Buying a good-quality garage structure in our time is not a cheap pleasure. It is cheaper to make a garage door yourself, but certain knowledge and skills are required. It is also advisable to have the skill welding work. Therefore, how to make a garage door with your own hands is a question that needs to be thoroughly understood. But then it will be possible to begin to complete the task.
Near a private house
Most users choose them for their compact size.
Advantages: convenience, burglary protection, universal use. Disadvantages: high cost, folding structures are subject to damage.
Swing gates
Shown in the photo swing option designs.
On a suburban area
Sliding gates
Rollback option
Up and over gates
These are the most practical and convenient vertical structures. When opened, the sheet of metal rises up and lies horizontally in the form of a visor. The design of such a mechanism is simple. The canvas is attached to the frame and moves around an axis, changing its horizontal position to a vertical one. Folding gates convenient to use.
Lifting structure drawing
Advantages: resistance to corrosion and burglary, do not require additional space.
Comparison of characteristics
Based on the indicators in the table, we can say that the choice is only up to the buyer. It all depends on cost and reliability. For example, swing and sectional models are best placed in home garage, but they are not suitable for garage cooperatives, as they have a low degree of reliability.
Up and over gates for a garage are suitable for any building, but their main drawback is their high cost. Due to the low price, they are suitable for a private garage swing gates. If necessary, they can be insulated, automated and reinforced with an additional sheet of metal. In addition, it is easy to weld garage doors at home.
Frame structure diagram
The frame is made from metal corner, which is welded around the entire perimeter of the doorway. This is how the slope is finished inside and outside. The inner and outer corners are welded together with metal strips in several places. You should get a frame frame.
After the frame is ready, collapsible hinges are welded on the sides. The lower part must be connected with an outer corner, and the upper part with the frame frame. This design is also suitable for a garage made of
We continue the series of articles on the topic “with your own hands” or “how you can save money” and today we will figure out how to make a gate yourself, without the help of expensive specialists. You can say that this is a trivial matter and anyone can do it, but this is not true. This requires careful measurements, preferably drawings of the gate and the attention of a welder, because every centimeter of difference in diagonals will mean that the work has failed. But it's not all that scary. If you follow our instructions carefully and step by step, you will get very durable metal doors. Besides, they don't look bad.
Before making a gate, you need to make sure that normal mortgages are made under it, which are exactly level. For us these were metal thick-walled profile pipes 200x200 mm. It could be thinner. Here a lot depends on the length of the gates; these mortgages were designed for gate leaves 220 centimeters long. The total width of the gate is 440 cm.
Dimensions of garage doors and getting started with your own hands
You can start with anything, but to get the original dimensions of the doors, you need to place a tension beam on top of the supports and make metal frames on the door based on the measurements obtained. Garage doors can be of any size, but it is better to start from the parameters of a standard sheet: 250x150. We took a height of 250 centimeters, this will result in 1 less cut and less weld. We just “grab” the beam so that it doesn’t fall, we don’t weld it.
Metal Garage Doors had to be durable, so the sheet was used 0.3 with reinforcements. But first we had to make a frame. Here the drawing is quite simple: we retreat 3 cm from the top beam, 3 cm from the side beam and 3-4 cm from the desired level below. You can leave about 1-2 cm between the two sashes and overlap one side. We obtained measurements of a rectangle, which we laid out on the ground and welded a frame with right angles based on them. When making a gate frame with your own hands, you can use a protractor or tape measure (measuring the diagonals) - this is more reliable.
The frames and reinforcements are made from a 40x20 mm profile pipe; after fastening, additional hinges are welded on using a semi-automatic machine. The garage doors will be swinging, so it is important to set the hinges very accurately so that the doors do not fall down. Here you will need the help of an assistant.
STEP 1: frame alignment . We place the frames on bricks or other auxiliary objects, the main thing is to fix the entire structure.
STEP 2: setting gaps
. We insert objects around the frame and supports required thickness(we used wooden planks 20x10 mm and metal squares of the same size). Garage door gaps should be the same everywhere. 
STEP 3: setting up the loops . We weld the hinges at the same height to the supports, and measure the slopes with a plumb line and level. We are testing this design.
IMPORTANT: when making metal gates with your own hands, never weld them “tightly” right away. Do not rely on your eye, even if it is level, which almost never happens, there is still a risk that the materials will turn out to be crooked. First “grab”, then execute commissioning works(open/close the door).
