It is not by chance that drafts, foreign odors, and noise appear in our apartments. The point is not at all in the thickness of the door, as many are accustomed to thinking, but in the seal. After all, the tightness of the door blocks depends on it. You can adequately assess the quality of the seal for a metal door by understanding how tightly the leaf sits in the frame, whether there are cracks or gaps. Nothing breaks, nothing comes off, you can calm down. Your iron doors are reliably protected. But if the rubber is frayed and a characteristic knock is heard when opening, then most likely it’s time to change the seal.
Types of seals for metal doors
Experts distinguish several types. First of all, the material, design, and cross-section are taken into account. The latter characterizes the cross-sectional shape of the seal and is indicated by Latin letters. The standard configuration involves the use of O and D profiles. Minimum gaps of up to 3 millimeters are eliminated by the C profile; for larger ones you will need V and P-shaped inserts.
Seals are made from foam rubber, rubber, silicone, plastic, and polyethylene foam. The method of fastening also differs. Self-adhesive seal for metal doors is the most popular and simplest. The base is impregnated with a special composition, allowed to dry and paper backings are applied. To adhere to the contour, just peel off and press. In addition, the seals are attached to self-tapping screws. These are used to complete wooden structures.
Some people make their own seals. Foam rubber is wrapped in leatherette or vinyl leather. However, this method is only suitable for old doors. For new ones, you will need special strips of the same length and density.
Models of entrance doors from the Doors Pro factory with a sealing contour
How to choose a seal for a metal door
When going to a store or placing an order in an online store, there are several points to consider. Remember, they are produced using similar technology, with the exception of only elite products. Be sure to find out how many contours there are on your door. Usually one or two, less often three. Also look at how thick the gap is. A small one can be easily removed using a 1-4 mm foam tape. Study the composition. Additional fastening components are used in the production of fire-resistant seals. This will be a huge plus. Smoke and combustion products will not penetrate into the room. A typical heat-resistant tape remains intact for at least an hour.
Seals are produced in the form of rolls, the average length is 6 meters. Step-by-step installation instructions are written on the packaging and the necessary fasteners are indicated. Mostly adhesive-based tapes are purchased for entrance doors.
The door trim deserves special mention. The seal strips must fit harmoniously into the design. Dark doors, MDF and powder are equipped with black or gray seals. Light ones look good on solid wood and wenge-colored veneers. However, you shouldn’t get too carried away with color.
According to experts, the dye reduces resistance and reduces strength. Therefore, it is better to take the classic version, brown, white or black.
Laying and replacing the seal on a metal door
New doors are sold already insulated, so you don’t have to do anything. A branded seal from a trusted manufacturer lasts at least five years, subject to proper use.
A sign of high-quality installation of any entrance door is its tightness. If the fit of the end sides has cracks and large gaps, then the penetration of dust and sand is ensured. But the most unpleasant thing is that they will become conductors of cold air flow, which will affect the indoor microclimate in winter. To create comfort in your home, you need to examine the doorway and all door frame connections to detect gaps in order to eliminate them. The main assistant in the work will be the seal for the front door.
How to choose a door seal?
When choosing it, you should take into account the requirements for this material:
The tape must be intact without signs of damage or dents;
The wear resistance of the composition will ensure long-term operation;
Compliance will allow you to fix the strip in the desired direction, and when closing the door it will create a reliable barrier to the cold flow;
The soft structure will help eliminate the formation of squeaks and loud sounds when closing;
Resistance and adaptation to changes in ambient temperature guarantee convenient use.
When purchasing, even an inexperienced person can check the quality. To do this, just press your fingers on the tape. In a short period of time it should return to its original shape. Pressure resistance in a quality product will be minimal.
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Functions of the sealing tape:
Creation of thermal protection;
Barrier from dust, foreign odors;
Soundproofing;
Tight and silent fit of door elements.
