Conference 7.286::home_work

>    I found the screws which hold secure the threshold to be the problem
>    as one or two are sticking up a bit. I tried to screw them back
>    down but all that happens is the phillips heads deform. It looks
>    like the only thing I can do is replace the thresholds. Can you

Can you just replace the screws ?

Scott.

    re .1 Probably but getting them out has proven to be near impossible
          without ruining the screw heads. Before I do this, and possibly
          ruin the threshold, I wanted to know if I have another route
          to try.
    
          Keith
    

re 0:

If the screw-head is sticking up, you can grab it with a pair of vice
grips and twist it out.  If it's not sticking up, it's not a problem,
right?

If you want to take out a screw that is flush to the threshold, try a
screw extractor.  Its shaft has a left-handed thread, and its top is
square, like that of a machinist's tap.  You drill a hole in the center
of the offending screw, twist in the extractor, keep twisting, and
(hopefully) the screw comes out.  Screw extractors come in various sizes.

    re .3 I tried the vise grips and all they did was deform the screw
          head. It was only sticking out 1/4 inch at most. Of course
          if it wasn't sticking up it wouldn't be a problem; that's
          how the weatherstripping kept tearing. I'll get an extractor
          and give that a try. Hopefully I can buy another threshold
          for the door. Thanks for the suggestions.
    

    Thresholds?
    
    What is used?  Oak...is that the only wood that will hold up?
    
    How about maple?
    
    I would like a wood that would better match early american stained
    pine.
    
    
    						John
    
    The threshold is going at the end of a tiled entrance way...into
    the kitchen.
    

    Oak is used because it's commonly available and most hardwood floors
    are oak.  They do may thresholds out of pine, but obviously they
    don't wear as well.
    
    Any hardwood would make a good threshold, but I don't know where you'd
    find them pre-made. Maple and birch are as hard (if not harder) and
    have the quality of being extremely neutral (very light color with very
    light, undistinctive grain). So if you can get it you have a better
    chance of staining/finishing to match the surroundings. 
    
    

    Grossman's outlet in Waltham, Mass has 3", 4", and 5" (all by 4')
    oak thresholds.  They are $7, $8, and $9, and based on what I could
    see, they are clean and ready to install.

    When our bathroom threshold wore out, we replaced it with an
    exceedingly hard wood.  Believe it is birch but it may be ash. 
    Thinking it would darken when varnished and with time, we did not stain
    it.  Well, neither action took place.  Ten years after replacement the
    threshold is still as anemic looking as when installed.  It does not
    blend with the neighboring thresholds.
    
    So, if you want yours to blend with your early American stained trim,
    be certain to stain a hardwood threshold before varnishing.
    
    	Marlene

Some woods darken more than others.   The wood darkens as a reaction to
UV light, over time.   Cherry will darken considerably, walnut and oak
not as much, and maple and ash very little.  So it depends on what kind
of wood you are using.    

Bob

    And for those that want something REALLY hard, Boston Tile on A
   mherst
    St. in Nashua sells marble thresholds.
    
    George

The front half of the threshold to the front door of our house had
been cracked off by the prior owner.  A carpenter suggested me that, 
rather than replace it (a major job of disassembly of the door frame), 
I simply rebuild what is missing, and put an extra board under it for 
support:
                         _________________
                        / *       | existing    * = no longer there
                       /__________.......
                          | + |                 + extra board
                          |   | existing
                          |   | house
                          |   |

So, I needed the boards marked with the * and +, in oak.  The * piece 
had to be a non-standard thickness (5/4") and have a beveled exterior
edge. For about $15, Larkin Lumber (a REAL lumberyard, and a great
place to buy wood) made up the 2 pieces of finished oak to order, 
proper width, bevel, etc.

The final job came out great, if I do say so myself.

So, if you can't find what you need in pre-made, find a good
lumberyard and get what you need. 

(larkin is in Hudson MA)

Thanks for the info.  I plan on making them myself.  I'm going to go
    with the oak and stain it early american...it will be darker but
    thats no big deal.
    
    I'm off to the wood working file ...I have to find out the easiest
    way to give that oak board a rounding effect.
    
