteristics and materials

Video: how to choose an entrance door - ways to cheat a buyer

Hacking resistance

Manufacturers conditionally divided the resistance of entrance doors to burglaries into 13 degrees. For residential premises, doors are mainly produced from the first to the third class. Grades 4 to 13 are more commonly used to determine the resistance to burglary of premises with bank safes or cash vaults.

1. The first degree includes doors that are easy to open using simple tools without the use of electrical equipment and physical force.
2. The second degree includes structures that are difficult to crack without electrical equipment.
3. The third degree is assigned to doors, which can be broken only when using electrical equipment with a power of at least 500 W.

The degrees of resistance of doors to burglary with the highest parameters are assigned to structures that are equipped with bulletproof coatings.

Bullet-proof entrance doors withstand shots at close range from various caliber weapons

Of course, this criterion also implies the presence of reliable locking devices.

For the manufacture of burglar-resistant entrance doors, steel sheets are used, between which a metal frame is placed. The optimum steel sheet thickness is 1.5 mm. Such surfaces reliably protect the entire structure and do not make it bulky and heavy.

One of the most vulnerable spots of the front door is the hinge. In this regard, they are often hidden. Anti-removable pins are used as an additional safety net against burglary. When the door is closed, this structural element is located in the door frame. If there are anti-removable pins, it is impossible to remove the door from the hinges. Depending on the manufacturer, the number of such pins can vary from 2 to 5 pieces.

Anti-removable pins prevent you from removing the entrance door from the hinges

External noise absorption and low thermal conductivity

The frame structure of the entrance door has cavities in which various materials are installed, retaining heat in the dwelling and not allowing sounds to pass through. Such layers serve as heat and sound insulation of the door. As additional elements, special seals are used, located around the sash perimeter.

The strips of mineral wool laid between the ribs of the frame serve as one of the sound-insulating layers of the entrance door

A reliable barrier against cold, heat and extraneous noise are materials such as polystyrene, mineral wool slabs, polyurethane foam. For example, a 10 cm thick foam plastic slab is equivalent to a 1 m brick wall in terms of its heat and sound insulation qualities. Polyurethane foam has similar characteristics with a layer thickness of only 5 cm.

Polyfoam is an affordable and effective material for door sound insulation

Fittings

Door hardware usually refers to a lock and hinges. In fact, all kinds of overlays, door closers, sight glasses and various clamps belong to it. All these elements are made from special materials and have an attractive design. Modern entrance doors are often equipped with special peepholes that have a wide viewing angle. Quite often, you can find doors in which, instead of a peephole, a video camera with flash memory is mounted, which allows you to save a record in a certain volume.

Accessories for the entrance door include not only locks and hinges, but also door closer handles, a door peephole and other necessary elements

An important element of the entrance door hardware is the handle.

High-quality manufacturers of this type of fittings are firms from Italy and Germany. Products are produced in a large assortment, while German door handles are less varied in design.

Door frame frame

The frame must securely hold the structure of the heavy entrance door and have fasteners that go deep into the wall. In such conditions, it will be extremely difficult to get into a home by breaking into.

Metal rods reliably protect the door frame from burglary and deformation

If the door is equipped with anti-removable crossbars that fix its box in a closed state, it will be almost impossible to get inside the dwelling without a key.

Front door appearance

Many owners attach great importance not only to soundproofing qualities, but also to the appearance of the front door. In this regard, almost any material is used to decorate the outer sash. However, preference is given to those of them that have noise insulation characteristics. Coatings with such qualities include:

• plates or panels made of polymer alloys;
• MDF boards;
• high-strength plastic;

• multilayer plywood.

  

  The front door can be beautifully decorated using various decorative elements made of glass, wood, plastic and metal

Making an entrance door with noise insulation with your own hands

You can solve the problem of extraneous noise entering your home from the entrance or street by purchasing an entrance door with materials already installed in it that do not allow sound to pass through. However, it should be borne in mind that the prices for such structures are quite high, especially since they are not sold without a door frame, and therefore, it is necessary to install such an option with the complete dismantling of the old front door and its frame. This process will take a long time, it will require the involvement of specialists, the use of special equipment, as well as significant financial investments.

Complete dismantling of the front door and door frame for the purpose of making noise insulation is advisable only in case of significant damage to its structure. You can isolate your home from extraneous noise by installing a heat and sound insulating filler between the edges of the door leaf frame.

