Garage door frame problem

[Timmo]

Hi guys,
I've got a problem that I need some advice on..a friend of mine has a problem with his garage door frame...On one side the damp has got at the wood (softwood - been in since 1972 when house was built)...Now it only penetrates about 6inches up the frame and he is looking at alternatives for fixing it...Sorry, I haven't got a picture but it is pretty rotten..
So I just wanted to ask what is the best practice way to fix this kind of problem as he has had someone tell him that the whole frame should be replaced...
I would have thought that cutting out the bottom dodgy piece and then splicing in some good wood would work fine wouldn't it? It is a painted frame after all..
If a new frame was required then what type of joinery is used where the 2 side pieces join the top piece? I have no experience of garage door frames at all but whilst I know there is an RSJ above the door frame meaning that the top piece isn't load bearing as such, the opening mechanism is secured to the centre of the top piece therefore some force is exerted on it..
He asked me for my opinion and I wasn't 100% sure and wanted to find out from the experts so could anyone give me some advice / tips.
MAny thanks
Timmo

 

[PowerTool]

Normal practice round here is to chop the rotten piece out and splice a piece in - cut at 45 degrees,sloping downwards towards the front to prevent water soaking in from above.

Andrew

 

[Timmo]

Thats exactly what I had thought so thanks for confirming.
If I were to undertake the task myself (as a favour) whats the easiest way to guarantee a dead on 4 degree cut when cutting the rotten piece out?
As the drive slopes down to the ouse would it also be advisable to leave a gap at the bottom of the frame and then fill it with some type of sealant filler to get it from getting wet again?
Cheers
Timmo

 

[Anonymous]

whats the easiest way to guarantee a dead on 4 degree cut when cutting the rotten piece out?

Timmo

Cut the new piece first, after having established how high up the old frame it will need to go to avoid any rot. Then hold the new piece against the rotten part and use that to mark it out for cutting. It doesn't need to be bang on just a reasonable fit.

 

[Timmo]

Alrighty then - thanks Steve..so just use a good amount of waterproof glue and screw it to the wall...How about leaving the gap at the bottom and filling with sealant..is that a good thing to do?
Thaks
Timmo

 

[cornucopia]

i do this repair allot before re-painting, i normally leave a 1/4" gap just so its not in direct contact with the ground, a good idea is to treat the new piece of woods endgrain aswell to try to prevent it happening again. if your painting it a good preserver primer is alliminium wood primer or if your staining it let it sit in an old ice cream tub with a bit of stain in the bottom and let it soak it up overnight.

 

[Timmo]

Thanks a lot for the advice...daft question and I should go and look at the frame of mine own garage door but is the frame just screwed against the wall...I just don't recall seeing the screw heads or would one drill a larger size hole in the wood, screw the frame on and then fill the hole - thinking about it, that would be daft because it would be pretty hard to remove the frame...I'll stop talking to myself and ask the question - How is the frame connected to the wall?
Thanks
Timmo

 

[Tusses]

if it was built with the house it will probably be nailed into wooden blocks that were cemented in when they did the brickwork. you can cut these with a sawzall and then fix the new wood into the brickwork with long screws and ralw plugs.

dont forget wedges/spacers to keep the new wood in line with the frame - dont just screw it up tight to the bricks

 

[Evergreen]

Timmo

I've got exactly the same job to do with my own garage door.

Checking the "good" side of the frame, and other garage doors belonging to my neighbours, it looks like the frame sides were intended to just rest on the concrete of the garage floor. But some frame sides don't even touch the concrete and I could get a stripping knife easily under the bottom of several of them.

When I replace the rotten wood in my frame, I was intending to sit the new timber on an old bit of DPC I've got somewhere, if I can find where I put it...

 

[Timmo]

Well I just went out to look at my garage door frame but I guess they are all different anyway and I am not sure what my friends is like but my frame is probably a 2x3 type size and the wood is actually screwed into the brickwork from the inside edge as there is quite a big overlap between the brick wall and the door frame...Therefore the screw holes are OK to be visible...For some reason (and this may be the case on other doors) I had thought that the frame would actually be screwed from in from the edge the the garage door closes into..hmm..not explaining myself very well am I...
Wish I had a picture..

 

[Timmo]

Well I could just use a bit of DPC under the wood but their drive does slop down quite a lot and water puddles there as there is no proper drain so I think the wood above the DPC would be in contact with the water..thats why I wanted something a bit higher...
As the frame isn't actually supporting anything (isn't structural) there shouldn't be a need to have it right up against the floor but I don't really want to leave just a gap as it would look unsightly I think..
Thanks for all the ideas..
Cheers
Timmo

 

[slemishwoodcrafts]

i had the same problem on the garage door at home. the frame was 3x2 which had seen 40 years of use and was rotted through at the bottom. It was easier for me and a better job into the bargain to fit a new door frame made from 6x1.5 softwood which i treated with preservative.

regards,

michael

 

[Digit]

Wood nearly always rots from the end grain upwards/downwards. Keep it off the ground!
I have verandas back and front and to both sides and the method I have used to keep wood from rotting is this.
Drill a suitable sized hole up the end of the wood, use a length of steel rod and weld two plates to it.
The first plate is the load bearer in contact with the ground and should be sized to support the load. About one inch above that weld another plate that is smaller in both dimensions than the timber, the timber then rests on top of this and remains clear of the ground.
Mine have been in use now for nearly twenty years and no rot.

Roy.

 

[Anonymous]

Mine have been in use now for nearly twenty years and no rot.

Roy.

Yeah but, what about the wood? :lol:

 

[Digit]

:lol: :lol: :lol:

Roy.