    					John

What about for an exterior threshold?  I'm building our front door, and I'm
going to use clear fir for the door framing, but I'm trying to figure out what
wood to use for the threshold.  Oak is the usual choice, but it turns black
when exposed to the weather.  The fir would hold up to the weather well, but
won't take the wear as well.  Any suggestions?  From what I've heard, cypress
would be a good choice.  If I lived in Georgia it might even be inexpensive,
but I would guess the cost would be prohibitive here in NH, assuming I could
find it. 

Paul 

    Paul, what did you decide to use for your threshold on the door you
    were building?
    
    Steve

>    Paul, what did you decide to use for your threshold on the door you
>    were building?
    
I haven't.  :^) :^(  I got sidetracked on kitchen cabinets.

Any suggestions?

Paul

    I don't know if this applicable or not, but my brother-in-law is in the
    process of building a shed in my backyard and will be making a
    threshold out of pressure treated lumber. Of course, this is an outdoor
    structure constantly exposed to the elements so it may not be a good
    alternative for your house.
    
    Mike

    No suggestions. I was looking at my oak threshold and wondering what
    finish to put on it. So I thought I'd ask.
    
    Steve

I looked around for "thresh" and "atrium" and I don't think this has been
brought up...

I have an Atrium door (actually three of 'em) and the threshholds' finish has
broken down over the few years that they have been in - weather, etc.  I want
to refinish them before they get to the point where I have to replace them.

However, there's a plastic strip where the screen slides and I'd like to remove
it to do a really good job.  I have two questions:

Does anyone know if the thing is removeable?

What is the preferred finish for long-lasting protection?

Thanks,
Pete

I have an Atrium door (actually three of 'em) and the threshholds' finish has
broken down over the few years that they have been in - weather, etc.  I want
to refinish them before they get to the point where I have to replace them.

What is the preferred finish for long-lasting protection?

>>>I would be tempted to use a marine spar varnish for the finish, it is 
highly resistant to just about everything including ultraviolet light which 
is a big cause of damage to regular finishes. It is usually high gloss, but 
steel wooling may knock off some of the highlights if you don't care for 
the gloss.

I don't know about the plastic strips you mention.

    Vic H

Our threshholds are oak, I'm pretty sure.  And manufacturer's label prescribes
linseed oil (can't remember if it's boiled or otherwise).

    Let us know how you make out, Pete.  I'll be doing the same thing
    sometime soon (re: the door screen guide on threshold).
    
    					Steve

    We had this same problem with our two atrium doors installed three
    years ago.  The tracks are removable, but it depend on what type track
    you have...(Explanation follows)
    
    Atrium used to use a flat track that snapped over a plastic track. 
    This was the kind installed with our doors.  The flat plastic track did
    not hold up at all (cracked and broke).  We complained to Concord
    Lumber, and Atrium replaced them free of charge.  The ones they use now
    have a very hard, raised in the middle, plastic cover on which your
    screen slides.  This snaps on overs a metal strip that you screw into
    the threshold.  I know this, because of replacing them last summer.
    
    We took the tracks off, sanded down the wood, and refinished with Spar
    Urethane mentioned in previouse notes.  I would have to go home and
    look again, but I remember that it was holding up fairly well in the
    sun (direct sun up to 5 hours a day).  If you need further explanation
    of any of this, you can send mail.
    
    Jonathan

Jonathan,

I'm pretty sure I have the kind you have now ... can't wait to get home to see,
'cause that'll simplify my task a bit.

Someone else had recommended Deks-Ole or some such product that claims three
years guarantee in a salt-water environment, which might translate into more in
a non-salt-water environment.  I'll check 'em all to see what'll do best what I
want it to: protect the wood from rot.

Thanks for the info!

Pete

    We have a new Atrium door with a golden oak threshold (some are pine)
    and the instructions say to refinish with outdoor polyurethane (i.e.,
    poly "spar varnish" as often as every two years.
    
    pbm
    

Well, I looked last night as I was heading out the door and what I found was
that the plastic that I hope snaps onto a metal track has a very well-fitting,
apparently rubber, flange that meets the wood
              
                             |       
                      /-=====|=====-\     end view

and fits very nicely, so I hope that if I try a little harder to snap the
plastic off I don't foul up this flange.