For reliable sound insulation of the entrance door, it is necessary to lay special materials between the ribs of its frame

The process of soundproofing the front door can be roughly divided into several stages.

Removing the upholstery

You need to start work by dismantling the upholstery fabric or other material attached to the outer part of the door leaf. First of all, it is necessary to remove the door from its hinges and lay it in a horizontal position with the outside side up. In cheap designs, the outer flaps are usually fastened with regular nails with caps or brackets. You can remove them without using special equipment.

No special equipment is required to remove the upholstery from the front door

After removing the upholstery and outer covering, you can see its frame, which is made in the form of a rectangular frame with transverse ribs. Usually, door frame designs made of different materials differ little from each other. All elements of the frame must be treated with acetone. For this it is convenient to use a rag moistened with it. When processing the surfaces of the metal frame of the door, it is necessary to work with gloves, as there is a high risk of injuring your hands with burrs.

When working with metal surfaces of the entrance door, you need to take care of the safety of your hands

The choice of noise insulation materials

For effective noise absorption in the entrance door, it is best to use bitumen-based materials that have a self-adhesive backing. These include vibration isolation layers visomat and bimast. Together with them, it is necessary to lay such sound insulators as splen, vibroplast or foil insulation.

It is necessary to lay several layers of insulation and sound-insulating material in the inner space of the door leaf

Very often, unscrupulous manufacturers use polyurethane foam as a sound-absorbing material. This is a gross mistake, since it is more suitable for thermal insulation of cracks and joints. Due to its low weight, polyurethane foam does not provide reliable sound insulation.

Installation of noise-absorbing materials

After processing the surfaces of the entrance door frame, it is necessary to stick sound-absorbing layers. Insulation boards are glued on top of the bitumen layer, while the material that has a greater weight is fixed first. It should be noted that the gluing of noise-absorbing materials should be carried out at temperatures above 25 ° C. If such work is carried out in the winter, then the metal door must be heated with a building hair dryer or a heat gun.

When the voids in the front door frame are filled, you can check the result of the work. To do this, just turn the key in the keyhole. As a result, the noise and clanking of keys on the metal should be minimal.

Polyurethane foam is an excellent sound insulation material

The installation of thermal insulation layers is not a prerequisite for the manufacture of a soundproofed entrance door. However, the presence of materials with low thermal conductivity will make the door more effective not only in terms of thermal insulation, but also further limit the access of external sounds. It is convenient to use foam strips, pieces of foam, fragments of mineral wool or polyurethane foam.

Installation of electrical wiring

In the process of installing noise-insulating layers, it may be necessary to lay cables necessary to connect a radio-controlled lock, a peephole equipped with electronics, a speaker or other device operating from an electrical network.

If you need to lay the cable inside the door leaf, you must use a flexible transition that will help bring the wires into the wall

Decorative design of doors

As decorative elements of the outer sash of the entrance doors, MDF panels, imitation leather with mineral wool filling or wooden lining are used. It is convenient to use liquid nails to secure these materials. As a final touch, decorative strips are glued around the perimeter of the outer sash. On the edges of the door around the perimeter, a sealing material made of foam rubber is glued. It should be noted that the surfaces to which the sealant and decorative coatings are mounted must first be degreased.

Monograms and frames made of plastic, metal or wood can be used as decorative elements for decorating the front door.

Video: insulation and soundproofing of the front door

Installation of entrance doors with noise insulation

Installation of soundproofed entrance doors takes place in the following sequence.

1. Dismantle the old box. For this, cuts are made in several places of the box with the help of a grinder or a hand saw. This will help you easily remove the fragments of the old door frame from the opening.

   

   By sawing or breaking the door frame, it is easier to remove it from the opening

2. Install a new frame in the vacant space, after cleaning and leveling the doorway.

   

   The doorway must have a strictly rectangular shape and smooth side and end edges

3. Using a spirit level, check the position of the new box in all planes. It should be strictly perpendicular to the floor and spaced from the boundaries of the opening at the same distance.

   

   The use of a building level when installing the door is a guarantee of the exact location of the structure in the opening

4. Fix the position of the box with wooden wedges or any other material at hand.

   

   Wooden wedges act as temporary fastening of the door frame

5. Install the door leaf and check the smoothness of its movement, as well as the ease of opening and closing the locks.

6. When the structure is installed evenly, it is finally fixed. It should be noted that the door frame must have at least three fasteners on each side, and two on the top and bottom. To do this, the canvas is removed from the hinges and proceeds to the direct fastening of the door frame to the opening. There are several ways to fix the box in the opening:

   • on anchors or pins;
   • on self-tapping screws;
   • using fasteners of the grip type;

   • by welding.

