Strengthened garage door - suggestions, advice or recommendations?

[theremotejuggernaut]

The OP is lookin for a replacement SIDE DOOR!!.
A steel door sounds good but it still has to have a frame fixed into the blockwork..........and if that is a modern garage it will be thermablock which is as soft as cheese!! I suggest just a solid wood door from Screwfix/ B and Q.

Yes, but even if it is thermalite or whatever, the frame will be fixed at say 5 points each side? Maybe one fixing per block? Once the frame fixings are nipped up, the frame is pulled to the wall and the tension in the fixings holds the frame far more securely. It's becomes an assembly that has greater strength that it's individual components.

The blocks themselves aren't strong but the construction of the wall is.

Fitting a frame to a wall like that takes advantage of that strength.

Ok, you could fit the world's strongest door to that wall. You could just smash through the wall to get what you wanted from inside but an opportunist the if spotting a solid steel door is quite likely to be put off.

Or... Come back with all his mates and a jack hammer...

In which case, insurance is king.

 

[Growmac]

Not everything needs a full & complete explanation Steve ..chill baby

I like his footnotes. If I'm gonna waste time on a stupid internet forum then I might as well learn some random stuff along the way .

 

[JStrube]

When I built my house about 18 years ago, one thing I insisted on adding, was a steel man door. It wasn't much more than a wooden door, and they sure are secure. Just look for a commercial grade door. Thicknesses are often a bit different, I had to use a commercial grade lockset, but being the same brand, they keyed it the same as the house. even if it had an extra tumbler pin.

 

[Type1]

I'm in a similar situation and will be getting one from here when the time comes.

Steel Doors & Fire Exit Doors from Latham's Steel Security Doors

The UK's leading supplier of steel security doors & fire exit doors from £199.99+VAT. Thousands of steel doors in stock for next day delivery. Best prices online!

www.lathamssteeldoors.co.uk

There's a video on the site of Eddie Hall (worlds strongest man) trying to knock one down with a sledgehammer which is quite entertaining.

If you don't mind small bits of paint damage or whatever then check out the clearance section. They're mostly customer returns or transit damaged and priced down accordingly.

Even with a security door, I reckon the best protection is decent home insurance that covers your garage!

I use these at my business premises, good quality. I specifically have this one with options - Level 3 Security Door - STS202 BR3 / SR3 Rated | Latham's Steel Doors

 

[hogicid]

Yes, but even if it is thermalite or whatever, the frame will be fixed at say 5 points each side? Maybe one fixing per block? Once the frame fixings are nipped up, the frame is pulled to the wall and the tension in the fixings holds the frame far more securely. It's becomes an assembly that has greater strength that it's individual components.

The blocks themselves aren't strong but the construction of the wall is.

Fitting a frame to a wall like that takes advantage of that strength.

Ok, you could fit the world's strongest mainstays door to that wall. You could just smash through the wall to get what you wanted from inside, but an opportunist, if spotting a solid steel door, is quite likely to be put off.

Or... Come back with all his mates and a jack hammer...

In which case, insurance is king.

Has anyone tackled this?

All the secondary news outlets—like Channel X and others—recommend reinforcing your double-wide garage door with a retro kit. I've searched extensively and, aside from the Secure Company ad, found nothing. Are any of you living in a hurricane-prone area? Have you taken any steps to address this issue? Utilizing 2x2 box beams or 2-inch steel pipes vertically could significantly strengthen the door, but the challenge lies in securing them at the bottom. Any insights or experiences would be greatly appreciated.

 

[JStrube]

Has anyone tackled this?

All the secondary news outlets—like Channel X and others—recommend reinforcing your double-wide garage door with a retro kit. I've searched extensively and, aside from the Secure Company ad, found nothing. Are any of you living in a hurricane-prone area? Have you taken any steps to address this issue? Utilizing 2x2 box beams or 2-inch steel pipes vertically could significantly strengthen the door, but the challenge lies in securing them at the bottom. Any insights or experiences would be greatly appreciated.

I've never heard of doing this. Any examples? Is this for hurricane winds, or theft?

 

[hogicid]

You're lucky, I'm waiting for the rain to ease ...

Here's an example :

View attachment 109997

Despite keeping their normal day to day luxuries like the wind chime, giving the area a calming and relaxed zen like atmosphere you'd like to shit sit in . The overview to a passer by makes the area seem oddly unattractive and gives the feeling that you wouldn't really want to waste your time robbing the place (except possibly for the wind chime and that hanging basket doesn't really need much work before you could sell it down the market ).

