Hi all,

I'm looking to install a door from my kitchen into the office. No door currently exists here. I'm really only looking for something temporary (2 years) and then I'd like to remove it. I only need this until my daughter gets a little older (I work from home). The goal is improve sound reduction and get it so she can't see me working (it's a distraction to both of us! )

Now, first question - is there any easier doortype I can install and achieve my goals? I considered a folding door, but I'm not so sure how good that would be with sound reduction. How easy are those to install anyway?

Second question - if I do choose to install a door, I'm guessing I may have no choice but to go with a prehung door. It's an existing entryway, so there is already trim around the opening and extra wood around the inside of the door as well (entry jamb?). I believe I'll need to remove all of that before installing the door. The opening dimensions currently are:

* 79" height across the entire width of the door
* 36" width near the top of the door, gradually increasing to 36 1/2" near the bottom of the door.

I'd love to install just a door (not prehung), but getting the right size will be hard (getting it cut right + getting a door slightly bigger than 36"). I only like this idea because I can remove it later with no problem and get back to the original look quickly. Is this out of the question?

Third question - If it is out of the question, can I easily square this opening and fit a 80"x36" door? The height has me somewhat worried, and I'm guessing I'll need to trim the door, if possible, or buy a custom one.

Any other comments or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

 

Re-sizing the opening will require removing the casing on one side and shimming the width in to 36 in. all the way down. Use a level to see if one side is plumb. If so, shim the opposite jamb to make it plumb also. Is the head jamb level? The re-sized opening needs to have square corners for the door to fit properly. If you mortise the jamb for the hinges, the jamb will be defaced if you remove the door and hinges at a later date.

 

Thanks for the info, Wirepuller.. Seems you don't see a problem with just putting a door directly on? Other than the issue with the mortise.. Honestly, I figured I could just fill that up with Spackle and touch it up when I took the door off... Same goes with the holes on the other side of the entryway for the screws..

 

You will need to add door stop to the jamb on both sides and top. You may need to trim the door slightly to fit. Go to the store and measure a door slab width. Most doors are 80 in. tall, so you will need to cut off the bottom.

The easier install would be a prehung door if you are willing to remove the existing jambs and casing and increase the rough opening height to 82 - 82 1/2 in.

 

I think I'm going to pull a 180 and go with an accordion door instead. Thanks for your input, but I believe this will be significantly easier to get up and take down in a couple of years than all other options. I'm a little concerned about sound, but I really don't need too much to be blocked, I hope..

One problem I have though - all doors are offered with an 80" height. My entryway is 79". Can I just cut a little off the bottom of the vinyl accordion door with a circular saw? Or will that cause me more problems? Anyone have any experience with this?

Thanks,

Tom

 

Some accordion doors can be cut with scissors. You might want to hang a heavy curtain in addition to the accordion door. It might help a bit more with sound. Do they make sound deadening curtains? Might be something to check out.