     

     One of the ways to fix the door frame to the wall is to weld metal pins into the wall.

7. Install the door leaf, then check its operation in the closed and open state. To do this, the door is opened first at 45 and then at 90 degrees. The belt should move easily and stop at the specified points. Spontaneous movement of the door leaf is not allowed. When closed, there should be no gaps or gaps between the box and the wall.

   

   The installed door should not spontaneously open or close

8. Seal all cracks and gaps with cement mortar, polyurethane foam or hermetic mixtures.

   

   Use foam when eliminating cracks in the door frame should be carefully, as it tends to swell when dry

Video: how to install an entrance metal door with your own hands

Repair and adjustment of soundproofed entrance doors

Despite the fact that soundproofed entrance doors have a rigid metal frame, as well as wear-resistant coatings, over time, such a structure requires repair and adjustment. Entrance doors located in multi-storey buildings are not so strongly affected by the environment. However, no matter where they are installed, they need to be adjusted as the seasons change.

It is quite possible to solve most of the problems with the front door yourself, without the involvement of specialists. The following tools are required for repair and adjustment work.

1. A hammer.
2. Bulgarian.
3. Hacksaw for wood and metal.
4. Screwdriver.
5. Building level.
6. Yardstick.
7. Lead pencil.
8. Hex key set.
9. Socket wrench set.
10. Large square.
11. Clamps.
12. File.
13. Special greases for door hinges and locks.
14. Screwdriver.

15. Hammer drill or hammer drill.

    

    When repairing and adjusting the front door, some tools can be replaced with improvised means

Frequent faults and breakdowns of an entrance door with soundproofing have their own nuances, therefore, require separate consideration.

Buttonhole adjustment

Incorrect operation of the hinges is the main reason for the skew of the door leaf. In most cases, the design of the hinges allows them to be adjusted, which usually helps to position the door in the correct position. The sequence of such work is usually described in detail in the instructions for the door, if necessary, it can be found on the Internet. Adjustment occurs in all three planes: width, height and depth.

Each direction has its own hex head bolt. It is recommended to lightly coat the hinges with machine oil or spray with silicone grease. In the process of adjustment, each screw must be turned by a small angle, remembering its original position, and monitor the change in the position of the door.

The hinges are adjusted by turning the hex head screws

Video: repair and adjustment of the hinges of the Chinese front door

Troubleshooting the door lock mechanism

To repair or replace a door lock, you must perform the following operations.

1. Unscrew the retaining screw located on the front plate of the lock on the front side of the door.
2. Insert the key into the keyhole and turn it, thereby displacing the core of the mechanism for extraction.
3. Remove the old mechanism and install a new one in its place.
4. Tighten the locking screw.

5. Check the functionality of the lock.

   

   The locking screws of the lock must be tightened carefully so as not to damage the grooves on the bolt heads

Video: why the entrance lock wedges

Skewed door or door frame

In the event of a skew, an incorrect mechanical operation of the door is immediately felt. Such a breakdown causes a deterioration in the insulating qualities, a loose fit of the door to the box, as well as the appearance of creaks and snags of the canvas on the threshold.

The main reasons for this deformation are the heavy weight of the door leaf, wear of the hinges or deformation of the door frame.

If the cause of the problem is the large weight of the door, then the elimination of the malfunction will consist in adjusting the fittings, which is performed in the following order.

1. Screw on the hinges tightly and fix them. If the hinges are deformed, then they must be replaced with new ones.

2. If the door frame is deformed, adjust it by installing spacers at the base of the structure.

   

   If the distortion is caused by deformation of the hinges, they must be replaced.

Corrosion of metal door parts

To eliminate corrosion damage to the metal, the following materials will be required: solvent, soft spatula, brushes, primer mixtures, paint, metal drill brush attachment. After purchasing everything you need, perform the following steps.

1. Use a metal brush to clean the damaged surface.
2. Degrease the treated area of the door.
3. Putty the specified area and process it with sandpaper.
4. Apply a primer coat and wait until it dries completely.

5. Apply two layers of paint to the area to be treated. The second layer can be painted only after the first one has completely dried.