STEP 4: make adjustments. In our experience, all do-it-yourself swing garage doors required adjustments. After catching the hinges and frame, try to close/open them synchronously and one by one. If there are distortions, you need to hit or pull hand winch in the right direction.
IMPORTANT: after tightening with a winch and adjusting the supports, nothing should be changed or released, everything should be tight. Please note that under the future weight of the sashes, the structure may “go” a little to the sides. If you have standard sizes For garage doors that are much smaller than ours, the reinforcements and posts can be made smaller. The permissible dimensions of the reinforcements are: 15x30, 20x20, and the racks can be made 100x100 mm.
After adjustments to the levels, you can safely weld the frame. It is most convenient to use a manual mechanical winch with a force of 300-700 kg - this will be enough. When making garage doors with your own hands, this is simply an irreplaceable thing. With its help, you can align not only light frames and corners, but also embedded racks. Setting the diagonal is also much more convenient: we pull the stand in the right direction and work welding machine– voila!
DIY garage door leaves: step by step and simple
We have ready-made rectangular frames onto which we need to attach metal sheets. This will not be so easy to do, since they are: a) heavy b) not always even. If you are lucky and you have made a perfectly even frame, then the sheet will only need to be cut in 1 place. If you need a gate less than the height of the sheet, then it’s worse to cut at least on both sides.
There are 2 ways to make a garage door with your own hands: hard and fast, easy and long. The easy way: we apply a metal sheet to the frame, take measurements according to the gate drawings, and weld it to the frame. Then we cut out the marked places with a grinder and brew further.
The hard way: we take measurements on the frame and cut the sheets around the perimeter, sand them and then install them. In the first case, you will have to briefly hold a sheet weighing approximately 80 kg with your hands. It will be attached by welding. The second option involves building a finished structure on the ground, sanding it down, and hoping it fits perfectly. But it will be physically easier to install, it will just take longer and take more measurements. But you install something that is already ready and easily made.
We didn’t have that many hands at first, so we decided to go the fast route and first welded sheets around the perimeter. Measurements were taken several times so that the DIY garage door would fit perfectly into the opening. Everything was as it was, they just trimmed both edges with a grinder. The second sheet was a little more difficult to align, since it was necessary to make a perfect 1 cm overlap in relation to the other sheet. Here again a winch, a level and several welding points for preliminary measurements helped.
After attaching the sashes and hanging everything on the hinges, make sure that the levels are maintained everywhere and everything works as it should. Carefully close the gate and proceed to total fixation to the walls, reinforced belt and mortgages.
Installing gates with your own hands and attaching them to walls
By all building regulations The gate can be fastened with anchors to foam concrete and welding with a reinforced belt - few people do anything else. But when making a garage door with your own hands, you don’t want to save money - it’s better to cook more often. It will be stronger and there is no risk that the gate will sag under the weight of heavy metal and long leaves. The sheets are welded, although not reinforced yet, it’s time to firmly fasten the mortgages to the walls and armored belt.
We have already partially examined how to do iron gate with your own hands, but this is still an autonomous structure that needs to be secured properly. You still can’t remove the guy wires that we installed earlier. Now we need to follow carefully sequential instructions for fastening and it is important not to confuse anything.
STAGE 1: we fasten the top of the supports between ourselves and the wall . Most often, foam concrete is made on top of walls reinforced belt and the gate is fastened to it. We need to cut metal plates and twigs (not so important), weld them to the top of the racks. We simply place the other edge approximately in the center of the future belt. Such “flagella” must be made on all sides of the supports to ensure its solidity.
STAGE 2: weld the beam tightly . The upper beam (for us it is a 200x200 pipe) now no longer needs to be adjusted to the diagonal and must be completely welded.
STAGE 3: pour concrete into the posts from above . This will prevent them from “playing” and will firmly establish them. The solution should preferably be very liquid, so that everything is as monolithic as possible and in a “proprietary” manner, even though it was made with your own hands.
STEP 4: remove guy ropes, winches . Just in case, we check the functionality of the structure (carefully) and lock it. We pour the reinforced belt on top of the walls, look through everything, weld the hinges tightly to the canvas and frame, and leave the concrete to harden.
Now we have looked at how to make a garage door and we have a ready-made design. All you have to do is wait about 1-2 weeks until the concrete hardens and “finish it with a file.” We will also need to weld the door leaf reinforcements and make niches for insulation (optional).
