During renovation work, many owners of residential premises have a very pressing question - when is it better to install a new entrance door: before renovation, during certain work or upon completion.
Installing a door structure at different stages of repair work has its positive and negative sides. Let's try to understand all the nuances in order to make the right decision.
In the article we will look at why it is important to choose the right stage of repair when installing an entrance door, the pros and cons of installation before or after repair work, and what else to pay attention to.
The importance of choosing the repair stage when installing a door
For your front door to function well, it needs to be installed correctly. During the installation process, the walls near the doorway may be damaged, which will require additional work.
You also need to determine in advance which way the doors will open - inward or outward. If inside the house, you need to think about the layout of the hallway where the necessary furniture will be placed so that it does not create certain obstacles when opening the door structure. External opening is optimal for spacious staircases.
Simply put, when planning the installation of an entrance door, you need to think through every nuance and plan in advance at what stage of the repair it is better to carry out installation work. This important issue must be resolved thoughtfully, having studied all the features of installing the door at different stages of the repair.
After the renovation is completed
The advantage of post-repair installation of doors for a private home and other objects is that there is no risk of damaging the metal structure, its cladding and components. In addition, after repair work, an optimal microclimate is established in the room without increased humidity from sealing the walls with plaster and other similar manipulations. Without a door leaf, the entrance remains free during repairs to carry large cargo without the risk of damaging the door.
Features of door installation
When determining the sequence of repair work with the installation of the entrance structure, it is important to take into account various nuances. We suggest studying all the pros and cons of installation at different stages of repair.
Before renovation
It is advisable to install an entrance door before starting repair work if there is an urgent need to urgently replace an old structure that has already lost its protection and safety function.
Before renovation, doors are often installed in new buildings, which is due to the poor quality of the entrance structures installed by the developer.
When is it recommended to install a door before repair:
- if there is a need to drill anchor holes in the wall for subsequent installation of an iron door frame;
- if you plan to create a new floor covering.
During renovation
You can install the front door during the renovation process, which is often the best solution. First of all, it is recommended to carry out all the rough work, then install the door, eliminating the risk of serious contamination. After installing the entrance structure, you can proceed to cosmetic repairs. Just in case, it is better to cover the door leaf with film to minimize dust accumulation and the risk of dust and debris penetrating into the locking mechanism.
Installation of the front door is carried out before laying the decorative flooring, which must be properly joined to the door leaf.
After renovation
Many builders are of the opinion that it is best to install the front door at the final stage of renovation work.
Advantages of installation after repair:
- the new door will not become dusty or stained with paint, plaster and other building materials used in repairs;
- the risks of accidental mechanical damage to the canvas are eliminated, for example, when removing construction waste or when bringing in furniture items;
- after plastering and whitewashing the walls and ceiling surface, the humidity level in the room increases, which has a negative effect on the new canvas.
It is impossible to prevent dust and dirt from settling on the door structure. In addition, there is always a risk of mechanical damage to the door leaf, which can no longer be easily eliminated and restore the original appearance of the door. To eliminate all these unpleasant consequences, if possible, install the front door at the final stage of repair.
Option number 1. The beginning of all beginnings
The builders' proposal to change the door at the beginning of the renovation may seem absurd. After all, there is dismantling, screeding, and other rough work ahead. However, there is a logical explanation for this.
Let us imagine the beginning of the creative process. To begin work, you need to bring a lot of valuables to your apartment. Naturally, we are talking about normal repairs and smart craftsmen, and not about gop brigades, who have the coolest boiler, shovel and socks in their arsenal.
Materials
Beautiful and comfortable housing requires the purchase of appropriate materials and equipment, the costs of which are estimated at impressive amounts. For example, components for assembling just one plumbing niche or a complex electrical panel can cost more than 100 thousand rubles. But this is only a small part of what is purchased for repairs.
Tools
To ensure high quality work, a good craftsman invests substantial amounts of money in a professional tool, for example:
• Bosch assembly hammer – 10 thousand rubles;
• Hilti laser level – 50 thousand rubles;
• DeWALT tile cutter – 80 thousand rubles, etc.
