Crack in door

[TravelTrailer29]

Last year while my fiancée and I were camping, we had a wind storm blow through the camp ground. While we were scrambling to secure everything, we forgot to unlatch the door. The wind blew door against trailer and it pushed the plastic door hing into the door and cracked it. Does anyone have any ideas on how to fix this? I was thing of getting a metal door hinge with a bigger mounting plate to cover the crack.

Thanks!

[wiredgeorge]

Originally Posted by TravelTrailer29

Last year while my fiancée and I were camping, we had a wind storm blow through the camp ground. While we were scrambling to secure everything, we forgot to unlatch the door. The wind blew door against trailer and it pushed the plastic door hing into the door and cracked it. Does anyone have any ideas on how to fix this? I was thing of getting a metal door hinge with a bigger mounting plate to cover the crack.

Thanks!

That seems like a good way to fix this issue. Get a 4x4" metal plate and screw it down and screw the door keeping fixture to it. You could paint the metal plate if you needed it to look pretty. Good luck and put your awning up when the wind even puff a little bit... (don't ask how I know this bit of wisdom!).

[flybouy]

Agree with above only I would use aluminum specifically. The door is aluminum and it will be easier to work with. Also make sure to seal up the crack in the door and the plate to the door to keep any moisture out.

[JRTJH]

You can buy 1/16" thick aluminum sheet stock at most hardware stores. It comes in 12x12" squares. You can also buy 8x10" Lexan sheets at Lowe's (think picture frame glass that won't break).

Since the door in that area does not require "structural integrity" as you can see by the damage done by a "smack on the outside", there's no need to build a "fortress" to support the lock.

Thin aluminum or Lexan, cut to size, filed gently on the edges to remove any sharp corners or burrs, painted to match, drilled so the screws from the door lock will pass through, then contact cement or a good adhesive (like ProFlex or SikaSil) and attach the plate, install the door lock and you're done...

If you use Lexan, you can paint the reverse side and not paint the side you touch. That way there won't be any "paint scratches or scrapes" to deal with in the future.

Using the adhesive to hold the plate in position will eliminate the need to screw it to the door to keep the edges flat and the 4 lock bolts will hold it in position. I'd only go large enough to cover the crack + about an inch in each direction. No need to put a large "unsightly patch" on the door.

[travelin texans]

Most hardware stores sell small pieces of aluminum plate, as mentioned use about a 4x4" piece, or whatever it takes to get a few screws around it & Gorilla glue behind so it holds into the plastic interior of the door.
If needed a piece to cover the entire bottom few inches of the door interior so you could attach it more solid to the door frame work. A piece of aluminum diamond plate on the bottom of the door wouldn't look bad either & would make door more solid.

[TravelTrailer29]

Originally Posted by travelin texans

Most hardware stores sell small pieces of aluminum plate, as mentioned use about a 4x4" piece, or whatever it takes to get a few screws around it & Gorilla glue behind so it holds into the plastic interior of the door.
If needed a piece to cover the entire bottom few inches of the door interior so you could attach it more solid to the door frame work. A piece of aluminum diamond plate on the bottom of the door wouldn't look bad either & would make door more solid.

That’s a great idea! Reading everyone’s comment made me think that a patch might look ugly. But a piece of aluminum diamond plate on the bottom of the door would look pretty good. Thanks for the idea!!!