Strengthening and installing a lock on the garage door
A little time has passed and now we can continue our work in the future garage, install a lock and reinforcements. Previously, we looked at how to make a gate with our own hands, but we have not yet installed a lock and decorated it beautifully. The design is fixed and you can safely use it, we will finalize it as it should be and do it. Let's take a step-by-step look at our improvements to the gates:
STEP 1: add oblique reinforcements at the top and bottom of the sheets . It will be enough to make reinforcements at ¼ of the length of the side: they will give rigidity to the product. Spot welding every 5-10 centimeters.
STEP 2: We weld the locking box with our own hands . We used a regular flat lock (cheaper and more reliable). Therefore, it is enough to simply weld a box around the lock approximately equal to its volume.
STEP 3: fixation castle From the end of the door we drill 2 (3 or 4, depending on the type of lock) holes for attaching the base of the lock. We insert the lock into the box, screw it to the frame, and weld the box from the back. 
STEP 5: installation of “shut-off valves”.
We finish welding the lock to secure the doors. Too bulky was not chosen on purpose, since it has a purely decorative look and for convenience. 
The only drawback of installing the lock this way is that to replace it you will need a grinder, which will be used to saw off several welding points. Although, perhaps this is even an advantage, since the lock does not need to be changed often. But the attackers clearly cannot cope without a heavy weapon.
Now the instructions on how to make a garage door with your own hands can be considered fully disclosed. All that remains is to cover it with primer and paint. If the welder did not work very carefully, then it makes sense to also grind the weld areas at the ends.
Happy construction everyone and have an extremely strong garage door!
At current prices for materials and finished products, there is only one way to save money - to do the manufacturing work yourself. This also applies to metal swing-type garage doors, which you can weld yourself if desired. You will need to study the assembly algorithm, prepare tools and materials, and involve one assistant in the process.
Welded swing gates for garage
Gate manufacturing methods
There are 3 ways to weld garage doors:
- When construction is not yet completed, the swing gates are welded separately as a single product. Then they are delivered and installed at the site of the future opening, after which around steel frame The front wall of the garage is being built.
- When the garage has already been built, the doors can be made according to the size of the opening, brought to the site and installed.
- Along the finished opening, gradually welding the elements right in place.
The last assembly method is well suited for motorists who are taking on the task of constructing a garage entrance with their own hands for the first time. Not needed here high accuracy measurements, straightening the diagonals of the sashes and moving heavy iron parts. If all operations are performed correctly, then homemade design will function successfully and last for many years.
Procurement of materials
To the right amount To purchase metal to fill the entrance opening, you need to measure the dimensions of the latter and the thickness of the front wall. You will need the following rolled metal:
- an equal angle corner of at least 75 mm wide - for framing the walls around the entrance and for making sashes;
Equal corner different sizes - the same, 60 mm wide for braces;
- steel sheet with a thickness of 2 mm or more for door leaves and connections between frames;
Stainless steel sheet 2mm - simple cylindrical canopies (hinges) outdoor installation;
Main types of cylindrical hinges - valves - 4 pcs., can be welded from round timber or bought ready-made;
- locks.
Ties in the form of metal strips 10-15 cm wide, equal in length to the thickness of the wall, can be cut in advance. Since in the process of welding garage doors with your own hands you will need different supports and pads, you should keep pieces of corners on hand, profile pipes and other rental products available on the farm.
The list of tools is also small:
- welding inverter;
- Angle grinder - angle grinder (grinder);
- electric drill;
- clamps;
- measuring instruments - tape measure, ruler, square and liquid level;
- ordinary plumbing tools - hammer, pliers, etc.;
- consumables: welding electrodes with a diameter of 3 mm, metal circles, drills.
To install locks, you will need fastening hardware - bolts, nuts, washers. At the end of the work, the canvas must be primed and painted with your own hands, for which the composition GF-021 and pentaphthalic enamel (PF) are usually used, respectively.
The initial stage is framing the opening
At this stage, it is important to correctly cut and weld the corners into a single structure - a frame, which will support the outward opening doors. Framing work begins at the threshold of the garage and is carried out in the following order:
- Cut 2 corners the width of the opening and lay them along the threshold on both sides. Weld them with steel strips (ties).
