Are you ready for a challenge? Well hanging
an interior door is definitely a job that will test your rookie carpentry skills
to the max. It is not too hard to hang a pre-hung door, but it can indeed be
frustrating if you don't do things in a certain order.
Minimal Tools &
Materials
You surely don't need many tools to hang a
door. I use just a hammer, razor knife with new blade, nail sets, several levels
(a 2 and 4 foot model), a framing square, a saw and a step stool or small
ladder. The materials are simple as well. You will need a bundle of shims and a
pound of 8 penny finish nails.
A Good Rough Carpenter
Let's hope that the door opening was built
by a good rough carpenter. Do you want to be a superb rough carpenter? If so,
work as a finish carpenter for six months first. You will see all of the
nightmares that happen when rough carpenters cut corners.
If you want your door hanging job to start
off smoothly it is imperative that the rough opening is:
- The right size
- Square
- Plumb
- In the same plane
Just how do you size a door rough opening?
For interior doors I add two and one quarter inches to the width of the actual
door and 2 and one half inches to the actual height of the door. Example: If you
are going to install a 2' 8" door that is a standard height of 6' 8", then the
rough opening should be: 34 and 1/4 inches wide and 82 and 1/2 inches high.
Check the Door First
The quality of many pre-hung doors coming
out of the factories is fine but the workmanship of the people who hang them in
the factories leaves a lot to be desired. The mortised or recessed areas they
are creating for the hinges simply are not deep enough in many cases. The hinges
are sometimes tilted and they don't fit well. If this happens it will cause the
gapping of the door to be off and the door in some instances can bind.
The hinges should be perfectly flush with
either the edge of the door or the surface of the door jamb. If for some reason
the hinge mortise is too deep, you can fix that by unscrewing it and sliding a
thin wood shim or stiff piece of thin cardboard behind the hinge.
Stripped Screws
I have also found that the factory workers
sometimes strip the screws that hold the hinges in place. Use a hand screwdriver
to see how tight the screws are. If you can turn them when they are already in
all the way, the hole is stripped. Fix this by removing the screw and glue into
the hole a small round peg of scrap wood. You can make a quick one with a razor
knife. A golf tee also works well sometimes.
Lockset Hole
If you order your door from a traditional
lumberyard you may be able to specify the backset of the door knob. This is the
centerline distance of the lockset with respect to the edge of the door.
Commonly it is 2 and 3/8 inches for interior doors. I prefer to use a backset of
2 and 3/4 inches. The locksets you buy often have adjustable latches that will
work for this deeper backset. The deeper backset prevents rubbing your knuckles
up against the door stop when opening or closing the door. If you have big
hands, you know this is a problem!
Patience
Be sure you are calm before you start to
hang your first door. Don't expect perfection the first time. It is important to
screw the door jamb to the rough frame for long term performance.
