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Installing Pre-Hung DoorsBy Jim Sulski Summary: Hanging a door level can be a challenge for even the best do-it-youselfer. That is why pre-hung door kits are such a great option. Jim gives you tips on how to hang a pre-hung door in your home. Anyone who has ever tried installing or repairing a door knows the trouble
involved in getting it to hang "square". There's a very precise science to hanging a door and getting it to properly open and close, and that's one of the reasons for the popularity of a prehung door. A prehung door is basically a door kit. It's a door - complete with hinges - that is already hung in a frame, and sometimes that frame is also covered with woodwork. Usually, holes are even drilled for locks and doorknobs. The entire unit fits into a prebuilt wood frame opening between two rooms. As a result, prehung doors are great for new construction, such as a room addition off the back of the house or a basement rec room. The first step in installing a prehung door is to choose the correct unit. Interior prehung doors range from widths of 18 to 28 inches, while exterior prehung doors range from 28 inches wide to 36-inches-plus wide. Also, determine which way you want to the door to swing. Most doors swing into a room. However, whether the door swings to the left or the right may be dictated by walls, stairways or furniture. After purchasing a prehung door, unpack it. If it comes with trim, remove the trim, which may be tacked down with a couple of small finishing nails. Prop the door up and insert it and the frame into the opening hinge-side first. Next, center the frame of the prehung door in the opening. Carefully align it horizontally with a level and vertically with a level and plumb bob. Then, use a couple of finishing nails to hold the door in place. Do not drive the nails all the way into the frame. Some prehung doors are known as split-jamb types, which adjust to fit different wall thicknesses in the opening. Adjust the jamb of that type of door as necessary so that the frame is snug against the opening. Next, check the bottom of both sides of the frame for floor clearance. If the finished flooring (carpeting, tile, etc.) is already in place, the bottom ends of the frame should butt up against the flooring. If the finished flooring is not installed, you may need to cut the bottom ends of the frame to accommodate the flooring. A good rule of thumb is to leave a 3/16 inch gap for vinyl flooring and a half-inch gap for standard carpeting. The depths of wood flooring and ceramic tile can vary. Those items should be measures for accuracy. Also note if there will be different types of flooring on each side of the door - say carpeting in one room and tile in the next. That may require different sizes of cuts on each side of the frame. Mark the bottom of the frame for cutting. Next, place the trim alongside of the frame and measure for cutting as well. Again, keep in mind finished flooring requirements. Next, remove the nails holding the frame in place. Cut the frame with a handsaw or circular saw, double checking your measurements first. Sand any rough edges. Place the door and frame back into the opening, and once again center it with the level and the plum bob. You can use wedges under the frame to simulate any flooring below the frame. Using the same nail holes as before, drive a couple of finishing nails in place to secure the frame to the opening. Next, place wood shims in the gaps between the outer sides of the frame and the opening. If any gap is wider than a half-inch, you may need to insert a couple of shims, pushing them together at their points. Then, do the same at the top of the frame. Next, drive finishing nails through the prehung door frame, through the shims and into the opening's wood frame. Do not drive the nails all the way through yet. Secure the prehung door into the opening with nails every foot or so. Then, check the hinge side of the door with a level once again. If it is straight, drive several nails all the way through the frame and into the opening. Next, open and close the door to make sure it's square. Then, drive the remaining nails all the way through to thoroughly secure it into the opening. Next, install the trim, frame casing or woodwork over the jamb. Use a level
to make sure the trim is straight and gently drive several finishing nails into
the trim. © by Jim Sulski. All rights reserved. February 22, 2005. NOTE: This column is distributed by Real Estate Matters Syndicate, PO Box 366, Glencoe, Illinois, 60022. This column may not be resold, reprinted, resyndicated or redistributed without written permission from the publisher. © 2005 by Ilyce R. Glink. Distributed by Real Estate Matters Syndicate. |
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