Entrance and interior doors are installed according to a number of requirements. And one of them is the presence of gaps between the box and the door leaf. It is the gap that ensures the free opening and closing of the door even when the sheet is slightly skewed or swollen.
When is clearance adjustment necessary?
During installation, the horizontal and vertical positions of the door frame can be recognized using the spirit level. A poor quality installation can be identified by the following signs:
- the door opens or closes by itself;
- the door frame is skewed;
- the door is loose on the box;
- the door rubs against the box.
If at the beginning of the violation you can not notice, then over time the problems only worsen. As a result, the door leaf can change its size, skew, sag, chips or scratches may appear, the appearance of a squeak and other troubles. In addition, humidity and temperature changes also accelerate the manifestation of unpleasant moments.
Requirements for clearances according to GOST
Avoid future troubles during the installation process. For this, it is worth taking into account the presence of all mandatory gaps. There are certain requirements for them.
The gaps between the floor and the door leaf depend on the type of coating. Most often, the sizes fluctuate in the range of 8-15 mm, but sometimes it can be increased up to 30 mm.
What gap between the door and the frame is permissible according to GOST?
- Depending on the quality of the material and design features, the gap between the door and the mock bar will be in the range of 3.5-4.5 mm. Deviation from this value will affect the operation of the door handle.
- The gap between the hinge and the door ranges from 1.5-2.5 mm. Exceeding this distance makes no sense.
- From the lintel to the door leaf, the distance should be no more than 3 mm.
- The gap between the door frame and the wall according to the requirements is 1-1.5 cm. This distance is enough to adjust the components of the box and fill the gap with mounting foam.
These requirements are relevant today. And changing them is not recommended.
Clearance for metal doors
Often, when buying a steel door, they do not pay attention to the gaps between the door leaf and the frame. Of course, there are more important factors, but this nuance is also important. To avoid subsequent troubles, you should pay attention to several technical details:
- Steel structure at high air temperature will expand. Therefore, if the gap between the door and the frame was less than 1 mm, the canvas will jam and the door simply will not open.
- The same can happen if the door suddenly sags. The complexity of the adjustment depends on the type of loop.
- Too large a gap between the frame and the metal door is also not an option. Even if there is a large seal, this is not enough to block the smell of smoke, noise, draft.
- In addition, the great distance facilitates the work of crackers.
To avoid the above troubles, you should consider the gaps. Their values are as follows: for small single-leaf structures - 3 mm, for larger systems - 4 mm, for heavy and two-door doors - 5 mm or more.
Clearance for interior doors
The gaps between the door and the door frame depend on several factors. Namely, the weight of the door, its width and height. When installing the door, the clearance should be 6 mm, with a permissible error of 1 mm.
With standard dimensions of the door leaf (200 x 60 x 90) the gaps should be no more than 5 mm. But if the room is in conditions of high humidity, then the distance should be 2 mm more. And all because the wooden door swells with absorbed moisture.
How are gaps formed?
To avoid the formation of very large gaps or, conversely, the development of small gaps, you need to correctly install the door. To do this, it is enough to follow a few rules:
- During the installation of the door frame for primary clearances, 10-20 mm are left. This is because the mounting foam swells and begins to put pressure on the box.
- After the foam has completely dried and hardened, you can begin to form gaps between the door and the door frame. To do this, on both sides of the canvas and on top of the material is laid with a thickness that will correspond to the future gap. With a standard design size, this value is 3-4 mm. The best option is packing cardboard from the door kit.
- That there was no displacement of the box in the opening, it must be jammed.
- Using the building level, check the balancing of the door leaf. It should sit firmly on the "wedges", and the entire door structure should not stagger.
Incorrect clearance. What to do?
Situations when the gap between the door and the frame is too small or, conversely, very large, are not rare. In the first case, the door leaf is reduced, and in the second, the gap.
First of all, they check if the box is skewed. To do this, use the building level. It is important that the angles (all 90 °) and the diagonals (the distances between the opposite angles are the same) are observed.
When the gap is small, carry out the following actions:
- the door is removed from the hinges and cleaned of old paint (it is especially important if the paint is very many years old, since its layering greatly reduces the distance);
- if the door is not painted, then use a plane or chisel to remove a few millimeters of wood until the desired clearance is formed.
If the gap between the door and the frame is too large (for a standard design - over 6 mm), then the gap is insulated and closed.
Materials for insulation of cracks
To insulate the cracks, many different materials are used. But before proceeding with the insulation, you need to decide how much less the clearance should be.
When choosing a material for insulation, it is important to pay attention not only to aesthetics, but also to take into account the insulating qualities. After all, the reduction in sound permeability, drafts depends on this, and, in addition, eliminates the slamming of the door.
The most popular materials for insulation are silicone paste and sealing tape. But they also use stuffing strips of felt (or any other dense fabric) or thin strips in places where there are gaps. The choice of material depends on the location of the installed door and the size of the gap.
Silicone insulation
Construction silicone is sold in small tubes. By color, it can be either white or transparent. To apply the paste, use a special gun. You can find it in any hardware store.
To insulate the gap with silicone, perform the following steps:
- To avoid contamination of the door leaf, places where no work will be carried out are covered with petroleum jelly.
- The tube is inserted into the gun.
- The tip must be cut so that the thickness of the strip of silicone paste is slightly larger than the existing gap.
- The gun to the jamb is held at an angle of 45 °.
- Press the gun lever gently and smoothly. This will help to avoid excess paste.
- When all surfaces are finished, the door is closed and the silicone is completely dry. Drying time is indicated on a tube with a silicone mass.
- When the time is up, the door needs to be opened, and the excess silicone paste removed.
This material is extremely convenient, since silicone takes the desired shape.
Sealing tape insulation
Such tapes can be made of both plastic and rubber. Their cost is not high, but they are simple to operate. But the easiest way to work with self-adhesive. That is, on the one hand, such a tape has a thin layer of glue that adheres tightly if the surface is previously prepared.
The sizes of the sealing tape may vary. And choosing the right one is not difficult. The main drawback of such material is that over time, a replacement is needed. Especially if the door is constantly closed. In this case, the tape becomes thinner (compressed), which affects its performance.
Installation of the sealing film is as follows:
- the surface is cleaned of dust and degreased;
- measure the length of the tape and cut off with a margin of up to 10 mm;
- the protective film is separated by 5-10 cm;
- it is best to start gluing from the top corner by attaching the tape to the door frame;
- as necessary, the protective film is peeled off;
- the tape itself is tightly pressed to the surface during installation;
- in places where the loops are fixed, the film is glued to the front surface of the stopper or to the inner surface of the door;
- in the corners, the joints of the tape are carefully cut.
In addition, the sealing strip may be self-adhesive. This option is cheaper and has a different installation method:
- the surface is cleaned of dust;
- measure and cut the desired length of the tape;
- with the door closed, apply tape tightly;
- fix the sealing strip using short nails.
Thus, carry out installation around the entire perimeter of the box. The distance between the nails should be no more than 10 cm.
Finally
The gap between the door and the box can cause problems in the form of drafts, noises, nasty creaking and other troubles. This can be avoided with proper installation of the door complex. But if this suddenly happened, then the gap can always be increased or reduced to the desired size. The clearance adjustment process is not particularly difficult.