- Cut off 4 more side corners with your own hands, whose length is equal to the height of the opening plus 2 widths of their shelves. The resulting racks must be cut at both ends so that they clearly fit into the corners of the threshold.
- Attach the racks to the side ends of the walls and connect them together using ties. The latter must be placed opposite the joint welding points.
- Weld the frame of the threshold and walls together.
- Repeat the action described in step 1, only install the corners on the upper end of the wall. Weld them to the side posts.
During the work, it is necessary to ensure that the framing elements fit as tightly as possible to the walls. Steel tie strips must be laid between the corner flanges and the wall, and then welded.
The first stage is making the frame Manufacturing of sashes
The essence of the method is that first, one solid sash is made directly in the opening and attached on both sides with hinges. The result is a frame inserted into a frame, which is finally cut in half. In order for future gates to open well, it is important to properly maintain the gaps between these frames:
- from ceiling beam to the frame of the sash – 1 cm;
- the gap between the side post and the same frame is 5 mm;
- the lower gap above the threshold is 2 cm.
The process begins with the installation of the side frame posts and is carried out in this order:
- The corner, cut taking into account the upper and lower gap, must be placed on the side frame with a gap of 5 mm and secured to it using a piece of metal. Repeat the operation on the other side end.
- Weld the horizontal corners from the bottom and top to the vertical posts, cutting them properly. Before this, you need to make a slot for one shelf with your own hands exactly in the middle of each jumper.
- Install the canopies and weld their lower part to the frame, and the upper part to the sash frame. The hinge should be opposite the connection connecting the inner and outer parts of the gate frame.
- Place 2 vertical posts in the middle of the opening, securing them to the frame by welding.
- Make 2 horizontal lintels exactly in the middle of each sash.
The resulting frame, built into the frame of the opening, remains to be cut into 2 parts, which open independently thanks to hinges. Considering that the shelves of the upper and lower corners are already trimmed, you just need to cut them from the front side.
To prevent gates without leaves from immediately sagging under their own weight, temporary braces should be installed from the inside and secured by welding. Then, using a grinder, you need to remove the potholders holding the side corners, after which the doors can be opened.
On last stage You need to cut and weld the leaves to the garage door with your own hands. When closed, they should overlap the frame by about half, which is how you need to cut the sheet of metal. Then weld it to the frame and remove the braces. All that remains is to install the lock and latches, and then clean and paint the gate.
In many ways they determine not only its appearance, but also the level of income of the car owner. At the same time, not every owner can afford expensive and sufficient complex designs(lift-and-turn or roller shutter, for example), the production of which involves significant costs. That's why most owners prefer to use simple ones in their garage. swing structures, the production of which is not associated with high costs. We advise all those who plan to build swing garage doors with their own hands to first worry about studying the relevant materials.
In the process of studying, you will be able to learn that the assembly of such structures is usually carried out according to the following scheme:
- production of frame (frame);
- preparation of gate leaves;
- painting and insulation of the structure.
Let us consider each of these operations in more detail.
Frame making
Before the beginning installation work You will need to prepare the following working tool:
- welding machine;
- Bulgarian;
- square and tape measure;
- building level.
Installation work begins with preparation frame structure, which is supposed to be used as a frame base for future garage doors. For the convenience of its manufacture, you should first prepare a sketch of the future frame, which consists of an internal and external parts. This drawing should indicate the height and width of the frame itself (according to the size of the entrance opening), as well as the dimensions of the internal gate used to enter the garage.
Note! When the frame is welded from a corner, it is most often used to cover the opening.
Preparation of the frame structure begins with cutting channel blanks (or angles) in accordance with the dimensions indicated in the sketch. After this, the resulting blanks are laid out on a hard and flat surface in the order indicated on the previously prepared sketch. During the installation process, it is necessary to carefully monitor compliance with all dimensions, which must exactly correspond to those indicated in the diagram. In this case, the correct formation of corner joints is checked using a square.
After installing the frame, which has been carried out in compliance with all the previously specified requirements, you can begin welding, upon completion of which the resulting seams should be thoroughly sanded.
Doors
In accordance with standard circuit swing gates are placed inside the frame structure, each of which is made in the form of a separate frame, which is subsequently covered with a solid metal sheet. For their manufacture, as a rule, the same profile is used as in the preparation of the common frame. Installation of the sashes is carried out in the order indicated below:
- First, the frame elements are slightly “grabbed” together for welding.
