Can part of fire door be added?

[Guest Newsome]

Can a oversized fire door frame be modified by adding 20mm to the hinge side using a separate new door frame to allow a 27” fire door to be installed?

All would be glued and screwed to seal.

[Neil Ashdown MAFDI]

If you are installing a new 27" wide fire door, the door leaf should come with manufacturers installation instructions. These instructions should include details about the frame and will normally state minimum sectional size (such as 32mm thick x 75mm wide) and the material its made from (such softwood or hardwood).

So if you need to add a 20mm thick piece of softwood (or hardwood if it's FD60) continuous along the outside of the door frame jamb, then that's OK so long as the continuous joint between the two pieces is tight with no gap.

If you are using the existing door frame you first need to make sure that the frame meets the specification stated in the door leaf installation instructions. Assuming that it does, you may add a continuous piece of 20mm thick softwood (or hardwood if necessary) to the inside of the door frame jamb so long as the piece is the same full width as the existing door frame jamb and the joint between the two surfaces is tight without any gaps. Use sufficient fixings just as you would if you were fixing the jamb to the wall.

When fixing the hinges to the hanging jamb I would advise using longer screws to ensure a good fixing through the 20mm thick added lining and into the existing jamb. But  not so long that they pass right through the combined thickness of the lining and jamb. 

[Guest Trent]

Hello,

I have a challenge that perhaps you can help me with:

I am converting a basement to a habitable space and I want to replace the 30" conventional door at the top of the basement stairs, which opens into our kitchen area, with a fire door.

My first thought was to rip out the existing door and door lining and start from scratch with a new lining and a 30" fire door, but there are loads of pipes and wires behind the existing door lining which I would rather not disturb, not to mention old brick walls that might be tricky to fix a new lining to.

So I have a thought: The existing lining is high enough and wide enough that I could fit within it a new door lining for a 27" door and a new 27" fire door, taking care to plane and sand the existing door lining so the new one fits tightly against it with no gaps.

Alternatively, I could clean up the existing door lining and enlarge the existing door rebate, which currently accepts a 35mm thick door, to accommodate a 45mm thick fire door, and simply replace the existing door with a fire door, using the existing door lining.

What are your thoughts?

Is there a minimum width for a fire door leading to a basement?

Here is some more information that might be of use in assessing the situation:

• although the existing door is 30" wide, the stairs leading down to the basement (after crossing the landing at the top of the stairs) are less than 27" wide.
• there is a large double-opening fire exit window in the new basement that conforms to fire escape regulations
• there are 2 rooms and one toilet with a wash basin in the basement.

Thank you very much for any help you can give.

Kind regards,

Trent

[Tom Sutton]

For the door to comply there are many things to consider and without a phyisical inspection it is dificult to give an adequate response. The ideal is a door set which is a door and matching frame but there can be alternatives and with a alternitive exit from the cellar I belive compremises could be a possibility, I would suggest you bring in an expert to check it out.

[Guest Paul Santoro-Hall]

i have some very expensive fire doors fitted where i have noticed a big gap at the bottom some 15/20mm am i allowed to add a piece of timber to the bottom of the door and will it still meet fire safety standards 

[Tom Sutton]

You need to check the manufacturers instructions that came with the fire doors.