    That is the new kind of track cover.  The installation instructions
    said to fit the edge of the hard rubber gasket under the edge of the
    metal strip and "snap" the other side in place.  So, you should be able
    to remove it...by prying (gently?).  Go ahead and try it, then we will all 
    know (especially for the next time I have to redo them)!!!
    
    Jonathan

Jonathan, Peter,

	Any further updates to your attempts to get the track off. I need to
do this to my three doors this weekend. But in trying to "gently" pry off
one of the tracks the other day, all I succeeded in doing is bending the
metal strip. 

	Rereading your notes, maybe I had the blade too far under. Any
pointers/experience to share with the rest of us with a similar problem?

					Thanks in advance,

						?Mark

	With some off line help from Peter, I was able to determine that my
Atrium screen guides were of the "new" design style; i.e. metal plate screwed 
on the threshold with a hard plastic cover over it.

	First, I'd be curious to hear from anyone who has successfully removed
and reinstalled these. The plastic cover is SO tight, I would imagine that
it is a b*t&h to snap back on.

	More frustrating is the fact that most of the small, Phillips head, 
screws on my metal plates were badly rusted. Trying to remove them resulted in
either a stripped head, or the head would snap off. I ended up tearing all of
them out and refinishing the thresholds. I guess I'll worry about how to 
install the screens next Spring. Or when I talk to Atrium. Whichever comes
first.

	Does anyone know if they have an 800 customer number?

							Mark

    Since I tried to help with the plastic cover problem, I want to make
    people aware of another problem with the Atrium Doors (mine are three
    panel, total width of door is 7' 6").  They are now a little over three
    years old and one of the latches broke.  The door no longer stayed
    closed.  I took the mechanism apart, but couldn't figure out how to fix
    it.
    
    -Called Concord Lumber (where they were bought by the contractor), they
    said $54 for the internal mechanism.
    
    -Call J&C Adams; guy on the phone said "oh yeah, I think they had a
    problem with that mechanism, we'll order one, no charge."  My wife was
    the one talking to the guy, she never got to the point of telling him
    that we hadn't bought the door from them, and he didn't seem to care. 
    By the way, we have bought a lot of stuff from them, so we are in their
    system as a customer.
    
    I haven't received the mechanism yet, but J&C Adams is o.k. in my book
    right now!!
    
    Jonathan

    My front door exterior oak threshold (step) has rotted.  I need to 
    replace it. I've read the notes on the types of wood to use, stains, 
    etc.  My question is on getting the old one out and a new one in.
    
    
    The door frame appears to overlap the threshold (weather stripping,etc)
    How far is the threshold likely to go into the frame?  Is it probable I'm 
    going to need to pull most of the frame off, or could I split the thres-
    hold (ie.multiple drill holes) and the halfs should come away from 
    the frame?  How is a new threshold anchored to the floor?  And finally 
    for every "do it yourselfer", what's the general degree of difficulty 
    of this project?
    
    Any other hints on removal and installation are needed.  

    Hi,
    
    I was just talking about this with a friend last week.  He replaced 2
    recently.  He used a power saw and cut the present threshold in half
    with a couple of rips leaving a good 1/2" - 1" slot.  He then slid the
    2 halves out from under the present door frame.  He slid the new
    threshold in under the frame and nailed into place with 4 or 6 finish
    nails.  You may have to cut to length and shim it a little to get level. 
    If it had to be replaced again in your lifetime you could just pull
    up the 6 nails and start over.  In all it took him about an hour+ for
    each threshold.  
    
    Hope this helps a little.  Sounds like you already know what to do.

    I have a problem with my exterior threshold.  I have an adjustable
    threshold (4 large screws along the length), not sure what brand it
    is, believe it to be Peachtree.  The problem is that one of the
    adjustable screws is stripped and will not adjust.  Any ideas on
    how to remedy this, without replacing the whole thing ??   
    
    
    
    Thanks,
    
    Steve

    	You may be able to use some sort of anchor (similar to what's used
    in sheetrock). I couldn't tell from your description what the screws
    were screwing into. I assumed it was wood.
    
    	You may also be able to fill the hole with some sort of
    plastic/wood filler and then screw into that. Lastly, can you simply
    move the screw over and make another hole and fill in the other one ?
    