- After this, the shutters are roughly installed inside the frame, laid on a rigid and level base.
- If necessary, the dimensions of the sashes are adjusted (taking into account technological gaps relative to the main frame).
- Once the dimensions are adjusted, the workpieces are finally welded into a frame, which is then covered with sheets of iron 2–3 mm thick (using the same welding).
At the final stage of installation work, hinged hinges are welded to the gate in pre-designated places. In this case, the lower fixed (supporting) part of the hinge is mounted on the frame itself, and the upper movable part is welded to the frame of the sashes.
Conventional bolts mounted in the upper and lower parts of the gates can be used as internal gate locks.
Painting and insulation of the structure
Painting everyone metal elements construction, as well as the insulation of swing gate leaves, it will be more convenient to do before hanging the latter on the support hinges. Before painting, all treated surfaces must be primed, which guarantees a reliable protective coating, capable of serving you for many years.
In order to increase the rigidity of garage doors by inner surface sashes are equipped with additional metal jumpers (stiffening ribs), welded not only to metal sheets, but also to the frame elements in increments of approximately 0.5 meters.
Insulation of metal swing gates is carried out using materials of synthetic origin or foam plastic (polyurethane foam) plates, which are fixed to the surface of the gates using special glue. To cover the insulation boards, any decorative material suitable for the texture can be used.
On final stage work, the doors are hung on hinges, after which it is necessary to check the ease of their movement when opening and closing the gate.
Video
This video is about making a garage door. You will hear good advice about performing welding work, you will see the drawings and you will know in what order the work needs to be performed:
A garage is a mandatory building for a car owner. Those who live outside the city in private houses build garages next to the house or even add one to the house. And for those who live within the boundaries big city, you have to store the car in a garage cooperative away from home. But no matter where the garage is located, the safety of the car in it is ensured by gates, the design of which may differ depending on the preferences of the owner and the capabilities of the room, space and expediency. The most simple solution It would be better to buy ready-made gates and install them in place, but you can make garage doors yourself, be sure to take into account all the design features and customize them, as they say, “to suit you.” In this case, you will be absolutely sure of their quality and reliability.
- Making garage doors with your own hands
- Manufacturing of gate leaves
- Insulation of garage doors
- Some secrets to protecting garage doors from burglary
- DIY garage doors: video
Types of garage doors: which is better
There are several types of garage doors, most of which appeared quite recently, just when we began to focus on Western technologies. Thanks largely to Hollywood films, we learned about gates that rise up and go to the ceiling when you press a button on the remote control. Now such know-how is not uncommon even in our country.
Swing gates are the oldest and most reliable option garage doors. However, such gates were used everywhere, not only for garages, and earned the trust of many years of trouble-free practice even in difficult conditions operation. Swing gates consist of two hinged leaves and a frame in doorway, the doors close tightly, leaving no gaps. Making garage doors with your own hands is quite easy; the mechanism is simple and reliable, “forever.”
Sliding gates began to be used sometime in the first half of the 20th century. They represent one leaf that slides to the side parallel to the front wall. Although there may actually be two doors, then they will move to different sides, or even one, but folding into several sections. For such gates to move freely, it is necessary to have a lot free space in the front wall of the garage. That's why sliding gates used in hangars and industrial enterprises. In private construction, such gates are installed not in the garage buildings themselves, but at the entrance to the site.
Up-and-over gates have appeared relatively recently. They represent one leaf (gate leaf), which rises up to the ceiling when the gate is opened and becomes parallel to the floor. These gates are based on a hinged lever mechanism and guides. The convenience of these gates is that they do not take up free space either in front of the garage or inside it. Up-and-over doors can be considered as the door to your garage if climatic conditions allow it or if the garage is heated.
Overhead sectional doors are also new to our market. They are a canvas consisting of sections that are refracted and slide along guides under the ceiling when the gate is opened. It is based on a spring mechanism and guides with a chain drive. The advantage of such gates is the same space saving.
Rolling gates are rarely used for garages, as they do not provide the required reliability. They are aluminum plates, like in roller shutters, which fold into a special box under the ceiling when the gate is opened. It is advisable to install such gates only in facilities with security and access control systems, as well as in heated premises.
Important! Gates of any type can be made automatic, operating from a key fob.
