Replaceing steel door frame

[Wombat2]

A steel exterior door frame in a block wall has rusted out at the bottoms of both jambs (about a foot up on both) and is starting to cause problems with door closing. Coupled with the fact that some renovations on the inside will need the door swinging on the right side (lesser of two evils ) or better still right swing but outwards, has me finally looking at ripping out the frame and replacing it. Anyone retro fitted a steel frame before? Any traps for young players? Can anyone forsee any problems dynabolting the frame back in place?Thanks for any inputDavid L

[rod1949]

You'd probably be wanting to install a split steel door frame something like in the attached http://www.roofmart.com.au/8PP_ROOF.PDF

[billbeee]

David,
You say it's and external wall so it would be 200 series blockwork. I can't see how a split jamb will help. Unless of course your jamb does fit around the wall, but even then I'd just assemble a standard jamb inside the opening cutting off the tags as needed.

Work from the bottom and try to tease it away from the wall enough to get an angle grinder with a cutting disk in it to nip off the frame ties as you see them. You may be lucky and just be able to reef it out with a pinch bar, but you risk splitting off lumps of plaster (if any) or worse a bit of blockwork.

There will probably be heaps of mortar the chip off before you fix the new one.

I'd be tempted to use the pan head type Dynabolts. Countersunk ones in something as thin as this are just too much hard work.

Cheers
Bill

[les88]

Some of the steel jambs have the wall fitting into a recess in the back of the frame. There is a very thin cutting wheel for your angle grinder that cuts fast, so I would cut across the frame a couple of courses from the bottom to start. Remove this section of the frame.Then you will have an idea of which way to tackle the job. I have never fitted a split jamb so I cannot comment on those but being a carpenter I would go with timber.
good luck
les

[Tools]

We just fitted some steel jambs in to sandwhich panels, and we used a knockdown jamb and it worked well.You need to use countersunk dynabolts, and when you order the frame tell them you are using dynabolts and they will punch the frame accordingly.We looked for a split jamb but couldn't find one, so used this method and it worked well.

Tools

[Wombat2]

Billbeee is right - it is 200mm block so the split frame won't do. The door is a back door out of the garage/laundry so there is no lining plaster to worry about. If it is anything like the window I pulled out the tabs will have rusted and a few taps with the hammer will have it out. My problem is finding a supplier - Bunnies say they are not stocking them anymore and Stratco only sell them in the West - there is one going cheap on eBay at the moment but it's LH and I want RH. I've rung half a dozen "Builders Suppliers" as listed in the yellow pages but they specialise in specific areas not door frames and the steel frame people want to sell me a whole house. May do what les88 says and go timber.

[Tools]

Go to a door manufacturer or door store.They will sell them.

Tools

[Charleville]

So how did you get on please, Wombat2?

I am in Bris Vegas with exactly the same problem but with brickwork rather than block. Same door - laundry external.