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ionized_gw

exterior door threshold

ionized_gw
11 years ago

I posted this in the flooring section a couple of days ago, but I am not seeing any action. Maybe someone that frequents this forum can help me out:

What is wrong with this picture? (Click the thumbnail please)

We are having flooring done at home and the carpenter installed a new threshold. That is the edges of the engineered wood flooring that can be seen between the metal and the recently-painted, gray sill. I have not talked to the contractor about this yet, but it looks all wrong to me. I am afraid that they will try to convince me that a little caulking is going to fix this right up, but that does not seem right either. The caulking will trap any water that might get in.

I would guess that some kind of weather-resistant wood or wood-like material needs to go on top of the sill to bring it up to the level of the threshold. It seems like it should be painted before it is installed and then touched up. OTOH, maybe the correct and best way is to install a new, thicker sill.

I am just waving my hands here and I could really use some advice from experienced people.

Thanks for reading.

Comments (5)

  • millworkman
    11 years ago

    The picture is not large enough to really see the issue, even if you " (Click the thumbnail please)".

  • ionized_gw
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Thanks, I try hard to keep the image sizes down to save bandwidth and disk space. I won't be able to post another picture today. Maybe a little more narrative will help. If not, I will need some guidance to help me take a picture that shows what you need.

    Here is what is in the pic from the top

    White: door
    black: soft weatherstrip of the threshold
    gold: metal part of threshold
    brown:edge of the flooring
    Gray: Recently-painted riginal door sill if "sill" is the right word
    Mottled gray-green: concrete porch deck that I have not yet had time to paint.

    Oh, wait, I do have a wider shot if that helps.

  • sombreuil_mongrel
    11 years ago

    (shakes head in disbelief) You have got to be kidding. Somebody got paid to do this to your house?
    Someone needed to point out that previous layers of flooring had to be removed so the new flooring was no higher than the original door sill. Removal costs more dough, but this is just a fustercluck now.
    Casey

  • ionized_gw
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    You almost have it. The LR was down to the joists and plywood went on top of that. I think that they raised that a little so it would be level into other rooms where the subfloor was higher for some reason.

    Before this project started, the LR, where the pictured door is, was tongue and groove. The hallway from the LR and one BR, that connected to that hallway were carpet over plywood. I won't go into details about the layers of whatnot flooring in other rooms.

    Yes, I pay people all the time to ruin my house. After that is a pile of junk, we can start on the garage!

    Seriously now, at first I was hoping that they were not finished. After a time, I realized that there is probably no way to "finish" this without tearing it apart and starting over.

    How should this be fixed? The threshold is supposed to sit on top of the engineered flooring, right? What should happen now?

    Does the threshold come out and the sill get replaced and the threshold get put back on?

    Does the threshold come out and the sill, if sound, get added to so it is high enough?

    Something else?

    I suppose that I could just demand that the contractor get a real carpenter and let him figure it out. I'd like to know how it is supposed to be done rather than just point point to it and say , "this does not look right and I don't think that caulk is going to fix it."

    I've been looking for a good picture or diagram of how the underparts of a doorway are assembled in a frame house with little luck.

  • ionized_gw
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Silly me, the unfinished wood under the threshold is not flooring. I should have looked more closely at it.

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