How to choose a seal for metal doors?

Metal entrance doors often do not cope with their main task - saving heat in the apartment. And this is even with a quality internal filler. Solve the problem of sealing joints allows a seal for metal doors.

Seal functions

Allocate a number of tasks that are entrusted to the seal for metal doors:

• Protection of the home from the penetration of unpleasant odors from the outside;
• Elimination of drafts;
• Ensuring a secure fit of the fabric to the construction of the door frame;
• Preventing the spread of smoke and fire in the event of fire hazards.

Types

Replacement of the seal on metal doors can be done with the help of several types of sealing tapes. Depending on the nature of the material of manufacture, the following types of products are distinguished:

• Rubber;
• Plastic;
• Silicone;
• Foam rubber;
• Polyurethane.

Let's find out which sealant for metal doors is better, consider the pros and cons of individual solutions.

Rubber

It is most often used to seal doors that go directly to the street. This method of use is due to the specific properties of the rubber. In the presence of all possible modifiers such a seal for metal doors perfectly adapts to the harshest conditions of use.

Among the advantages of rubber sealant is:

• Long service life;
• Special resistance to environmental influences;
• High elasticity, which prevents the appearance of cracks as the product is used;
• Absolute water resistance;
• Low cost.

Separately it is necessary to allocate a rubber sealant for metal doors self-adhesive. Application of the latter greatly facilitates the installation process, eliminates the additional waste to purchase fasteners.

Silicone

The silicone seal for metal doors is inferior, according to some indicators, to products made from rubber. The material has an increased elasticity, which facilitates its installation on the surface of a variety of textures. However, the main drawback here is the lack of the possibility of upgrading the composition with special additives, which slow down the structure destruction under the influence of moisture, ultraviolet radiation, temperature changes. As a result, silicone seals are rarely used to seal external doors.

Foam

Foam seal is the most affordable solution. Often, its use is resorted to in terms of service for one season. More with the regular operation of doors such products can not stand.

Old foam rubber sealant often begins to disintegrate and crumble under the influence of humidity, sudden temperature changes. Over time, the material gets lost in a ball, loses its original elasticity and eventually ceases to cope with the tasks assigned.

Polyurethane

Both conventional and self-adhesive gaskets for metal doors, made of polyurethane, are characterized by quite good characteristics. Products of this category are easy to install and durable. However, polyurethane has a relatively low resistance to mechanical abrasion. Therefore, it is not recommended to install such a seal on doors that are subject to regular operation.

Plastic

Plastic seals have excellent sealing properties. Most products in this category have a hollow internal structure. Due to this feature, an additional sealing circuit is created in the form of an air chamber at the edge of the door, which ensures the preservation of heat in the room.

Plastic products have an affordable price, but their installation can be difficult. The fact is that such products are installed in the groove and for this reason must be selected individually in accordance with the design features of the particular door.

How to choose a seal for a metal door?

Going for the purchase of material to seal the front door, it is worth paying attention to the following recommendations:

1. If preference is given to the self-adhesive material, the expiration date of the adhesive should be specified, which will be applied to the inside of the product.
2. It is highly not recommended to seal the metal doors with foam rubber sealant, which go out into the street. As a rule, such constructions require an increased number of openings and closures. Therefore, in this case the material will quickly become completely useless.
3. Before stopping at a specific type of seal, it is necessary to carefully study information relating to the quality of the material, technical characteristics, operating characteristics, shelf life.
4. To ensure the tightness of the product, just press on its surface. If the sealer immediately restores the shape, this option is suitable for mounting on the entrance doors.
5. How to glue the seal on the metal front door? To do this, use high-quality glue. It is better to give preference to products made on the basis of silicone, which has good sealing properties.
6. Attention should be given to the shade of the product. In most cases, the consumer is offered seals of standard colors: white, black and brown. However, some manufacturers allow you to choose the shade of the material individually, according to the color of the door.
7. It is better to pay attention to medium hardness products. Frankly soft materials quickly lose their original properties. At the same time, rigid seals can prevent the door from closing freely.
8. The self-adhesive product must have an inverse inner surface. The presence of a coating of small particles of fiberglass, which will ensure the most reliable gripping of surfaces, is welcomed.

Mounting Tips

Let's figure out how to properly install the seal on a metal door.

To begin with, the old sealing material is dismantled. A thorough cleaning of the surfaces is carried out. For this purpose, it is advisable to use fine sandpaper. At the end of the preparatory work, the door ends are washed with alcohol solution or acetone, which contributes to the degreasing of the surfaces.

Often a metal door is installed at the entrance to the room. In this case, it is recommended to install several layers of sealant. This approach allows to ensure the most reliable sealing of joints. Several contours are superimposed on the door frame and the inner edge of the blade, while the rest is mounted on the outer surface of the door. At the same time, the main requirement that is imposed on the qualities of the external sealant is: resistance to mechanical damage, temperature changes, moisture.

Installation of rubber products is carried out by gluing on the adhesive. How do I glue the seal on the metal door? In the course of work, the surface of the tape is gradually covered with an astringent material as it is applied to the butt and is firmly pressed against the surface. If it is necessary to mount a rubber product on the painted substrate, at least several weeks must pass from the moment of painting.

The simplest solution is to install a self-adhesive sealant. For installation, it is sufficient to remove the protective strip, which covers the inner surface of the product, after which evenly distribute the material along the edge of the door leaf. If the seal starts to lag as you operate, it is worth additionally fixing it with glue or sealant.

During the installation it is not recommended to use separate pieces of material. Such actions entail a poor-quality sealing of joints. Particular attention should be paid to the compaction of corners. It is here that the risk of wrinkling and insufficient tightening of the material increases.

Finally

Seals are extremely convenient means for sealing the joints of the front door. All of them have one common advantage - easy installation and operation.

To eliminate drafts, to protect the room from penetration of extraneous sounds and unpleasant odors from the outside, special skills, professional tools and special training are not required. During the installation, it is only necessary to clean and degrease the surfaces, treat them with glue or sealant and evenly apply the sealant to the joints.

Self-adhesive products are particularly suitable. To install them, you do not need to buy glue or additional fasteners. Such seals are used for a long time, they can be easily dismantled and replaced with new material for the first time.