If you work this properly, you can even turn it into an income stream. It's the kind of setting which at night should attract certain ladies and their clientele for a quicky knee jerker. Install a subtle solar light if there's no street light coverage - don't want anyone tripping and suing, a rusty over priced condom machine on the wall and possibly an honesty box with a plaque displaying suggested rates for using the area windows and doors toronto(ideally digital so the rates can vary depending on the time and demand) and you'll have not only protected your house for virtually zero outlay, but built a business at the same time.

I need some advice on how to fix my garage door. Yesterday, the big spring above the door broke. I can still get the door open if I lift while my wife pushes the button, but that door is dang heavy. click here Is that something I can fix myself, just replace the spring? If so, where do I get it, and how do I make sure I get the right one. Do any of the Home Improvement stores have a repair service? Do I have to replace the whole lift mechanism?

 

[Ender]

I need some advice on how to fix my garage door. Yesterday, the big spring above the door broke. I can still get the door open if I lift while my wife pushes the button, but that door is dang heavy. click here Is that something I can fix myself, just replace the spring? If so, where do I get it, and how do I make sure I get the right one. Do any of the Home Improvement stores have a repair service? Do I have to replace the whole lift mechanism?

Yes, there are garage door repair business out there that do exactly this sort of thing. Or if you know what you need, you can find the parts and do it yourself. If it's one of those wide springs over the doorway, I'd hire a pro to do it. There's a lot of tension in that spring.

 

[JStrube]

I need some advice on how to fix my garage door. Yesterday, the big spring above the door broke. I can still get the door open if I lift while my wife pushes the button, but that door is dang heavy. click here Is that something I can fix myself, just replace the spring? If so, where do I get it, and how do I make sure I get the right one. Do any of the Home Improvement stores have a repair service? Do I have to replace the whole lift mechanism?

Definitely call a pro. Just google garage door repair. replace both springs, and make sure they lube everything.

 

[steve_sordy]

I need some advice on how to fix my garage door. Yesterday, the big spring above the door broke. I can still get the door open if I lift while my wife pushes the button, but that door is dang heavy. click here Is that something I can fix myself, just replace the spring? If so, where do I get it, and how do I make sure I get the right one. Do any of the Home Improvement stores have a repair service? Do I have to replace the whole lift mechanism?

Those springs will have a huge amount of stored energy when compressed. Be very careful, if you make a mistake because you are bodging the lack of the correct tools, it could be a nasty lesson for you and anyone else in a 50m radius.

 

[Doomanic]

make sure they lube everything.

Including you before they hand over the bill...

 

[JStrube]

Including you before they hand over the bill...

You've got that right!

 

[hogicid]

You're lucky, I'm waiting for the rain to ease ...

Here's an example :

View attachment 109997

Despite keeping their normal day to day luxuries like the wind chime, giving the area a calming and relaxed zen like atmosphere you'd like to shit sit in . The overview to a passer by makes the area seem oddly unattractive and gives the feeling that you wouldn't really want to waste your time robbing the place (except possibly for the wind chime and that hanging basket doesn't really need much work before you could sell it down the market ).

If you work this properly, you can even turn it into an income stream. It's the kind of setting which at night should attract certain ladies and their clientele for a quicky knee jerker. Install a subtle solar light if there's no street light coverage - don't want anyone tripping and suing, a rusty over priced condom machine on the wall and possibly an honesty box with a plaque displaying suggested rates for using the area https://tlsenergysavers.com/(ideally digital so the rates can vary depending on the time and demand) and you'll have not only protected your house for virtually zero outlay, but built a business at the same time.

Has anyone installed a product they like to help insulate there garage door. keep heat out during sunny days

 

[Arminius]

Has anyone installed a product they like to help insulate there garage door. keep heat out during sunny days

Maybe like this?

Sadly, my garage doors are sheet metal, so they are not rotting away. They do require painting every ten years or so though. I bought some cheap sliding bolt locks and fitted two to the bottom of each door so that the bolt slid into a hole drilled into the concrete floor. I used "pop" rivets to secure the base plate of the lock to the metal door. Once painted over they were almost invisible. In addition to the standard garage door lock that makes the door a lot harder to break into. It does mean that I cannot enter the garage via the up and over doors, but seeing as I don't keep my cars in there anymore, it's not a problem.

Once I got an emtb, I decided to insulate the doors because the garage was freezing in the winter and roasting in the summer. The cold weather was affecting the battery and the hot weather was affecting the freezer. Both were affecting me when I was working there. I bought some aluminium "silver" foil backed 3mm thick expanded polystyrene foam sheets, sold as radiator insulator sheets. The sales pitch was to put them on the wall behind the radiator to reflect the heat back into the room and to increase the insulation of the wall. They come in standard wallpaper format in terms of width and length. One roll was enough to paste the back of one door. I used standard wallpaper paste, but I suspect that IPA adhesive would have been cheaper and better. The illumination in the garage doubles and the temperature fluctuations were dramatically improved. Here's one! Oh, and you can see one of the sliding bolt locks at the bottom!

