Pre-hung door problem
#1
03-21-06, 09:06 AM
Pre-hung door problem
I recently gutted my basement so I could update walls, floor and ceiling. I left the framing up since the studs are in good shape. The ceiling is very low so I need to take into consideration when installing the doors. The one thing I noticed is that the studs are 2x3s. The pre-hung door I purchased is made to fix 2x4 studs. Also, the distance between the top stud and floor is 6 feet. How can install this door when I don't have enough room for the jam at the top and when the studs on the sides are to small? I'm new to this website and not the handiest person so I apologize in advance if I'm not making sense.
#2
03-21-06, 09:31 AM
Group Moderator
Your post made perfect sense. Welcome to the DIY forums.
First, let's take the issue with the 2x3's. Normally, you would have a 2x4 wall, which, when 1/2" drywall is on both sides, would measure roughly 4 9/16" thick. That's what your prehung door is designed for.
If you have a table saw, you can easily cut down your prehung door jamb. You would need an assistant to help you with this procedure. Take the door off it's hinges and remove the hinges from the jamb. Determine how wide the door jamb needs to be (example: 2x3 width + 1/2" drywall on one side + 1/2" drywall on the other side = how wide you want to cut your jamb). You will cut the jamb to the correct width, being sure that you DO NOT cut off the HINGE side of the door... you want to keep that side as is. (Depending on what sort of jamb material you are working with, and whether the door & jamb will be stained or painted, you may want to cut off an extra 1/4" so that you can nail on a piece of solid wood, such as a screen moulding, which would have a nice rounded edge and be paintable/stainable. Door jambs are often made of particle board, which would need to have a 1/4" cap installed. So you would cut the jamb 1/4" narrower than the wall so that when you add the 1/4" jamb cap, it would be the right width).
Now, as for the height of the door: Normally, door jambs are 81 1/2" tall. It sounds like the maximum your door can be is 72"? If you cut the bottom of the door off, you would have a problem... the door knob would be way too low. So here is the solution. Let's say you will make the door jamb 71 1/2" tall, taking off exactly 10" from the jamb and the door. You would cut 10" from the TOP of the door itself. Then you would disassemble the jamb, and cut exactly 10" off the TOP of the door jambs, and mortise them in exactly the same fashion, with a 5/16 x 3/4" notch. Then you can reassemble the jamb and put the door back on it's hinges.
If cutting off 10" gets into the hinges, you may want to take, say 8" off the top, and 2" off the bottom. That way your doorknob will only be a couple inches lower, rather than 10" lower.
When you cut the door itself, you score the door with a knife along the line you will cut. This will help prevent the blade from blowing the veneer out as the blade comes up through the door. Clamping a straightedge to the door as you cut it will help you get a perfectly straight cut. Good luck!
First, let's take the issue with the 2x3's. Normally, you would have a 2x4 wall, which, when 1/2" drywall is on both sides, would measure roughly 4 9/16" thick. That's what your prehung door is designed for.
If you have a table saw, you can easily cut down your prehung door jamb. You would need an assistant to help you with this procedure. Take the door off it's hinges and remove the hinges from the jamb. Determine how wide the door jamb needs to be (example: 2x3 width + 1/2" drywall on one side + 1/2" drywall on the other side = how wide you want to cut your jamb). You will cut the jamb to the correct width, being sure that you DO NOT cut off the HINGE side of the door... you want to keep that side as is. (Depending on what sort of jamb material you are working with, and whether the door & jamb will be stained or painted, you may want to cut off an extra 1/4" so that you can nail on a piece of solid wood, such as a screen moulding, which would have a nice rounded edge and be paintable/stainable. Door jambs are often made of particle board, which would need to have a 1/4" cap installed. So you would cut the jamb 1/4" narrower than the wall so that when you add the 1/4" jamb cap, it would be the right width).
Now, as for the height of the door: Normally, door jambs are 81 1/2" tall. It sounds like the maximum your door can be is 72"? If you cut the bottom of the door off, you would have a problem... the door knob would be way too low. So here is the solution. Let's say you will make the door jamb 71 1/2" tall, taking off exactly 10" from the jamb and the door. You would cut 10" from the TOP of the door itself. Then you would disassemble the jamb, and cut exactly 10" off the TOP of the door jambs, and mortise them in exactly the same fashion, with a 5/16 x 3/4" notch. Then you can reassemble the jamb and put the door back on it's hinges.
If cutting off 10" gets into the hinges, you may want to take, say 8" off the top, and 2" off the bottom. That way your doorknob will only be a couple inches lower, rather than 10" lower.
When you cut the door itself, you score the door with a knife along the line you will cut. This will help prevent the blade from blowing the veneer out as the blade comes up through the door. Clamping a straightedge to the door as you cut it will help you get a perfectly straight cut. Good luck!
#3
03-21-06, 09:49 AM
Pre-hung door problem
Another silly question, but I am assume that I should wait until after I have the sheet rock up to install the doors? I'm just worried that I get the rough framing wrong. Thanks for your advice. I will try to put your thoughts into action.
#4
03-21-06, 10:06 AM
Group Moderator
You can wait to put the sheetrock up. It will make the drywall easier to hang and will keep your doors clean! Just make sure your rough openings are the right size. For instance, a 32" door would have a jamb 33 1/2 wide, and would need a rough opening that is about 34 1/4" wide. This leaves enough room to plumb and shim the door. If you are sure your rough openings are plumb, you could make them a little smaller, but as a rule, you want to have some room to jack the door around when you go to install it.
