make interior French Doors air tight?

[Shovelhead]

Building a room inside of metal building.
Want French doors to move motorcycles and what ever else in and out of shop to this air conditioned room.
I see exterior French doors are 72x80 and interior French doors are 60x80.
Interior doors are a lot less expensive and 60" is plenty wide.

The problem I see for interior doors is no threshold therfore a gap at the bottom for my cool air to escape.
Can you put a simple floor sweep of some sort on these doors that will seal really well?

The idea of no threshold also will make it nice to roll a scooter in and out, or a saw on a mobile cart.

Y'all have any suggestions and experience with this idea??

Thanks

 

[mike93lx]

Sweeps can seal decently well. Helps if the floor is flat. There will be plenty of air leaks around the other sides of the doors anyway, so don't stress the floor seal too much

 

[FMB4]

Being 'air tight' isn't always the best thing imo.

 

[Leaflessshadetree]

My mother had a cloth tube (I think it was filled with sand) across the bottom of doors to seal drafts.
Sealing the sides, top and center may be more of a challenge.

 

[Shovelhead]

Ok. So I'm not thinking about the entire unit being sealed well from what y'all are saying. Weather stripping at the top and sides?
I don't know **** from wild honey about French doors.

 

[Walkers]

You would need to add weatherstripping to the entire perimeter and the center, not just a threshold. Also need to consider that there is little insulating value to an interior door.

 

[Shovelhead]

Yeah I was thinking about the insulating value of the entire unit, especially because of all the glass. I suspect the exterior ones have way better glass in them too.
It's becoming evident my idea is a bad one. Dammit.

 

[rsanter]

first, why do you want it to be air tight?
if for the cooling, dont sweat it too much.
if for dust and such then you can install very simple foam seal strips and a floor sweep on the bottom that will keep most of the dust out

 

[The Cobbler]

I'm actually building a heated laundry room facility in an unheated mudroom for friends. Using 2-30" doors to make a 5' opening. using weatherstripping for the stops , meeting mullions and thresholds. I think the hollow core doors are reasonable insulation for interior use as there's a honeycomb web of cardboard . could always add styrofoam or make doors with a foam core

 

[Shovelhead]

first, why do you want it to be air tight?
if for the cooling, dont sweat it too much.
if for dust and such then you can install very simple foam seal strips and a floor sweep on the bottom that will keep most of the dust out

Air tight not meaning like a zip lock bag, but I'm air conditioning this room. Installing doors with a 1/2 - 1" gap at the bottom is hardly air tight.

why I'm asking the question, how to make it work efficiantly with interior french doors vs. exterior for twice the money.

 

[jkuro]

Bite the bullet and get the exterior doors.

 

[john_hackworth]

Interior doors with a sweep or weather stripping will be plenty for air conditioning. It’ll leak, but not so much to worry about.

 

[Shovelhead]

Bite the bullet and get the exterior doors.

That all you got? send me the money.

you got no idea how many bullets been bit throughout the past year.
Picked a fine time to retire and build a new shop and house.

 

[DennisK]

If you use interior doors, hinge and striker side need to be beveled for a seal to be installed. Crushable felt style seals should work, and a threshold sweep.

 

[FredWanaker]

one option is exterior double front doors, fiberglass. No risk of breakage either. BTW a laundry room normally requires air flowing thru it and into the clothes dryer. That air has to come from somewhere because you can't vent back to the same room of there would be mold everywhere. Regardless what you do, air must get pulled into that room.

 

[Shovelhead]

If you use interior doors, hinge and striker side need to be beveled for a seal to be installed. Crushable felt style seals should work, and a threshold sweep.

thank you sir

 

[jkuro]

Sorry for your problems. There are reasonably priced doors. Check these out:

https://www.lowes.com/pd/JELD-WEN-T...-80-in-Actual-71-5-in-x-79-5625-in/1000608049

 

[The Cobbler]

..... BTW a laundry room normally requires air flowing thru it and into the clothes dryer. That air has to come from somewhere because you can't vent back to the same room of there would be mold everywhere. Regardless what you do, air must get pulled into that room.

I know .

 

[Max78]

Its really not that hard to make french doors that seal well... not sure what the big deal is.

These were sliding doors i converted to swing out french doors. Keeps the dust and rain out quite nicely. On 110 degree days its more than capable of maintaining 74 inside, same with heating in the winter.

For the bottom I found a aluminum threshold with rubber to seal against the bottom. If that's too much of an obstruction then a simple door sweep should work really. Looses there will be minimal,

For the sides I took my trim pieces an ran a groove down them with a table saw for the weatherstripping to push into. The center I nailed a piece on wood on the stationary door for the handled door to close against, if that makes any sense. I put a much thinner piece of weatherstripping there I got from McMaster.

 

[captaindiode]

Look around for a salvage building materials outlet. We have a couple that buy door slabs and then build the jams. They are seconds, but usually really good. Also maybe a Habitat Re-Store. You can get 60 inch wide exterior French doors, also.

 

[CraigStu]

Interior doors will be fine. Buy them and install them then go to L or HD and look at their weatherstripping section. There are so many sizes and styles of foam strip w/ sticky on one side you will be able to seal the doors fine. If you don't find what you want, go here to look through 3500 products.

McMaster-Carr

McMaster-Carr is the complete source for your plant with over 595,000 products. 98% of products ordered ship from stock and deliver same or next day.

www.mcmaster.com

 

[Metal-Marc]

That all you got? send me the money.

you got no idea how many bullets been bit throughout the past year.
Picked a fine time to retire and build a new shop and house.

You either pay more now, or you pay more for electricity in the long run.

 

[Bert_]

A door is a door for the most part. If it doesn't have to shed water it really doesn't matter what you start with.

A threshold will make the door much easier to seal. Even a short threshold will do it. I like bronze weatherstripping for my exterior doors, it lasts for decades.