External gap between brick and sliding door ..what caulking to use

[markmarshall]

Hi  All

Looking for some advice on how I can address a gap all along one of my sliding doors.

There's a gap on the outside between the brick and the Sliding door, and most certainly must be impacting insulating the home.

On the opposite side of the door it seems to be caulked.

May be due to movement the gap is gotten bigger or I was just blind and didn't pick up the issue.

Thanks in advance.

Can this be done by DIF, or should engage a pro?

If DIY what type of caulking should be used? 

[wooshka]

@markmarshall , i would simply rivet a piece of same colour aluminium angle to the frame

[MitchellMc]

Hi @markmarshall,

It's great to see you've already received a helpful reply from @wooshka.

You might like to use a product similar to Selleys 450g No More Gaps Coloured Caulk Gap Filler - Cedar. I would advise first pushing a filler rod firmly into that gap to take up the bulk of the space. If you don't use the rod then you'll be using an excessive amount of gap filler. Once you've filled the gap you can use a wet finger to smooth the filler off and conform it the shape of the bricks.

This would be considered a D.I.Y. job dependant on your level of handiness.

Please let us know if you need further assistance or had questions.

Mitchell

[markmarshall]

Thanks Mitchell ..had no clue about the filler rod.

[caulkerchris]

Hey mark, just be careful when using sellies Color caulk as it will slump and run if not done properly or if rain hits it during curing process. 

My advice would be to use sikaflex pro poly. And fill the gap using a open cell backing rod as the bond breaker. Usually that occurres over an articulation joint in your brickwork. So dependent on where you are and when the house was built, you might be required to use a certain product to meet the building code requirements.

[Jason]

Many thanks for joining the discussion and sharing your knowledge and experience @caulkerchris. It sounds like the Bunnings Workshop community could really benefit from your wisdom. We're really pleased to have you join us and look forward to reading more of your posts soon.

Please don't hesitate to post anytime you have something to share with the community or need a hand with a project around the house and garden. And let me know if you ever need assistance getting the most from the site, or have any feedback about how we could improve Workshop for you.

Welcome,

Jason

[Khan1]

Hi Caulkerchris, I agree with your sikaflex suggestion and it's good option for acoustic sealing. As we know the aluminium doors frames has huge multiple "U" shape gaps, will it be a good idea to first use expending foam filler instead of open cell backing rod and then sikaflex in the outer sides. I hope the expanding foam doesn't push the frame too much and impact on the shape of frame. My project is focused to reduce the main road noise coming through the gaps and the aluminium sliding door I am working is sitting in wooden frame.

Thank you  

 

 

[JacobZ]

Hi @Khan1,

A warm welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community, it is fantastic to have you with us.

My preference would be to use backer rod simply because it is cleaner than expanding foam. If you use a backer rod that is just wider than the gap, so it has to compress into the gap, as long as there are no gaps or obvious places that air can get through, then you would get almost the same level of acoustic insulation as you would with expanding foam.

You could use an expanding foam as long as it says that it can be used outdoors, but it is not quite as clean. If you'd still like to use it, this Parfix 340g Expanding Foam Filler would be fine to use. 

Let me know if you have any further questions.

Jacob

[Khan1]

Thank you so much for replying Jacob, is Parfix 340 expanding foam filler a "low expanding foam" designed for windows, as they are suggesting in other forums, to minimise the chances of impacting the frame structure! 

Thanks 

[EricL]

Hello @Khan1 

Although the Parfix 340g Expanding Foam Filler is an excellent expanding foam it does not put a great deal of pressure on the surfaces its put on. It will expand into every gap but will push itself out towards open space. I propose doing a test on piece of timber so that you can gauge for yourself how much the foam expands, and from there you'll have a better idea of how much foam you'll need to put in. Please note that the foam can be trimmed down with a Craftright 18mm Snap Off Knife once the foam has fully cured.

If you have any other questions we can help with, please let us know.

Eric