When choosing a garage door, consider not only beauty, sophistication and laudatory reviews from advertisers, but also practicality, durability and adaptability to our climatic conditions and other operating conditions. The most reliable choice would be swing gates, they will not let you down even in severe frost, well, maybe at most you will have to warm up the lock.
Before making your garage doors up-and-over or up-and-section, think carefully. Firstly, all the advantages of these types of gates can only be felt in warm regions. If you really want just such a gate, remember that the garage must be heated. Remember our winters, in sophisticated gates both the guides and lever mechanisms will freeze, you will not be able to open the gate at all, you will have to leave the car under open air. In pursuit of a client, the manufacturer praises his product so much that sometimes his odes are full of absurdity. As, for example, as a virtue overhead sectional doors The fact is that you don’t have to clear snow from the gates, because they open upwards and not outwards, like swing gates. Where is the dignity here? If there is snow in front of the gate, you simply won’t be able to enter it. And if you do, you’ll push a couple of tens of kilograms of snow inside the garage with the front of the car. So, don't flatter yourself. The snow will still have to be cleared.
Making garage doors with your own hands
The easiest to manufacture are swing gates. You can complete them yourself from start to finish by purchasing required material: steel angles, profiles and sheets. Accordingly, the dimensions of the gates and their design features you can plan in advance and make exactly the kind of gate you like.
You can try to make up-and-over gates yourself, but to do this you need to have considerable engineering experience and knowledge to the right choice counterweight and installation of mechanisms. In most cases, such gates are simply purchased ready-made and installed according to the attached instructions.
It is impossible to make overhead sectional doors yourself; there are unreasonably high costs, time expenditure and no guarantee that it will all work correctly. Therefore, if you decide to install such gates in your garage, order them from the manufacturer.
Like any responsible business, garage doors start with project documentation. It’s not difficult to make drawings of a garage door with your own hands; just draw a sketch on a piece of paper, making sure to indicate all the dimensions and materials.
First you need to choose the right height and width of the gate. The minimum permissible width of a garage door should be such that the distance from the car body on the right and left sides to the door frame is at least 30 cm. Of course, the greater this distance, the more convenient it is to enter the garage. The maximum practical width is 5 m. Most often, garage doors are made with a width of 2.5 to 3 m.
Important! When choosing the width of the garage door, please note that the distance from the door frame to the perpendicular wall must be at least 80 cm.
The height of the garage door is selected depending on the size of the car and most often ranges from 2 to 2.2 m. But if you plan to park a minibus, then it is better to immediately make an opening of 2.5 m.
Our swing gates will consist of a frame that will frame the entrance, the garage opening, and two doors on hinges. It is best to make the frame from a steel angle of at least 65 mm. To make the frame of the valves, you can use either a 50 mm steel corner or a rectangular steel profile, then sheathe them sheet iron from 2 to 3 mm thick. The hinges will need reinforced external ones. Based on the drawn diagram of the garage door and the dimensions marked on it, we calculate the amount of required materials and purchase them.
Important! A drawing of a garage door must be made at the design stage of the entire garage.
The production of garage doors begins with a frame that will frame the entrance to the garage. It is best to start doing it at the stage of constructing the front wall. When no more than 50 cm of masonry is ready, it is necessary to suspend work on the construction of the wall and install the gate, and then continue laying the wall.
To make the frame, we will need 65 mm steel corners, steel strips 20–30 mm wide and 3–4 mm thick, as well as pieces of steel reinforcing rod to secure the frame in the gate opening. The tools you will need are a grinder, a tape measure, a square, a level and a welding machine.
The frame for the garage will consist of two parts: outer and inner.
- Using a grinder, we cut a corner so that we get 4 segments with a length equal to the width of the gate opening, and 4 segments with a length equal to the height of the gate opening. In this case, you can cut the corner evenly, measuring the required distance, or you can cut it with a margin of 10 cm, and then do this: cut the side of the corner that will be inside the garage opening equal to the size of the opening, and on the sides located outside and inside the wall, leave strips 5 cm long at the top and bottom or cut them off at an angle to make it easier to weld them together in the future.
- We lay out the pieces of corners on a flat surface, first checking this with a level. We carefully measure all angles, they must be exactly 90 degrees. We constantly control this with a square.
- We weld the corners together to form a frame. Welding can involve placing the edge of one corner on another and welding, or you can cut off the edge at an angle, then the welding will be strictly in the same plane, but such a connection will be slightly less strong than with an overlap.
