subject: Installing Doors: How To Install Prehung Doors [print this page] As doors go, one of the most common products you will find on the market is the prehung door. It used to be that installing a door was much more complex. A carpenter was nearly always necessary to handle the job, which turned the entire process into a costly mess. Yet, today, the prehung door takes at least some of the difficult work out of the picture.
Door Installation for Prehung doors
To avoid door repair down the road, the first step is to ensure you have the right size door. Most are standard to make the process simpler. With the door available to you, the next step is to get the old door off. Do so carefully, as not to damage the wood. Once the old hardware comes off, the next step is to set the new door assembly into the opening. There is generally a good deal of space around the door jam, to give you enough wiggle room. It is essential to get the door plumb both from the back and forward and from side to side. The top of the jamb also has to be level.
- Check that the butt side (the hinge side) is level
- If not, adjust the door until you reach this level. This may require trimming the butt side jamb.
- Place shims between the jamb and the stud to get it level.
- Nail through the jamb and through the shims to get the door set. Do not nail all the way through yet.
- Next, do the same for the knob side of the door? You need the header to be level. Use shims to accomplish this.
- Plumb the jamb next and use shims to position it. Nail it in place, top bottom and then the middle.
That is all it takes when installing doors to get them level. If you have trouble with the door installation, use a professional service. You will need to get it just right if you hope to avoid door repair.
