Question for Mr Farrell or other joinery experts

[sven360]

I foolishly bought some garages which are $hagged for want of a better word.They're are allegedly wood(not that there's much left tho') well today the doors on the big garage decided to part company from the frame and were a son of a B to shut.
Question when I build the new ones will floor board do to make the doors out of-obviously braced or should I be using summit else?
Thanks in advance.
Ps the doors are going to be large- prob total gap about 14' wide by 9' high.

[petefarrell360]

Hiya! Well, floor board, what sort chap? If it's tongue and groove, it'll be ok, and solid timber of some sort, just make sure it's well coated in a wood preservative like Cuprinol before they are put together then again afterwards.

If you mean floor board as in the laminate click together stuff for cladding the doors........ then the actual surface will be ok, as that won't absorb the moisture, but the edges will and it'll expand and break down the layers, though some of that is pretty high density stuff.

Personally, I'd suggest a good bit of exterior ply for the faces of the doors. If you make a good well braced thick frame for the actual doors, then clad it at least one side with ply to hold the shape square, that'll do well. The only problem I can forsee with the sizes is that most common board sizes are 8 ft by 4 ft from the likes of B and Q or Wickes etc. So you'd be a foot short on height either way if you stood them upright, or joined them horizontally one on top of the other! Not the end of the world I suppose, but it means the frame would need designing differently.

If it's pretty well sheltered, then most things will be ok if they are given some wood preservative, but it it's taking the full brunt of weathering, it may not last too long.

Pete

[sven360]

Thanks Pete, was T&G I was meaning just wasn't sure if it would be thick enough-gotta keep the scroats away from me Dayvan.
At the minute there are two large doors, differing heights as roof pitch is side to side if you know what I mean.
Was thinking about making like concertina type doors if that's the right word-dont know if that'll be easier? Would certainly be easier for access but extra hinges- hmmm the expense.
Found some rough cut timber 6"x1.5"X4.2m for not too much money-would that sort of thing be any good?

Thanks again Sven

[petefarrell360]

It's amazing how tough and strong tongue and grooved boards can be. Recently I had to remake a garden gate which was clad on the front with tongue and grooved boards, which were only about 12 mm thick, but it had rotted out from the bottom upwards and where the water had been trapped on the horizontal rails. Anyway, trying to break the old one up was a nightmare, as the tongue and groove meant the boards had to be removed in order, and even with brute force and a big hammer, it took a while. It does add tremendous support. However, sadly any determind or well prepared gobs****e intent on breaking in will get through most things. Adding even a sheet of thin ply on the back of the door to make it double thickness, gotta help for sure then.

Personally 4" x 2" sounds better, to be sturdy but try and keep the weight down a tad. 1.5" thick over that sort of height might start to move a bit, but then if it's clad with board it might be ok....... cheap is always good!

Concertina doors sounds like a good plan actually. It'd keep them down to a reasonable size for each door and as you say makes access better. At least then when the doors are open it won't risk getting caught by the wind or taking up huge amounts of space! Big butt hinges for making the conertina effect aren't too expensive, as long as you go to a a builders merchants, not a DIY convenience store! The only thing would be that they'll want to fold in the middle when shut, even when locked together in the middle, making them either affected by the wind, or easier for theives. So maybe if you had a bolt on the bottom of the middle of the whole door near the centre hinged area, on the door which is hinged to the frame, that'd stop that, from the back of the door, and then the last section of door could fold around once you're ready to lock up and be on a padlock and clasp. That way you've not always got to open up a huge door to get in and out.

Or if you go the big door route and often need access in and out just for a person, not a vehicle, the smaller standard door within one of the larger doors is a good route.

HTH,

Pete

[redline]

just a thought but surely concertina doors by design have more weak points than one or two solid doors which would make them more vulnerable to break ins

[petefarrell360]

Indeed Mick, I mentioned it as a down side to conertina doors, but the suggestion of a bolt or two on the doors in the middle near the centrally hinged part would make them stronger again. If the hinges are fixed on the framework where the edges will meet, the screws won't be exposed for anyone to remove them, and the hinges themselves will be strong too.
Pete