Types of door seals
The difference between the types of seals lies in the raw materials used in manufacturing. The main components used are: rubber, foam rubber, polyurethane, felt and silicone. Products are produced in strips of different thicknesses, widths and colors. The type should be selected taking into account the nature of the gap in the door structure.
The simplest and most affordable type is foam tape. The self-adhesive surface on one side allows you to quickly insulate the doorway without requiring additional material or effort. It is possible to fix the foam strip with small nails if the work is carried out on a wooden surface. The material provides good protection, but its fragile structure does not withstand aggressive operating conditions. Over time, it begins to crumble and disintegrate into dust. Due to rapid wear and tear, it is often used in interior doors.
The felt seal is slightly superior to foam rubber in terms of thermal conductivity, but its structure also has a short service life. It is used more often in the furniture industry to seal doors in sliding wardrobes. The fleecy surface does not allow dust and dirt to penetrate into the furniture.
The rubber type is considered more universal. The material is ideal for metal and wooden doors. High resistance creates reliable protection against the penetration of cold air and dust. During operation, it adjusts and adapts to any weather. It wears out gradually, so it will last longer. Varieties of rubber seal differ in the method of fixation: using nails, strong glue or a self-adhesive base.
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Silicone products have similar qualities. During operation, changes occur in the composition, which is reflected in the structure of the material. It becomes sticky and brittle, so it is more often used for interior doors. The environmental friendliness of the raw materials allows this type to be used in medical institutions and children's institutions.
Polyurethane tape has a self-adhesive surface. This type is used mainly for wooden doors, since when used in metal structures, the structure is quickly damaged, which reduces the heat-protective functions.
Methods for installing a door seal
The fixation method depends on the type of seal: grooved and self-adhesive.
Option #1
This method involves attaching the tape to the groove of the door frame or the leaf itself. Everything is extremely simple if you take into account the rules for laying the seal. Rubber and silicone products tend to stretch, but after installation they will take their usual shape. Therefore, there is no need to pull the tape. This will lead to premature wear. When attaching to a groove, you should try to slightly compress the product to create a tight barrier. Trimming is done only after laying the strip in the groove.
Option No. 2
At first glance, fixing to a self-adhesive base has no pitfalls, but many people make a serious mistake in ignoring preparatory work on the surfaces of the door structure. Before pasting, be sure to clean the work area and degrease it with an alcohol-containing solution or acetone. This will increase the adhesion of surfaces and adhesive. It is worth fixing in small sections; there is no need to capture the entire length at once. After laying the tape, it should be pressed firmly and the position should be fixed for a few seconds (20-30 seconds). Only then can you move on. Having reached the corner part, the seal is cut off and the end is pressed again for a tight fit.
A seal is an elastic gasket, the cross-section of which can be tubular or more complex. It is installed in special grooves located along the entire perimeter of the vestibule, or fixed on top of the door parts. Door seals perform the function of sealing the technological gaps existing between the frame and the leaf after the doors are installed. Due to its shape and elasticity of the materials used in manufacturing, the seal fills all free space, thereby providing the necessary sound and heat insulation, and also eliminates the possibility of foreign odors from entering from the entrance or street. The degree of tightness of the door block depends on how well the seal adheres to the door leaf and frame when the door is closed.
A double seal circuit is two separate seals. The outer contour is located around the perimeter of the door leaf, and the inner contour is located around the perimeter of the door frame. Three-circuit sealing is often used on doors that are installed outdoors (country houses, office buildings, etc.). In this case, two layers are located around the perimeter of the door leaf, and one on the frame.
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Almost any iron door that is installed in a residential, administrative, office or commercial premises has one or more sealing loops. They perform the following functions:
- retain heat, working to reduce energy costs;
- acting as an elastic damper gasket, they eliminate the metallic impact sound when closing;
- reduce the level of noise entering the room from the outside;
- ensure a tight fit of the canvas to the frame;
- protect the interior from unpleasant odors from the outside;
- does not allow street dust and small insects to pass through.
