Framing and hanging a door

[watcher]

I'm building a wall and need to put two doors in it. I have several doors but I have never framed nor hung a non-prehung door. Can anyone point me to some place that can show me how?

[TNHermit]

Are they prehung or do you have to make frames and mortise hinges?

If you google "Hanging Doors" there are several videos and places for instruction. here is one
http://www.askthebuilder.com/B375_St...h_Photos.shtml

Biggest thing is don't make it harder than it is. The most important thing is to have the hinge side plumb both ways. (You can hang them out of plumb but they will hit you in the wallet when you go through. )
Once the hinge side is done just adjust everything to fit your tolerances. I use 1/8 but most use 3/16 since most doors aren't beveled anymore on the strike side.
Make your gaps around the door 1/8.or 3/16 and mark a setback gap of 1/8 or 3/16 for the trim. Just remember to relate everything to the hinge side.

One other thing is the stops. If they are pre applied then you fit the strike side jamb (knob side) to the stop. I always rip them off and re-apply so you can put the jamb in straight and re-apply the stop to fit.


Oh yea
Rough openings they should be 2-2/12 inches wider than the door and 2 inches higher than the door. Its up to you how far off the floor you want the bottom to be. Some people like an inch because of air flow and stuff. i like them close so they block noise. Just brush the top or the carpet of 1/4 off hardwood floor.

check so that the floor is level when the door is closed or you will have to cut the jambs different lengths and adjust the gap at the bottom so the narrow part is at the high end.


Watch the videos and ask more questions.


For me its harder to explain it than hang the door I would be done now

[crispin]

I installed prehung doors to replace all the doors in my house. I had never installed any door or even done much carpentry work at all. I found them pretty easy. The first door I hung likes to close itself gently but all the others are fine.
I found an air nailer to be a very useful tool for installing them. Not sure if it would have been so easy with a hammer and nails.

[agmantoo]

watcher
Maybe not to a top notch carpenter spec but here is a simple way. Make the rough opening 2 inches wider than the door and 2 and 1/2 inches taller. On the hinge side get the wall as plumb in all directions as possible. Open the jamb on the prehung door and slide the door and the 1/2 jamb in place. Do not remove the plug in the lockset location at this time. Slide the door to where the hinge side of the jamb is against the trued wall. Look to determine if the gap, both sides and top/ around the door to the jamb is uniform. If the gap is correct, take the lockset plug out, then remove the middle hinge screw on the jamb side of each hinge. Replace the middle screw in each hinge with a long screw with the same diameter head and drive the screws into the stud. If the wall is not plumb you will have to shim the jamb until the error is eliminated. After getting the hing side mounted, shim behind the other jamb in at least three places and get the gap correct. Drive finishing nails through the jamb and shims. Be careful not to put the finishing nails through the grove where the other 1/2 of the prehung door jamb seat. Finish securing the casing around the door and you are finished. Good luck.

[watcher]

I guess I didn't make it clear. They are NOT pre-hung doors. I have installed plenty of pre-hung doors and they are almost idiot proof (don't ask why I have to say almost).

Making my own frame, cut out for the hinges and striker plate is the problem.

[Ross]

Making my own frame, cut out for the hinges and striker plate is the problem.

I still use a chisel and drill for that but my slick carpenter buddy uses a router. Just be sure to glue and screw the frame, and there shouldn't be a nail in the thing except for trimming.

[TNHermit]

Originally Posted by watcher

I guess I didn't make it clear. They are NOT pre-hung doors. I have installed plenty of pre-hung doors and they are almost idiot proof (don't ask why I have to say almost).

Making my own frame, cut out for the hinges and striker plate is the problem.

your hinges should be 7 inches from the top of jamb. center, and 11 inches from the bottom.
Take a sharp knife. lay your hinge on the mark and mark the top and bottom with a knife. Take an adjustable square and set it at 1-1/2 inches. use the knife and square and draw a line between your marks. you should have what looks like 3 D's on the jamb depending on what kind of hinge you use,
Try and use square cornered hinges. if they are round it complicates and you have to use a router or drill bit to round the corners.
Then you can chisel or rout inside the lines.

After you have all three hinges done on the jamb. Take a 3/4 x3/4 x79" stick and lay it on the jamb with the top 1/8 inch from the top of the jamb. That would be 1/8 below where the head jamb is going to be. Should be a dado in the side jambs to hold the head. So it would be 1/8 below that.. Take your knife and transfer the top and bottom of the hinges to the stick.

Then you can take the stick to the door and put the top of the stick EVEN with the top of the door. (THIS WILL GIVE YOU YOUR CLEARANCE AT THE TOP) Transfer the marks on the stick to the door. Then layout the 1/1/2 deep (width) cut. 3 D's afain. cut your hinges out.

Be careful that your hinges are on the side of the jamb where the door opens and the door orientation is right. You can stand with your back against the rough jamb where you want the hinges and use your arm as the door to decide where you want the hinges.

Use the stick to transfer the layout of the strike and door knob. Door knobs can be anywhere from 34 -39 off the floor. what is most comfortable. 34 -36 is residential with 39 commercial Do the knob and strike first and transfer to jamb. You can do this after the door is hinged and hung. Use 2-3/4 backset knobs. They are phasing out 2-3/8

Practice on a 1x4 for jamb and a 2x4 for door till it makes sense. Then you don't screw up a good door

If you don't or cant rout the hinges. Then take a 1-1/2 spade bit and put a piece of tape across the bit at the thickness of the hinge. In other words the tape would go across about 1/8 in above the bottom of the bit. (forget the point part ) It gives you a depth gauge to drill. You drill down to the tape and stop. Drill one at each end then chisel out the middle.

You might try reading this while your doing and it may be easier to make sense of it. Once again its easier to do than write

IF this don't work I have a router and a jamb gauge system I will sell your for 400.00

[TNHermit]

Just had thought, I generally use 1-3/4 doors. So if you use the 1-3/8 door you will have to change the 1-1/2 to 1-1/4 deep on the hinges. And current practice is just two hinges 7-11 for hollow core door but I generally don't deal in the borg stuff.