View attachment 110032

Don't forget the other aspects of your garage security. The openings on my window frames are bolted shut. The pedestrian access door has been replaced. Previously it was a low-quality wooden frame door with a glass upper panel and a thin plywood lower panel. It came with two cheap looking 3" long metal hinges and a cheap 3-lever mortice lock I replaced it with a fire door quality wooden (not fibre board, chip board, block board, or plywood) door 40mm thick, no easy to kick in panels, three 4" heavy gauge stainless steel hinges and two five lever mortice locks.

Then to finish off I fitted a heavy gauge floor shackle and a heavy gauge chain with a key lock, all by Kryptonite (gold rated). I added a cable and a combination lock to secure the fork. See below on my previous bike. When I posted this pic before I was advised to move the cable to protect the fork, not the wheel - good advice!

View attachment 110037

 

[theremotejuggernaut]

Has anyone installed a product they like to help insulate there garage door. keep heat out during sunny days

Unless the rest of the garage is insulated, it's probably not going to be all that effective to just insulate the door. I guess it depends on the structure of your garage.

Mine is a detached garage with single skin brickwork and a truss roof. It would need the walls battoning and insulating and the roof space closing off before it would be worth doing the doors.

The heat from the (crappy up and over) doors on my garage is nothing compared to the heat coming down from the roof when the suns out.

I've thought about doing something with the doors but there's gaps all around them and the rest of the structure absorbs or loses heat really quickly.

If you've already got a insulated structure then some celotex board stuck to the door would be my choice.

 

[RustyIron]

Has anyone installed a product they like to help insulate there garage door. keep heat out during sunny days

Sort of but not really.

At my house we installed insulated garage doors. They're nothing fancy, just two layers of aluminum separated by insulating material. Even though the front of the house faces south, in the summer the garage stays cool. In the winter, the garage stays warm. Residential grade roll-up doors aren't all that expensive.

At my other buildings I've installed the less expensive roll-up doors that are just a single layer of aluminum. In the summertime, standing next to those doors is like standing next to an oven.

 

[steve_sordy]

I have revisited this thread and discovered that the OP @Jackware was after a man access door and not one of the big car access doors. By now, he's probably already made his choice, but here goes anyway.

I would fit a wooden fire door. Solid wood about 40mm thick, not chipboard or fibreboard with a wooden laminate, or blockboard. And no glass in it or other fitted panels. Useat least three 4" heavy gauge steel hinges (stainless for preference). Add two five-lever mortice locks. If you buy them from a locksmith he will set them up so that they work with one key. From the outside they don't look as obvious that you have something valuable inside.

 

[theremotejuggernaut]

See, I looked at wooden doors and even cheap stuff from B&Q worked out at several hundred quid. By the time you've got a decent door, frame and hardware, you're not far off a steel door that'll be stronger and need less maintenance.

 

[hogicid]

Steve Sordy's missus " Would you like a cup of tea love"
Steve " Yes please "
He then said ...

"The story of tea begins in China. According to legend, in 2737 BC, the Chinese emperor Shen Nung was sitting beneath a tree while his servant boiled drinking water, when some leaves from the tree blew into the water. Shen Nung, a renowned herbalist, decided to try the infusion that his servant had accidentally created.

Not everything needs a full & complete explanation Steve ..chill baby https://www.kelownaproappliance.ca/

Looking to replace a very old single Garador with something more modern. Doesn’t need to be electric as it is more of a workshop and storage room than anything else. Must be secure as it allows access to the main property. Plus wind and water tight.

Anyone been through the process recently and have any suggestions or recommendations

 

[Darren66]

See, I looked at wooden doors and even cheap stuff from B&Q worked out at several hundred quid. By the time you've got a decent door, frame and hardware, you're not far off a steel door that'll be stronger and need less maintenance.

I had a steel security door fitted, for the same price as a wooden door and frame.

 

[theremotejuggernaut]

I had a steel security door fitted, for the same price as a wooden door and frame.

View attachment 147797

Looks good. I'd want something to divert the rain away from the bottom though. Surely it'll find it way under the threshold?

Was that from Lathams? Or somewhere else?

 

[Darren66]

Looks good. I'd want something to divert the rain away from the bottom though. Surely it'll find it way under the threshold?

Was that from Lathams? Or somewhere else?

Yes Lathams, it has a seal all around.