    	Ray

>    I have a problem with my exterior threshold.  I have an adjustable
>    threshold (4 large screws along the length), not sure what brand it

	     If you are talking about wood screws, you can jam a wooden 
	match in to the hole and replace the sccrew.  If you have a stripped
	out machine screw hole, you could get a tap for the next larger size
	screw (say 10/32 instead of 8/32) and replace the screw.  This might
	require that you drill the hole to allow for the larger tap & screw.

					Tim

No, they're not wood screws.  They have large flat heads, about the size
of a quarter, and screw into threaded inserts in the fixed part of the
threshhold.  There are springs too; the idea is that you can use these
screws to adjust the threshhold height to match the door.

You can remove the strip by unscrewing all of the screws and prying the strip
out - I've done it.  But what you do next, I'm not sure.  You might be able
to put one of those metal grids used to "repair" stripped screws in there,
or perhaps just live with one of the screws not being able to screw down.

				Steve

    	I saw some stuff at an auto supply place that looked like it was
    either a putty or a liquid steel sort of thing. At any rate, it was
    made to fix stripped out spark plugs. Spark plugs have to deal with
    both heat and pressure extremes, so I'm sure it word work fine for your
    application.
    
    	Check around at some local auto parts places and they can probably
    tell you more about this stuff.
    
    	Ray

    Is the threshold aluminum?  If so, drop by your local hardware store
    with one of the screws and see if they can match.  If they can, move up
    to the next larger size.  Steel into aluminum is self-threading :-). 
    In some cases, you can get by forcing the screw into the sheet metal if
    it's not aluminum, but it may be better to find somebody with a tap and
    die set (and buy him/her donuts).
    
    Charlie

    Should of been clearer in my problem.  Steve (.5) obviously knows what
    I have, they are large screws the screw into something, wasn't sure of
    what.  Depending upon the way you turn the screw, you can raise/lower
    the threshold so it 'fits' with the door.  I wasn't aware that you
    could unsrew them all the way out, I will do that tonight and see
    what is under there.  Thanks for the replys.
    
    Steve

Be warned that even unscrewing them all the way, you may need some tricks to
get the strip to pop out.

				Steve

    I have a threshole that needs to be replaced.  It's at my front door
    and made of aluminum (i think).  The problem is it secured with three
    screws.  One of the screws is totally stripped so I cannot get it out.
    
    Any suggestions?
    
    Also, the new threshole I am putting in is a tad longer and will need
    to be trimmed.
    
    Any suggestion?
    
    
    Txs.  Connie

    
.0>    I have a threshole that needs to be replaced.  It's at my front door
.0>    and made of aluminum (i think).  The problem is it secured with three
.0>    screws.  One of the screws is totally stripped so I cannot get it out.
    
.0>    Any suggestions?
    
    Drill off the head of the stripped screw. Use a drill bit slightly
    wider than the screw shank (use one of the removable screws to select
    drill bit). Drill into the center of the screw head; when you get down
    to the shank, the head will pop off. Then remove the threshold and beat
    the shank into submission with a vise-grip.
    
.0>    Also, the new threshole I am putting in is a tad longer and will need
.0>    to be trimmed.
    
.0>    Any suggestion?
    
    Measure twice, cut once. :-)
    
    A hacksaw or saber saw (with a metal-cutting blade) will cut through
    aluminum quite handily. Use the old threshold as a template.
    

> I have a threshole that needs to be replaced.

	What's a "threshole"??  Do you really mean "threshold"?  If
	so, maybe one of these existing topics will helps ...

   565  STAR::NISHIMOTO      14-NOV-1986     3  Wood Threshold on Concrete Slab??
  2663  USADEC::KWILSON      28-SEP-1988     4  Screws protruding in Stanly threshold
  2792  VENOM::WATERS         7-NOV-1988    24  What kind of wood for threshold?
  3579  DNEAST::FICKETT_DAVE  9-NOV-1989     1  Thresholds??
  3625  MKFSA::SENNEVILLE     5-DEC-1989    12  Installing Marble Thresholds
  4702  ICS::WORRELL          3-AUG-1992     1  Ex. Wood Threshold Removal