Note! Craftsmen who repair and maintain steel doors notice that high-quality sealing of the door block significantly reduces the degree of wear of the entire structure.
The requirements for a modern high-quality seal are very high, regardless of which doors it will be installed on: luxury or budget. It must have good moisture and air resistance. During operation, it should not peel off or harden under the influence of low temperatures, maintaining its insulating properties in any conditions. The normal period is considered to be effective operation of the seal for 7 years. Not every manufacturer can offer such durability of sealing strips for entrance doors.
Types of seals
By material type
- rubber;
- plastic;
- silicone;
- foam rubber (polyurethane foam);
- polyethylene foam.
To choose the right material, you first need to consider the size of the gap you are going to hide. When the gap has the same thickness along the entire perimeter (1-4 mm), it would be correct to use a product with a rectangular cross-section made of polyvinyl chloride or foam rubber. Most often, companies specializing in the manufacture of entrance doors offer their customers porous EPDM seals (thermopolymer based on propylene and ethylene), since this is the most practical option available today. Such seals are time-tested and have all the necessary performance characteristics. Even at low temperatures they remain soft and easily regain their shape after strong compression. A very important property of this material is that it can be made in any color, since dyes do not impair its physical properties.
Sometimes silicone sealant can be used for metal doors. This material is highly resistant to various influences, environmentally friendly and durable. Silicone is a very soft sealing material that does not stain, as pigments can reduce its quality. Therefore, you have to give preference to a transparent seal, or one that most closely matches the door finishing material. Silicone ages very slowly and tolerates extreme temperatures well, but is rarely used due to its high price.
Classification by shape
- C, E, K - used for small gaps up to 3 mm;
- F and P - fill gaps with a thickness of 3 to 5 mm;
- D is a universal profile that can bridge large gaps between the canvas and the frame.
Sometimes the following simple method is used to obtain a template to select a seal. The plasticine is placed in a plastic bag, inserted between the canvas and the frame, and the door is closed. The resulting print can be used as a sample.
By design
Fastening. Seals come in two types of fastening: mortise and self-adhesive. The latter are produced in the form of molded products, where the base contains a layer of glue protected by paper tape. The mortise seal for entrance doors is usually the same material, but has a “harpoon” made of hard plastic. This seal is made specifically for doors that have a special groove designed for inserting the seal. It is more difficult to install, but it is more securely fixed. In addition, there are self-tapping seals that hold tightly, but do not have aesthetic qualities.
The seal can be made entirely of one material, or supplemented with another (for example, a “harpoon”, plastic or metal pressure strip).
Some manufacturers may equip their products with a magnetic seal (similar to that used in refrigerators). Such a seal can be classified as a separate group, and it should be noted that it has certain disadvantages. The fact is that when the attractive force of the magnet is high, it will not be easy to open such a door. Well, if the magnet is weakened, then the point of installing such a seal is completely lost.
Fire door seal
Doors whose function is to prevent the spread of fire during a fire have special requirements. One of the distinctive features of such structures is the complete tightness that the seal must provide.
Typically, it consists of two layers:
- rubber layer that traps cold smoke;
- a thermally expanding layer capable of deforming volumetrically when a high temperature occurs (from 150 to 900 °C) and tightly closing the cracks that exist in the opening.
Thermosetting fireproof "hot smoke" sealant is a foaming graphite based insulating layer former. Thermal-expanding fire-retardant material does not emit harmful toxic substances during operation. In the event of a fire, the material expands greatly, but does not show any signs of pressure on the structure during operation. It forms a microporous, heat-shielding, stable layer that can hold back flames and smoke for a certain time.
The seal of iron doors is usually installed during the manufacture of the structure. If there is a double porch, then a sealing circuit is placed in each of them. The material must fit perfectly into the gap dimensions to ensure good insulation.