   

   Rust on the surface of the front door can be removed using sandpaper, a file or a wire brush.

Front door creak

The creak of the front door can be easily eliminated.

1. Raise the door when open.
2. Lubricate the loosened hinge areas with special grease or ordinary machine oil.

3. Spread the applied compound evenly over the entire surface of the hinge rods. To do this, you need to open and close the door several times.

   

   Front door squeaks can be easily eliminated with WD-40 aerosol, silicone grease or machine oil

Video: how to lubricate hinges - three ways

Tight porch of the door

The malfunction in the form of a tight porch has two reasons.

1. Thick sealing layer.
2. Inconsistency of the location of the hole in the clamping bar and the bolt or lever of the locking mechanism.

In the first case, the problem arises when installing new sealing layers. As a rule, such a defect will correct itself over time. Therefore, it is impractical to cut the seal, as this may cause gaps and crevices in the future.

To eliminate the defect in the second case, you can use a file or pliers, carefully expanding the hole in the clamping bar. Another way to solve this problem involves adjusting the tension of the door sash.

One of the reasons for the tight rebate of the door is the new seal, which over time is worn in and softens the closing

Slots and gaps

Slots and gaps are eliminated by replacing the sealing strips and linings.

It must be remembered that the seal wears out several years after installation.

Caring for soundproofed entrance doors

Proper care of a soundproofed entrance door will prolong its performance and retain its original appearance. The minimum technical maintenance for the front door is as follows.

1. It is necessary to periodically check the serviceability of the outer cover, hinges, locking devices and other decorative elements of the structure.
2. When wet processing the front door parts, do not allow moisture to enter the mechanisms and soundproof layers.
3. At least twice a year, all moving parts of the door must be treated with machine oil or penetrating greases specially designed for entrance doors. To do this, use WD-40 grease or its analogues - M40, CX-80, Addinol KO 6-F, DG-40 3 ton.
4. The outer and inner covering of the entrance door must be periodically wiped with a cloth soaked in soapy water. After drying, the surface must be wiped with a dry cloth.
5. It is not recommended to service the door at temperatures below 0 ° C.
6. The bolts of the metal door fittings must be tightened with a screwdriver once every three months.
7. So that the surface of the front door does not lose its original color, it is unacceptable to use substances containing acetone and solvents for its processing.

8. It is better to wipe the metal parts of the fittings with a dry cloth.

   

   Proper care of the front door eliminates the use of a large amount of moisture and aggressive chemicals

Video: how to give an iron door a neat look

Accessories for entrance doors with noise insulation

After repairing an entrance door, you usually want to update a door handle, lock or decorative trim. At such a moment, the main selection criterion is the external attractiveness of the door components. However, this decision is erroneous, since it is more expedient to focus on quality for entrance doors.

When choosing door handles, you need to ask about the company and the country of origin, the properties of the material, as well as the purpose of the door (external or interior). It should always be remembered that such door parts as hinges and locks are subject to periodic mechanical stress. In this regard, it is better to purchase high-quality components.

The appearance of the front door handle should not be the main selection criterion

When choosing door hinges, it will be useful to inquire about the presence of anti-cuts and reinforced linings. These elements will not only strengthen the door structure, but will also play the role of additional burglary protection. The number of hinges for the front door also matters. According to the standard, 3 pieces are needed, and if the door is more than 210 cm in height, it is installed on 4 canopies.

Powerful adjustable hinges are installed on the entrance doors

When choosing locks, it is also not worth saving. No matter how armored and insulated the door is, an unreliable lock can cause intruders to enter the home. Today, mechanical, lever and cylinder locks are popular. It should be noted that for entrance doors it is better to use lever and mechanical locking devices. It is better to install locks with a cylinder mechanism on interior doors. This is due to the fact that it is not difficult for a knowledgeable person to open a door equipped with a cylinder mechanism. To do this, it is enough to stick a screwdriver between the body of the locking device and the door leaf, and hit from above with a heavy object. As a result, the lock breaks in the area of the mounting hole (inside the door). Then it is easy to remove the lock cylinder and open the door.

A reliable front door lock will become an insurmountable barrier for thieves

Video: door fittings - types of metal alloys

The manufacture and installation of soundproofed doors are processes that can be carried out without outside help. The key to the reliability of the front door will be the choice of quality materials and components, the purchase of which is not worth saving money.