Metal Door Frame Corrosion
Renovate Don’t Replace
Commercial Steel Entry Door
Jamb Repair
Steel entry doors and frames can and do
provide years of reliable service but in many of
these systems the bottom of the frames
eventually rust or corrode. The corrosion of a
steel door-frame results in a number of
undesirable conditions. It provides a path for
rodents, it allows contaminants
and debris into the facility, it is
a path for energy loss and, in
the worst-case scenario, can
lead to a structural weakening
of the door system. In the
most severe cases, complete
removal and replacement of
the existing frame and door
becomes necessary.
Replacement of a frame and door is expensive.
Typically requiring an experienced door
technician a full day to complete the repair
(assuming no complications from the removal
and install), cost for this repair can easily
exceed $1,000.00. The majority of this cost is
the labor required to remove the frame, yet in
many instances only the rusted portion of the
frame actually requires repair.
The patented Jamb Patch is designed to
significantly reduce the time and labor required
to renovate a rusted entry door-frame. It is
manufactured from corrosion resistant steel to
help extend the life of the door-frame and
designed for “do-it-yourself” installation,
further lowering the cost of the repair.
Causes of Corrosion
Moisture in contact with the frame or jambs
eventually causes rusting of the jambs, most
often starting and first seen in the lower ends of
the jambs. Most people think the corrosion is
the frame rusting from the outside towards the
inside. In fact, exactly the opposite is true; the
steel jambs are corroding from the inside to the
outside. This is easier to understand by
recognizing that frames and man doors are
usually painted on the outside and therefore
well protected from corrosion. It is the
backside of the jambs where the concern lies.
The
most
frequent
incidences of rusted man
doors and jambs are where
these systems are used in
the exterior openings of
buildings. The reasons these
systems
degrade
more
quickly than the interior
systems is not only are they
more directly exposed to
outside weather conditions but the method of
installation adds an additional variable.
Exterior entry door-frames are often slushed
(backfilled) with masonry mix, i.e. the same
material used to cement the cinder blocks
together as the wall is being built. The typical
frame installed in a block wall opening is filled
with masonry mix as
the wall is built up
around the frame.
Masonry mix, once it
is dry, is porous. This
means it has pockets
capable of retaining
moisture
for
extended periods and
the fact that the
masonry mix is in direct contact with the
backside of the door-frame, means moisture is
held in intimate contact with the steel jambs for
prolonged periods. Gravity pulls the moisture
down through the masonry mix, consequently,
the bottom of the frames are exposed to
moisture the longest. This is why the bottom of
the frames typically rusts before the other
portions of the frame.
The corrosion of steel door-jambs is not limited
to frames slushed into exterior openings. There
are numerous instances of non-slushed
corroded frames particularly in high humidity or
salt environments, e.g. along the coastlines.
Even without the slushed masonry mix, in these
environments the moisture gets into the frames
and entry doors and, since the environment is
by nature high humidity, i.e. rarely does
anything completely dry out, the steel is once
again subject to corrosive attack.
If you can see
visible rust on
the surface of
the
door
frame, you can
be sure failure
has
already
occurred and
it will continue
to progress unless the rusted section of the
frame is completely replaced.
Repairing Jamb Corrosion
Until now, a customer typically has had three
options available once rust is noted.

Do nothing - simply allow the system to
corrode and fail.

Remove and replace the door and
frame system - the option most
frequently chosen, also the most costly.

Superficially “repair” the jambs –
bondo, i.e. plastic body filler, is the
most
often
used
material.
Unfortunately, this is an aesthetic repair
only. The rust will come back because
it’s inside the frame not outside.
Now there is a fourth choice, the
patented Jamb Patch.
The Jamb Patch is designed for repairing steel
entry door-jambs without the need to remove
the complete frame.
Manufactured from
galvanealed steel to extend the life of the frame
system, the Jamb Patch kit, complete with all
hardware needed for installation,
is a new section of door-frame
designed to be installed after
removal of only the corroded
portion of the existing jamb. The
product is designed as a “do-ityourself” solution to minimize the
total cost of the repair.
In
addition, the Jamb Patch is
available with a hinge pocket to
be used to repair the hinge side of
the frame.
The photo above shows the
frame section being cut out
and removed. This is easily
accomplished using a hand
held cutting tool.
First
cutting across the frame at
the correct height then
cutting vertically down the
center of the frame to pull
each side from the wall.
Notice the photo above is the backside of the
frame split for removal showing the corrosion
on the inside of the failed frame. The material
crumbled at the base with substantial corrosion
migration higher than what appears on the
outside of the frame.
Bondo is used as a filler to cover the
gap between the Jamb Patch and the
original frame as well as to cover the
installation fasteners and slots. After
drying, the bondo is sanded and the
installation is painted with primer
before the final coat of paint is
applied.
The finishing touches include
installing new weather stripping and
reinstalling the original threshold,
unless you decide to refresh that
hardware at the same time.
Once the remnants
of the slushed
concrete
are
removed, the site is
ready for Jamb
Patch restoration.
The Jamb Patch
patented
design
incorporates
a
unique
“sliding
alignment” feature
which also provides a solid surface to support
the bondo patch to blend the Jamb Patch into
the existing frame.
After establishing proper
alignment, the Jamb Patch is
loosely bolted to the opening
with the fasteners provided in
the kit. Finally shims are used
to set the proper spacing
from the wall, and the
mounting bolts are tightened
for permanent positioning.
If you would like more information about the
Jamb Patch or Jamb Anchor, go to the Door
Innovation website.
http://www.doorinnovation.com/
Enter the Code: BOMA when you order to
receive the International Conference discount.
Technology
Pavilion
Booth 1322