Flood barriers for doors

Doorways are one of the most common ways for floodwater to get into a home. There are three main ways to protect them, and the right one depends on your door, your walls and who'll be home when a warning comes.

Types of door protection

• Removable flood barriers. Boards or panels that fit across the doorway when a flood is coming, usually slotting into channels or brackets fixed to the frame. The Environment Agency's advice includes buying temporary, removable flood barriers for your doors.
• Flood doors. A door built to resist water, which stays fitted all the time, so there's nothing to put up. The same advice suggests putting in a flood resistant front door. GOV.UK lists flood doors among flood protection products.
• Sandbags. SEPA warns they may not hold back water unless a waterproof sheet is placed under them, and says barriers often give more effective long-term protection. See sandbags vs flood bags vs barriers.

Which suits your home?

• Removable barriers need someone to fit them in time, and somewhere to store them. They suit homes where someone is usually around and gets warnings early.
• Flood doors protect even when nobody is home, but they replace your existing door and frame.

The Environment Agency's advice is to speak to a specialist about the best option for your property. A property flood resilience survey will also check the walls either side of the door: a barrier only helps if water can't get round it or through the brickwork.

What to measure before you buy

Write these down for each external door:

• The width of the opening, measured at the bottom, between the frame or wall faces where a barrier would sit.
• The height you'd want protected, and the height of the doorstep or sill.
• What the frame is made of and whether it's sound: uPVC, timber or metal, and any rot, cracks or gaps.
• The surface at the threshold: a level step or a sloped sill, tiles, block paving or a path.
• Anything in the way, such as a letterbox low in the door, a cat flap, or a drain at the doorstep.

Our planner, above, counts your doors and adds a measuring reminder to your checklist.

Certification

Natural Resources Wales advises choosing BSI Kitemark certified flood protection products, and SEPA says to look for the Kitemark or equivalent accreditation. The British Standard for products fitted to a building, including door boards and flood doors, is BS 851188-1. Ask the supplier for the certificate, and check that it covers the size you need.

Fitting and storing

• Practise before you need it. Fit the barrier once in daylight, time it, and note any tools you need.
• Store it close to the door, with the tools and seals, and somewhere you can reach in the dark.
• Check the seals each autumn, before the wetter months.
• When a flood warning is issued, GOV.UK says to use flood protection products if you have them. Never go into floodwater to fit a barrier.

Finding a supplier

The National Flood Forum's Blue Pages lists flood product suppliers and installers. It doesn't endorse them. Get more than one quote, ideally after a survey.

FAQs

Can a barrier go on a patio door?

Wide doors and sliding tracks need barriers made for them. See our guide to patio and French door flood protection.

Do barriers work if water comes up through the floor?

No. Door barriers stop water coming in at the door. Water can also come up through floors, drains and air bricks, which is why a survey looks at the whole house.