Important! If during the welding process the corner bends, this can be corrected using a lever welded to it from scraps of the corner, which will help to forcefully correct the geometry of the frame. Holding it in the required position, we weld the corners to it. In the photo depicting the process of making a garage door with your own hands, you can see what this lever looks like.
- On outside We carefully sand off all welding flaws on the frame, since the sash should fit as tightly as possible to this side.
Making frames for sashes
The frame or frame for the shutters should be slightly smaller in size than the garage door frame so that it fits easily into the opening and the shutters fit snugly against the outside of the frame.
To make a frame for the doors, you can use a steel angle, as for the gate frame, or you can use a rectangular profile. The difference will only be in the convenience of work and the load-carrying capacity of the frame.
- We cut 4 pieces of material, the length is 10 - 15 mm less than the height of the gate frame. This gap is necessary so that the sashes can easily fit into the opening. Since we will have two leaves, to make them we will need 4 more horizontal segments, which should be equal to the width of the gate frame, divided in half, and another minus 30 - 35 mm.
- Lay out the pieces on a flat surface and carefully measure the corners. Ideally, they are best placed inside a welded garage door frame. This way you can see the shortcomings. We strictly control angles of 90 degrees.
- We weld the frame from sections. To strengthen the structure, another horizontal piece of material can be welded inside, which will serve as a spacer and prevent changes in the geometry of the valves. It is best to place the reinforcing element in the middle of the frame.
Manufacturing of gate leaves
For the sashes you can use sheet material; the most reliable is considered to be a steel sheet with a thickness of 2 mm or more.
- We cut out two sheets of sheet material with the following dimensions: a height of 3–4 cm greater than the height of the garage opening, of different widths. One canvas should be 1 - 2 cm less than the width of the frame, and the second 2 cm more.
- We weld the panels to the frame in this way: the top and bottom of the panels should protrude beyond the frame by 1 - 2 cm, on one of the doors (whichever you like best, it will always open second) the width of the panel should not reach the edge of the frame, as would leave 1 cm free. This is necessary for a tight fit of the second sash. The leaf of the second sash, on the contrary, is welded so as to protrude 2–4 cm beyond the frame.
Important! Sheet material It easily leads during welding work, so first you should weld the corners and the middle of the sheet, and then weld the entire sheet with point movements at a distance of 10 - 15 cm. After completing the work, the welding in the corners must be cut off so that the sheet does not become deformed in the future.
- We weld reinforced hinges. The lower half is welded to the garage door frame, and the upper half is welded to the opening leaf. To strengthen the fastening to the hinges, you can weld strips of metal and a reinforcement tab. We take a metal strip 5–7 mm thick, bend it and weld it to the upper half of the hinge and to the sash. We weld the reinforcement tab from the inside.
If our entire structure is on a flat surface, the sashes lie on top of the frame, we can closely examine what we have done, whether everything is correct, whether the sashes move easily everywhere, and whether they are catching somewhere. If all is well, you can begin installing the garage door.
First of all, the gate frames are installed: internal and external. Even at the stage of wall construction, when 50 cm of the wall is ready, it is necessary to place a gate in the opening.
Be sure to check the evenness of the location: horizontal and vertical.
The frames are connected to each other by strips of metal 4 cm wide, which are welded to the frames at 60 cm intervals.
Next, you can continue laying the front wall of the garage so that the bricks occupy the entire space between the outer and inner frames. As the masonry progresses, we embed the frame into the masonry: to do this, we weld reinforcing rods at least 20–30 cm long to the frames and embed them in the seam between the bricks. There should be at least 3 such rods in height.
Having reached the top of the frame, we install a floor beam on it: metal or concrete.
Upon completion of all work, we check the functionality of the gate: how the doors open and close, whether the metal is “clinging” somewhere.
Installation of locks and latches on garage doors
The installation of garage doors ends with the installation of locks and latches. The most common option is this type of constipation. One of the doors is closed with latches from inside the garage, which go into the floor and ceiling. To do this, it is necessary to drill holes in the frame and floor/ceiling with a depth of no more than 5 cm. And the second sash is closed with a lock, the tongue of which hooks onto the fixed sash or enters a hole specially cut for it in the sash frame. Outside this design is intensifying even more padlock, which is threaded through the ears welded to the sashes and connects both sashes together.
There are also more complex options for locks and latches for the garage, but it is better to consult a specialist on this issue.