If a branded door always has seals, then when you buy a design “without a name” that lacks a seal, you will need to install it yourself. Also, do not forget that there are no ideal objects, just like perpetual motion machines. Seals are no exception to this rule, because they cannot last forever. After a certain time, the seal may simply dry out or be torn. Deformed seals cannot be used, because cracks appear through which a draft “walks” and a noticeable loss of heat occurs. So, in case of wear, it is necessary to replace the seal with a new one.
If installation is carried out independently, it is recommended to use a self-adhesive door seal. It is quite easy to use. The layer of paper protection is gradually removed from the adhesive side, and the freed surface is attached to the canvas or box. It is recommended to first wipe the surface where the strip will be glued with acetone. This will help the seal stick more firmly and “live” much longer. Typically, this material is used when the original sealing layer has already torn or begun to peel off.
If a draft appears in your apartment or unpleasant odors begin to seep out from the entrance, the front door is to blame. Sealing metal doors will help solve this problem at minimal cost.
A metal door often fails to cope with the task of retaining heat in the house, even if it is filled with insulation. Formally, it is considered insulated, but you are unlikely to be interested in formal features, the main thing is that the door actually retains heat in the home.
A seal for metal doors will help cope with this task; it must be selected individually for each specific structure.
Two material contours
It is glued along the entire perimeter of the door, and if it has a double door, then on each of them. A seal that is too thick can create problems with closing the lock (see), and a seal that is too thin will not solve the problem of insulation and sound insulation and will allow odors to enter the apartment, since the door will not fit tightly to the jamb.
Seals are produced by many manufacturers and differ in the following parameters:
- Material type. It can be rubber, silicone, polyethylene foam, plastic, foam rubber.
- Design. The material in question can be made entirely of one material or be equipped with a metal clamping strip.
- Fastening system. The seals are self-adhesive (an adhesive substance is applied to one side, protected by paper tape) or attached to self-tapping screws. But the latter can only be installed on wooden doors.
For reference. You can make a seal yourself by wrapping a strip of foam rubber in leatherette or artificial leather. Another option for eliminating door gaps is to insulate the entire structure (see) and install an overlap around the perimeter of the door leaf.
As a rule, the seal is sold in the form of a roll, the length of the tape is about 6 meters - this is just enough for installation on a standard door. In the package you will find installation instructions and fasteners, if needed. But for a metal door, self-adhesive seals are mainly used.
Which to choose
The choice depends on the thickness of the gap that needs to be eliminated. If the gap has the same thickness around the entire perimeter of 1-4 mm, you can use a rectangular sealant made of foam rubber, polyethylene foam or polyvinyl chloride (PVC).
Rectangular
Most often, rubber bands of various shapes are used for metal entrance doors, the cross-section of which resembles the letters of the Latin alphabet in appearance.
O-profile rubber products
So:
- C-profile used for small cracks up to 3 mm in size.
- K-profile (E-profile)- for the same purposes.
- P-profile and V-profile– eliminates medium-sized gaps of 3-5 mm.
- O-profile and D-profile installed on doors with a large gap between the leaf and the frame (up to 7 mm).
To prevent the seal from spoiling the aesthetics (see), it is produced in different colors, which allows you to choose the desired tone. But the most common and frequently found colors are black, brown and white.
Attention! Experts say that the dye reduces the quality of rubber. Therefore, if the door is located at the entrance from the street, it is better to sacrifice aesthetics and put a regular black seal on it.
Requirements
Tightness is one of the main characteristics that buyers pay attention to. Demands on it are constantly increasing. The door must prevent heat leakage, protect against moisture seepage (see), air, noise, dust and odors entering the house.
In addition, it must lock securely and smoothly. All this directly depends on the quality of the sealing profile used in the production of doors.
