How to Frame a Door
Deciding to put a door in between rooms require you to create a door frame. Most people leave this to the professionals, but if you’re a handyman who can work well with a hammer and saw, then maybe you can do this by yourself. Here’s how to frame a door.
What You’ll Need:
Dimensional lumber
Door set
Hammer and nails
Circular saw
Level
Measuring tape
Carpenter’s square
Pencil
Procedure:
Decide where you’re going to put the doorway. It must be a location that’s not only aesthetically suitable, but functional for the room. Once you decide which wall to put the door in, it’s time to prepare it. If it’s a newly constructed area, framing must be done before standing the wall up. If you’re remodeling, remove the sheetrock, so the studs in the area will be shown. As you tear a section of the wall out, leave the ceiling plate and floor plate intact.
Know what door size you’re going to have, as well as the king studs you’re going to use. These are studs that are going to support the frame. The standard door size is 80 inch high and 36 inches wide. Purchase this from a hardware or home improvement store.
Find the center of the door area, then make a small mark on the stud on the floor, using a pencil. This is the determining point.
From the determining mark, get a 20 ¾ inches measurement outwards, on each side. Use a pencil to mark it. Double check the measurements, making sure they’re 41 1/2 inches away from each other.
Cut the outside stud (king stud), suitable for the distance in between the floor plate and the ceiling plate. The usual 8-foot wall requires this to be 92 5/8 inches long. Secure the king studs with nails, checking that the inside’s bottom edge is aligned with the marking you put on the floor plate.
Get the level and use it to align the king stud’s upper portion to your ceiling plate. Nail this in place. When the two king studs are put in, you need to create a header.
Cut two pieces of 2″ x 2″ boards, that are both 41 inches long. Lay one on the floor, then put the other above, sandwich-like. Nail these two together, one side first,t hen on the other. This will serve as the header.
Ask someone to help lift the header up and hold it in between the king studs. Nail it from the bottom, in a diagonal position, and into the studs on the two sides. You should nail the header’s top in the ceiling plate, too.
Cut two studs that are 80 1/2 inches long. This will be the distance between your floor plate and header. The exterior trim around the door to be installed will be nailed in them. On each inside of the king studs, put one, wedging them properly under your header. Make sure they fit snugly against the king boards and nail them into place.
Turn to the rough opening and measure where the door will hang. It must be 38 1/2 inches wide, enough for a 36-inch door, with sufficient space for the door jamb.
Cut the floor plate section out between the trimmer studs, before you proceed to installing the pre-hung door
Install the door according to the instructions given.
A sturdy, well-constructed door frame is necessary before you install a new door. Follow these tips, so you’ll have a fully-functional doorway soon.