TOTAL: The cost of the kit used on site can easily exceed 500 thousand rubles. For example, this is what one of the sets of our masters looks like:
Now let's imagine a new building. There are still few permanent residents there, but there are plenty of unfamiliar people carrying out repairs throughout the house. It is difficult to keep track of who came to whom and what they took where. At the same time, do not forget that often in apartments from the developer, the entrance doors are either wooden or made according to the top recipes of Chinese consumer goods. If anyone else thinks that this props is an obstacle for outsiders, they are deeply mistaken. A piece of wood can be opened with a screwdriver or a foot, and a tin door can be opened with an ordinary can opener in 15-20 minutes. Don't believe me? See for yourself:
Do you agree that such a barrier will not protect against hacking? That is why replacement of such doors at the beginning of repairs is necessary to ensure the safety of the customer’s materials and builders’ tools.
How to preserve the door itself?
A logical question, because it can be “killed” even at the stage of dismantling, removing garbage or delivering materials.
- Firstly, the human factor plays a huge role in this matter. Therefore, a lot will depend on the responsibility of the people working for you. In particular, our craftsmen show maximum attention and care in relation to the customer’s property, which helps save your money and nerves.
- Secondly, it is necessary to protect the elements of the door structure using dense materials. For this we use dense polystyrene foam 2 cm thick and hardboard sheets (fibreboard), as well as, as auxiliary means, adhesive tape and film. Such packaging reliably protects finishing surfaces that are at risk of being hit. And this is what it looks like in practice:
Here's a snippet from the video. Title: “How to cover a door” https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=796&v=2u91BUeadcM
TIP: Protecting a door with just plastic film or tape is extremely ineffective. These materials protect from dust, but not from impacts or scratches.
Useful tips
To ensure that the repair is as successful as possible and does not entail additional work, plan each stage correctly.
Expert recommendations:
- The first step is to lay the tiles in the house. This job is very dusty and dirty.
- At the second stage, it is better to start decorating the ceiling. This could be standard painting, wallpapering, or the use of modern decorative materials to create a beautiful surface.
- The next step is finishing the walls and laying the floor.
- At the final stage, proceed with the installation of the front door and interior structures. If you plan to install a new door frame, do this work before you start decorating the wall surfaces.
It is better to entrust installation work to experienced specialists. Upon completion of installation, be sure to check the functionality of the door structure and locking mechanisms.
Installation after finishing
In the case when doors are installed after finishing work, there is a high possibility of damage to the finishing coatings of the surfaces of walls and floors. There will also be no possibility of sticking wallpaper according to the pattern in the area of the trim.
When securing interior doors, dowels or anchors are often used to avoid frame distortions. To install them, a hammer drill is used, which leads to crumbling of decorative plaster. It is better to install the door frame before finishing, protecting its surface with masking tape.
Installing doors after finishing will allow you to avoid contrasting stripes around the opening and trim. It is also difficult to make accurate calculations of the difference between the rough and finishing layers of the floor. A significant increase in the coating level will cause difficulties when installing the canvas.
We focus on slopes
During installation, the entrance door is attached to an anchor - special holes are first made in the walls for it. If the repairs have already been made, the finishing will be damaged, so you will have to repaint or re-glue the walls again. And it is often difficult to choose paint or wallpaper to match. Therefore, many experts advise that it will be more economically profitable to install them before the finishing begins. And then don’t think about how to match the paint for the walls or a piece of damaged flooring or wallpaper.
Before or during renovation?
As many builders note, doors can be installed not before or even after renovation, but directly during it. More precisely, after all the rough work has been done. In each individual case, this issue is resolved on the spot, on an individual basis. The door leaf itself is protected by a special film from dirt and dust, as well as paint and any damage. After completion of the work, this film is removed and work is carried out to check the locks. Doors can also be installed without installing a decorative panel or with its basic version. Therefore, when choosing Klin doors, the main panel can be installed after the main repair, at the final finishing stage.
Filling the Gaps
If you order entrance doors with turnkey installation, then, at your request, filling the gaps can be done in one of two ways:
- Using a cement solution (it is prepared in a ratio of 1:3). The doorway is pre-moistened with water and the gaps begin to be filled with cement mortar. This work should be done carefully and scrupulously, completely. There should be no cracks, overflows, delaminations, or shells larger than a centimeter in size. After this, outdoor metal doors with a thermal break or another type require careful handling until the solution has completely set. In particular, slamming doors is prohibited.
- Using polyurethane foam. To do this, stick paper tape on the door frame. Its width is 30 mm. This is done to protect the surface from external damage from excess foam. From the inside of the box, two gap plates are fixed on each side. They can be made of plywood, fiberboard or wood. After this, entrance metal doors with a thermal break or regular doors should be closed with a latch, take a can of foam and fill the gaps between the opening and the frame. In the next 24 hours, the door should be handled with care. You can't clap it.