Therefore, a modern rubber seal must meet high standards of water and air tightness, and also provide good shock absorption of the sash during its slamming and abutment to the steel frame. Instead of the loud knocking and rattling noise caused by two metal surfaces touching, you should only hear the soft click of a door lock slamming shut.
The sealant should not harden at low temperatures or peel off from the surface. In any conditions, it must retain its sealing and insulating properties. For metal doors with high thermal conductivity, this is especially important.
Installation
Sealing gaps in iron doors: how to properly glue the material
On branded metal products, manufacturers make a special profile into which they install a seal molded specifically for it.
This design is considered very reliable in terms of tightness and does not require replacement of the tape for many years. Therefore, it is advisable to pay attention to such details when purchasing or ordering a door.
If you do not have enough money to purchase a high-quality and reliable product, or if you have already bought a door without being aware that a rubber profile should already be installed on it, the seal becomes your concern. It’s not difficult to do this with self-adhesive tapes; the main thing is to choose the right thickness and the appropriate profile.
To do this, you can use a simple old-fashioned method: wrap plasticine in a piece of polyethylene, insert it between the frame and the canvas and close it tightly. Once you open the door again, you will receive a template to determine the thickness of the seal. But keep in mind that it should be in a compressed state.
Installation is very simple: the protective layer is gradually removed from the sticky side and the surface freed from it is pressed tightly against the door rebate. If you are unlucky and after a while the material begins to come off, use Moment for installation, it is easy to glue.
The main value of home doors, regardless of their price and design, has always been the ability to tightly block the doorway. The contour of the contact of the leaf to the door of expensive high-quality doors was adjusted with maximum precision so that it was impossible to insert a razor blade into the joint.
In simpler designs, a door seal made of the finest braided leather cords impregnated with wax distillate was placed in the gaps and cracks. Modern door structures are made from rubber, polymers, silicones and other mass-produced chemicals.
Good and bad door seals
Rubber door seals remain the most common in households, offices and public buildings. Thanks to a large number of brands of rubber with various mechanical properties, technologists were able to select a material that is very soft and at the same time elastic, best suited for a door seal.
The thin door seal has to work in difficult conditions:
- The contact pressure with the doors closed can reach 30-40 kg/cm2, while the material can remain in a compressed state for tens of hours in a row;
- Every time a door closes or opens, a thin strip of door seal experiences friction that destroys the soft surface;
- Under pressure, the drafty rubber material of the door seal quickly ages, becomes brittle and hard.
Important! The average service life of a new seal made of rubber-like masses does not exceed 4-5 years, after which degradation occurs and the material turns into hard rubber.
To make the door seal as soft and durable as possible, manufacturers give it a tubular or K-shaped cross-section, apply protective coatings, and replace flat surfaces with scalloped ones, but the issue of door seal longevity has not been fundamentally resolved. Therefore, along with rubber sealing strips, materials with completely new properties have appeared.
The most durable and high-quality brands of seals are still rubber and fiber materials, but the appearance and design of such seals are far from perfect, so their main place of application is production facilities and various equipment.
How to choose the right sealing cord
The main purpose of sealing materials is to ensure the tightness of the joint, but different doors are made of different materials and often work in completely disparate conditions.
The most commonly used door seals are:
- Spongy and plasticized rubber in the form of strips, tubes or more complex profiles;
- Silicone materials of similar design;
- Foamed polyurethane, foam rubber, modified polyvinyl chloride composites.
For your information! The determining factor when using a seal is the effective cross-section, width and thickness of the material. In addition, the sealing material used is primarily oriented towards the design of the doors.
Sealing for entrance and home doors
The more massive the door and locks, the tighter the seal should be.
For example, entrance doors, heavy and massive, are subject to stress from air flows and drafts, foreign odors and dust. Therefore, the door leaf has to be pressed harder, and accordingly, the load on the door seal increases. If you add low temperatures and frost to this, it becomes clear that a regular strip of rubber fails more severely.
