Is a door closer enough to get a good seal….?

[davidaltemeier]

….without having to worry about magnets or anything (as I saw mentioned in the "doors" sticky)?

I'd get a heavy commercial grade one, of course.

The plan would be to just fill in the door handle hole and have a handle mounted to the outside and a push plate on the inside.

Thanks

[davidaltemeier]

Also-

my tentative plan to beef up the door I've got (standard solid core exterior) is to put sheets of MDF (5/8"?) on either side. Is green glue a good option to attach them? Or would a standard adhesive work just as well? Should they be screwed in also?

Thanks

[Soundman2020]

my tentative plan to beef up the door I've got (standard solid core exterior) is to put sheets of MDF (5/8"?) on either side.

I would only add the MDF to the inside of the door, not the outside. Make each layer smaller that than the previous layer, so you can stagger the the seals easily too.

Is green glue a good option to attach them?

NO! Green Glue is NOT adhesive! Despite the name, it is not actually glue at all, and cannot be used to stick things together. Just use normal construction adhesive if you want to glue the layers together, and also use plenty of long screws.

Should they be screwed in also?

Yes!


- Stuart -

[davidaltemeier]

Ha ha, god I ask some dumb questions sometimes, eh?


Any comment about the door closer as replacement for handle and latch?

Thanks again for all your help.


Oh, and also, thickness of the MDF? The walls around it are two layers of 5/8" wallboard, so should I make go a little thicker and use two layers 1" MDF?

[Soundman2020]

I ask some dumb questions sometimes, eh?

Not at all! As one of my teachers used to say: "The only dumb question, is the one you DIDN'T ask."!

Any comment about the door closer as replacement for handle and latch?

A good door closer on a well-hung door will be able to keep plenty of pressure on the seals, but if you want to be even more certain about perfect, seals, then replace one level of seals with magnetic seals, like you see on your refrigerator door. They magnets keep them perfectly sealed, and also keeps the door "latched".

The walls around it are two layers of 5/8" wallboard, so should I make go a little thicker and use two layers 1" MDF?

You'd probably be OK with two layers of 3/4" MDF. Plus the door core itself, that's more than enough. And it is also very HEAVY!!! Remember to beef up your door framing, jambs, and hinges.....

- Stuart -

[davidaltemeier]

A good door closer on a well-hung door will be able to keep plenty of pressure on the seals,

Do you think one of these 1601 Norton Door Closers would be heavy enough to forgo the magnetic seals?
I want to get good quality of course, but these closers get expensive!

http://www.doorcloser.com/acatalog/Nort ... osers.html

[Soundman2020]

It's strange that they don't mention what weight of door those things will handle: Normally that's one of the specs for good-quality door closers. You should be looking for one that can handle the total weight of your door. Which implies that you first need to calculate how heavy your door will be!

- Stuart -

[davidaltemeier]

Blurg, more math??

Point taken about the closer- I'll look for one with specs listed.

[Soundman2020]

Blurg, more math??

Welcome to the world of studio design!

"No math required!", they told me. "It's so easy to do!" they told me. "And real cheap, too!" They told me.

( Boy, were "they" liars.... )


- Stuart -

[davidaltemeier]

Yes, cheap and easy are definitely the first words that come to mind about this whole process.

I'm trying to wrap my head around how tight this all needs to fit together…

The pieces added to the door… Should they be cut back from the edge the same amount as the thickness of the pieces added to the frame?

So if the frame pieces are 1", should each piece of MDF hung on the door be 1" smaller (on the top and sides)?
And conversely, the pieces added to the frame should be cut back the same amount as the thickness of the MDF added to the door (3/4")

The Gervais book just says 1" smaller, but he's just talking about one piece added to the door.

[davidaltemeier]

Would the "Half Round Sponge Rubber 1/2" be a good choice to use as seals?

http://www.perfectfit.com/13023/154178/ ... ysler.html

(picture at bottom of the page)

[Soundman2020]

Looks like it should work. But take a look at the Zero International catalog as well. They have good stuff for door seals.

- Stuart -