How To Hang And Frame A Door

Instead of standing the doorjamb in position while you insert wedges behind the hinge side, secure shims in the door opening first.

Measure the width of the doorway opening to calculate the thickness of the shims you will need.

Usually the opening allows for a gap of about 10mm on each side of the doorjamb.

If the opening is extra wide, you can use smaller wedges by temporarily securing offcuts of 12mm plywood at each of the hinge locations, then adding wedges or shims to plumb the jamb.

Position the shims at the top and base hinge locations using a long spirit level, or a straightedge with a shorter level, then add the centre shims if a third hinge is needed.

New flooring always looks best if it fits neatly under the doorjamb, otherwise you’ll have to cut around the intricate shapes of both the stiles and the architraves.

Save yourself time and trouble by cutting off the base of the jamb before the flooring is installed.

Measure the thickness of the floor covering and calculate how long the stiles will need to be to clear it.

If practical, use an offcut of the actual flooring as a spacer under each stile as you install it.

Doorway openings in stud walls that are out of plumb can make door installation problematic.

As long as the base of the wall isn’t locked in by flooring, the solution is simply to nudge the base plates on both sides of the opening back to plumb.

You will need to cut the nails securing the base plates using a reciprocating saw or oscillating tool, then move the walls into position using a sledgehammer.

Check for plumb and if either side is more than about 7mm out of plumb, adjust the wall before you install the door.

TIP: Once the walls are plumb, reattach the base plates to the joists by skew-screwing in place.

Nudge the wall back to plumb using a sledgehammer, using offcuts of 90 x 45mm timber to protect the plasterboard.

Internal doors are usually fitted with two loose-pin butt hinges and external doors with three fixed-pin butt hinges.

To house the hinges, first mark their positions on the edge of the door, usually 100mm from the top and 150mm from the base, plus one in the centre for an external door.

Next position an open hinge at these marks, drawing a square line across each end of the hinge then marking the width and depth of the hinge housing required.

TIP: Use a marking gauge to scribe the depth line on the door.

Step 1. Make fluted cuts Use a hammer and 25mm chisel to cut vertical lines 1mm inside the hinge outline.

With the chisel’s bevel facing down, hold the handle at a 45º angle to make a series of close fluted cuts at each hinge housing.

Turn the chisel so the bevel side is facing up and hold the blade about 50mm from the end.

Apply firm, even pressure with the other hand to pare out the waste.

Finish by trimming back the edges to the hinge outlines.

Check that each hinge fits snugly, then drill pilot holes towards the back of the screw holes in the hinge so the screws will pull the hinge tight into the housing.

Secure the hinges using the supplied screws.

Old houses often have sloping floors, but even newer houses can settle in unexpected ways.

A floor that’s not quite level will make it difficult to get an even space between the top of the door and the jamb head.

The solution is to calculate how far out of level the floor is then trim the high-side stile to compensate.

TIP: This is particularly important if the door is being installed over existing flooring, and the jambs have to fit tightly to the floor.

Position a spirit level across the opening and pack under one side until it shows level. Measure the gap to find how much you’ll need to trim.

Cut the stile on the high side by marking a cut line then trimming the timber using a Japanese-style pull saw or similar fine-tooth tool.

Securing a new door or replacing an old one often involves slightly reducing the height of the door to provide clearance over carpet or other flooring surfaces.

If only 5mm or less needs to be trimmed, this can easily be done by positioning the door on a pair of sawhorses and shaving down the base with a power planer or belt sander.

Sometimes the door is 10mm too long or more, in which case the fastest and easiest method to trim it is to remove the waste using a circular saw.

TIP: Always seal the base of the door after trimming to length.

Step 1. Mark the cut line

Apply masking tape around the base of the door, wrapping over the cut line to minimise any timber breakout then use a combination square set to the required depth to mark the cut line on the tape.