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I’m in the process of replacing the basement door – wood frame with wood frame. To my suprise, I found that the old door wasn’t really anchored to anything much. The wall is concrete block with exterior brick facing; the inside is bare block. There were two 1×6 laid flat, nailed to the block wall on the inside and the edge of the jamb was nailed to these 1×6. There was a lot of caulk around the brick mold. Not very solid or secure!!!
The question is what do I do now?
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First, being a basement door (not that we have any basements here in sunny SoCal), the jamb needs to be a good weather-resistant wood, or, if using fir (not Heme Dopot sugar pine), back-prime it good before installation. For attachment I've become a big fan of "sleeve anchors" with flat-head screws. These, or lag shields, allow for removal without destroying either masonry or wood. A 1/4" lag shield with a, what, #14 flat-head screw?
And, of course, don't forget to put in the raccoon door (a small cat door worked well for us) so they don't have to chew through the woodwork to get to your dogfood.
-Ben
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Gee, small raccoons out there! Haven't seen any here, but the ones in upstate NY were the size of an average pony.
I would use a layer of bituminous membrane to further isolate the door from the concrete. There are a dizzying variety of sleeves and other anchors to allow screwing into concrete -- Tapcon screws might be fine here since you're concerned with shear not pullout -- they go right into the concrete. I'm assuming that you have block right up against the jamb and/or the margins are grouted solid. Judicious use of expanding foam will eliminate any remaining wiggle and airseal the door nicely.
Protect the door from all that rain that goes into the basement stairwell, too, optimally with a storm door.
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I'm in the process of replacing the basement door - wood frame with wood frame. To my suprise, I found that the old door wasn't really anchored to anything much. The wall is concrete block with exterior brick facing; the inside is bare block. There were two 1x6 laid flat, nailed to the block wall on the inside and the edge of the jamb was nailed to these 1x6. There was a lot of caulk around the brick mold. Not very solid or secure!!!
The question is what do I do now?