The seal for interior doors works in more favorable conditions, so often the seal for an aluminum profile home door is a thin strip of profiled rubber with a corrugated surface or “ridge”. Most often, door structures made of plastic and aluminum have a groove for laying a sealing cord, which allows you to simply replace it with a new one if the seal wears out.
For wooden and prefabricated door structures that do not have mounting grooves, self-adhesive door seals are most often used. The material is produced in the form of a tape of polyurethane foam, rubber or PVC. On one side there is a layer of very viscous glue or resin, covered with paper or polymer protective tape. When applying the sticker, it is enough to remove the tape and lay the seal along the contour of the door.
Self-adhesive materials are successfully used for urgent and seasonal repairs, for example, for the door to the veranda of a summer house in the winter. A similar version of the seal can be made with your own hands from foam rubber tape, and instead of self-adhesive, use regular rubber glue.
A very good seal used for heavy steel door structures is fabric-rubber material. A thin cord made of soft sponge rubber is placed in a cover made of polyester or Kevlar fabric. Rubber does not wear out or oxidize, so its service life can reach 10-15 years.
To repair wooden doors, ordinary rubber material is used. To do this, a groove 10-15 mm deep is cut out at the end of the door leaf or, more often, on the door using a hand-held electric cutter, into which a standard door seal is inserted.
The service life of such a seal is at least 5 years.
Features of the seal
The swing door design is not very suitable for the use of solid and solid sealing profiles, therefore, the wider the door, the softer and thicker the sealing layer should be. According to the technology for designing and arranging sealing contours, when closing doors, the sealing material should not be deformed by more than 20-25% of the height for soft and hollow profiles, and no more than 12-15% for solid rubber, caoutchouc or silicone tapes.
This means that for a thin strip of 4mm foam rubber glued along the contour of the door, when closing, the change in height due to pressing by the door leaf should not be more than one millimeter. In the compaction areas located as close as possible to the axis of rotation, the foam rubber will be compressed two to three times stronger than at the periphery. Therefore, the new, freshly laid material seals well the hinge part of the doorway and mediocrely seals the vertical surface in the area of the lock.
After several years of operation, the seal in the area of the door hinges fails, and the rest of the material partially retains its functions.
To reduce the uneven pressure of the rubber or polyurethane foam tape, hinges with an increased rotation angle are used in the design of entrance doors. For interior door structures, they try to compensate for unevenness by using mounting grooves and sealing materials with an increased degree of deformation. The relatively small pressing force allows the seal to easily compensate for existing cracks and gaps.
Among the various options for door seals, two important varieties should be noted - silicone and fire seals. The first, as a rule, is produced in the form of transparent tubular profiles and is used for glass door structures. The specificity of the smooth surface of glass is such that any other sealing option, for example, rubber, sticks very well and leaves marks on the transparent material. PVC and polyurethane foam, on the contrary, due to their high contact rigidity, do not provide a reliable seal. Silicone material is best for glass. In addition, the transparent texture of the seal does not spoil the design of the glass door.
Fire seals were previously used only for fire doors and dampers in manufacturing. Today, safety standards require the use of such materials at home. Inside the composite profile made of heat-resistant rubber there is a special material that expands when heated. With a sharp increase in temperature, the seal makes the door absolutely impenetrable to the main enemy in a fire - carbon monoxide and plastic combustion products. Of course, the door must also be made of heat-resistant materials.
Why does the door seal break?
In addition to mechanical stress, the seal material experiences destructive processes associated with oxidation and secondary polymerization. For example, PVC material may lose elasticity due to sunlight. The rubber seal is intensively oxidized by air under the influence of heat and moisture. Silicone sealants lose some of the solvent and softeners over time and turn into a very hard solid mass.
The aging process can be prevented by treating the seal annually with special liquids. For example, to protect the rubber of door and window structures from destruction under the influence of the sun, frost and heat, experts recommend using silicone oil in aerosol form.
