Hi Casper,
We've put off replacing our shed doors a few years now due to funds
and time. However they have reached the point where I doubt they can
make it through another winter. What I want to know is what is the
best way to replace them.
Our shed is 12x16 classic barn style. Two doors with trim x-patterns
on the bottom half (trim falling off due to rot on the backside from
water pooling). We've had to move the hinges a few times due to them
pulling free of the 2x4's and weather. The doors close together in the
middle and have always been a little out of alignment making sliding
bolt locks useless.
I have built a few different shed doors and haven't noticed any problems
with my design over the last 20 years or so.
1. I build a frame with a 2x4 rail at the top, a 2x4 rail in the middle,
and a 2x4 rail at the bottom. Then I use 3" deck screws to secure 2x2
stiles on each side of the frame. The 2x2 stiles cut down on weight,
while the 2x4 rails give some "meat" for the hinges to screw into.
2. Then I attach an outer "skin" of rough sawn plywood, usually 1/2"
depending on what is easily available at the time. I usually use 1-1/2"
screws to secure the skin to the frame.
3. Finally, I nail on decorative trim made of 1x4's to the exterior of
the door. This covers the screws that attach the skin to the frame, and
allow you to decorate the door as you wish. It can be a simple perimeter
frame, or you can add an "X" pattern. I like to use pocket screws to
preassemble the trim frame before attaching it to the door, but that's
entirely optional.
4. Attach similar 1x4 trim around the door opening in the shed.
5. Attach hinges to the door, making sure they are located over the 2x4
rails for a secure connection. I like to use 4" gate strap hinges. Two
are usually enough for doors up to 4x6, but I would install a third hinge
in the middle for more strength or for larger doors. I use Simpson
Strongdrive screws to attach the hinges. They are self tapping, drive
easily, and are very strong. They're usually located with the joist
hangers and other metal construction brackets in the home centers.
6. Temporarily prop the new door in the door opening, with a spacer to
keep it off the floor. Then screw the hinges to the building using the
strongdrive screws again (use the longest screws you can to have the most
secure connection to the building structure).
7. Install whatever handle and/or lock you want to use. I've always just
used a sliding gate latch with a padlock. Good enough for my needs.
8. From inside the building, nail on boards as "stops" so the door
doesn't swing all the way inside the building. You can attach adhesive
weatherstripping if you want to cut down on drafts, but that's usually
overkill for a shed.
9. Caulk around all of the decorative trim so water can't get behind and
cause rot. Then paint as desired.
Of course, you'll have to make the door slightly smaller than the door
opening so it has room to swing out. I usually make my doors about 1/4"
narrower than the opening, which gives me a gap of about 1/8" on each
side. Once the door is installed and exposed to weather, the wood may
expand from moisture. You can either make the door smaller to start with,
or trim a little off the outer edge if it starts sticking. Just remember
to take out the deck screws on the sides before making any cuts with your
saw, handplane, or belt sander.
My sheds all have concrete slabs, so I make my frame about 1/2" shorter
than the door opening, and make the plywood skin larger so it overlaps
the edge of the slab. This keeps rain and wind from blowing under the
bottom of the door.
I recently built a pair of 4'x8' shed doors for a garage at my in-laws. I
made one frame about 3/4" wider, and the other frame about 3/4" narrower
than the plywood skins. This allows the doors to overlap in the middle,
covering the gap that would otherwise be between the two doors. I did use
3 hinges for each of those large doors, but otherwise it was the same
construction method I always use. I couldn't find a large latch to
secure the two doors together, so I made a crude system with a couple of
pieces of electrical conduit and a long piece of threaded rod to slide
inside. They rarely open the garage doors, so it worked rather well.
These are big heavy doors, but are very strong. There are a variety of
methods you could use to make the doors lighter and thinner. Make the
inner frame out of 1x4 boards pocket screwed together, or just omit the
internal frame entirely. It's mostly there to prevent warping and give
something to secure the hinges to.
Heck, you could make a door using nothing more than a sheet of 3/4"
plywood cut to size if you wanted to. In that case I would probably use
bolts and nuts to secure the hinges to the "door" rather than screws.
Good luck,
Anthony Watson
Mountain Software
www.mountain-software.com