Hi guys! We are putting together a little cabin/shed up north. My wife loves the idea of a wooden door, and we want to keep it as an airy space. We are considering repurposing something originally used for an interior as an exterior door, as it really opens up the options.
I assume we'd need a better sealer and maybe a kickplate? Weatherstripping on bottom?
Door faces north and will be under an 8-foot porch. Advice welcome!
Cabin door is red here, facing north..
Make sure that you seal all of the edges. As long as it is a solid core, you should be fine. Single pane window will allow a lot of cold/heat in.
There isn't any "core" in that door. Just raised panels.
Its uninsulated, and thin (interior doors are thinner than exterior). The glass is single pane, and the panels fit in the grooves of the stiles and rails loosely (for expansion/ contraction). The actual thickness at the edge of those raised panels is probably about 3/8". But if you love it, go for it!
You can improve it by modifying it for double pane glass, adding weatherstripping, and sealing the panels with a flexible sealant.
I would also add a third hinge (reduces warpage), and consider swinging the door out instead of in. In your climate, that will let the wind push the door tighter into the weatherstripping (assuming your front porch is big enough so you don't knock someone off the porch when you open it)
How wide is the door? Hopefully at least 32" wide. Some furniture needs a full 36" wide to fit through.
If you're going to have a door swing outwards, make sure you use security hinges, otherwise someone could just pop your hinge pins and be inside in seconds.
Not that a hollow, mostly glass door provides a ton of security to begin with...
It's not hollow.
I agree about the security hinges.
Good point VH about the width.
The only thing I can think might be a problem would be if the door was not assembled with waterproof glue.
In reply to CJ :
That was my initial thought, but if it's under an 8 foot porch it should stay pretty dry.
Obviously there's not much security with that big pane of glass, but I assume the OP won't be leaving a lot of valuables laying around in full view. The skeleton key lock isn't very secure either, so you'll probably have to add a separate lock.
Thanks for the responses guys! Yes, we're trying to get a 32" door. The building is less than 200sqft and will see limited usage/heating and cooling, so efficiency and security are both pretty secondary. No need for full size fridge/Stove/couch..
Staying dry, and looking good are my wife's priorities and I don't disagree. We both love the old wooden doors, and new replacements seem to be $1000+.
We found and are going to use a "true" external door, but we'll probably still try to take some of the suggestions here and apply them, as it still just looks like an old door. But we'll be in it for $225 once we add 3 hinges + sill plate.
Much more budget friendly.
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