Fill/cover door gap

6 years ago

Backstory: There are some gaps around my apartment doors I'd like to fill, most notably a diagonal gap at the top of the main door, as shown in the photo. I own the apartment, not just rent. Replacing/restructuring the door/frame entirely for a perfect fit would be the ideal solution but meanwhile I want a quick fix to cover the gap, primarily to prevent the smell of secondhand smoke from smoking tenants entering my apartment, which occurs regularly as they smoke at the front door of the building close to my apartment. Any sort of padding I place in this gap such as weatherstrips fall out with continued use of the door. I wanted to screw on an upside-down door sweep but the metal door is not very accepting of my cobalt drill bits, as you may be able to see in the photo.

TLDR: How would you fill/cover this gap? Weatherstrips fall out and door is unfriendly to drilling.

Featured Answer

Connor Hawke
Original Author

6 years ago

Managed to drill it after applying 3-in-1 oil. Metal layer was thin, no more than 1cm. Screwed on an upside-down sweep over the top gap and self-stick sweeps over gaps on the side and bottom of the door. So that's my current DIY project done.

I guess for my next project relating to sealing my apartment I'll eventually get to properly covering/filling the gap at the top of the front window which doesn't close all the way, at least until the closing issue is fixed - although I'd have to move the coaxial cable to another window to allow this window to close fully as the cable comes down from the building roof entering my apartment through this window. Right now I'm simply using an inordinate amount of duct tape over the window gap which nonetheless provides some degree of insulation and which is easily taped snugly around the coaxial cable. Nonetheless any tips on proper fixes for this are also welcome.

In the meantime, thanks all for the suggestions. I was about to try these if the drill reattempt didn't work. Really appreciated.

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Comments (9)

millworkman
6 years ago
The only option other than rehanging the door and fixing the opening is weatherstrip. Since you have already ruled that out you are left with one option unfortunately.
party_music50
6 years ago
Did you try to use glue to attach an upside-down sweep?
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User
6 years ago
First evict the smokers, then try spring bronze weatherstriping.
DavidR
6 years ago
Looks like you have some pretty significant settling going on there. A little isn't all that unusual in an old house, but I'd be concerned in newer construction.

It's pretty crude, but one fix would be to attach a rectangle of 1/4" plywood that overlaps the gap and frame, and add some kind of gasket. If you really can't drill the door (very surprising), you could attach it with heavy duty double-sided automotive trim tape similar to this.

I've use that kind of tape for a lot of mounting and fastening tasks. It sticks hard, so get the position right the first time. No endorsement of the vendor intended.
User
6 years ago
For the window issue if it's at the bottom make a tube of fabric and fill it with sand to cover over the gap, sometimes they're called draft dodgers.
Connor Hawke thanked User
Connor Hawke
Original Author
6 years ago
last modified: 6 years ago
The gap is at the top of the window but I appreciate the suggestion!
DavidR
6 years ago
"Metal layer was thin, no more than 1cm."

I think you mean 1 millimeter (mm) - about 18 gauge steel.

You ARE starting with a center punch, then a small drill bit, then working up until you make the holes the size you need, right?

Or maybe your bits are dull. If you got them at the cheap tools place, that might explain it. However, bits just naturally get dull from use anyway, especially if you drill metal without any cutting oil.

"I'd have to move the coaxial cable to another window"

Not really; you'd want to bring the cable in the right way, through a wall bushing. You own the place, so there's no reason you can't drill through the siding. The person who used the window should be either burned at the stake or forced to eat a burned steak.

Usual disclaimer: ye olde link is for information. It's not an endorsement of any kind.
Connor Hawke thanked DavidR
Connor Hawke
Original Author
6 years ago
last modified: 6 years ago
It was definitely more than 1mm. Maybe about 0.5cm. I used a Milwaukee cobalt set I got at Home Depot. I didn't do a center punch or use oil at first. I started with a 1/8" and then switched to a 7/64". Reverse helped when the drill got deeper in the metal because at that point with the forward direction it kept getting stuck / stopping.

I'll look into using a bushing though I'll probably get it professionally done. The window gap is one of a few issues that the renovation missed.