Installing Door with Out-of-plumb wall


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Old 05-31-12, 05:12 AM
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Installing Door with Out-of-plumb wall

I am installing a prehung door for a basement bathroom. The finished wall outside the bathroom is out of plumb by about 1/2". The inside wall of the bathroom has not yet been finished so it open as of now. I originally followed the existing wall line, but because of it being out of level, the door will not close properly (gap at the top while the door is tight to the jamb at the base). I've since thought of installing the door plumb regardless of the wall and cutting the jamb to match the wall face. It still leaves the inside wall out of plumb, but I can face it with an extra 1/2" plywood sheet (plumbed of course) to solve that side. Is there another way that I can solve this issue? I really don't want to tear out the existing wall if I don't have to. Thanks, Vic
 
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Old 05-31-12, 06:28 AM
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If the wall on both side of the door is plumb but the studs framing the door rough opening are not vertical then I trim the bottom of the door frame on either the hinge or jamb side to get an even reveal all the way around the door. More difficult is when the wall has a "twist" or if the walls on either side of the door are not parallel. In that case I attach the hinge side and let the knob side of the door casing float which creates a gap at either the top or bottom. I gently close the door and attach the knob side of the casing so the door meets the jamb evenly which usually requires some shimming and then caulking to fill the pie shaped gap where the trim meets the wall.
 
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Old 05-31-12, 04:16 PM
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Assuming your wall is 4 9/16" wide... and your jamb is 4 9/16" wide, and the wall is indeed 1/2" out of plumb in 80", I would probably add a 1/2" extension jamb onto the entire non-hinged side of the prehung jamb (leaving a 1/4" reveal -a step- around the perimeter of the jamb) then install the door plumb. If the wall is already drywalled, I'd float out around the door with joint compound where the jamb is past the out-of-plumb wall. On one side you will be floating the top of the door down toward the floor and on the other side you will mostly be floating from the floor up to the top of the door. A wide knife and a straightedge will help you do this.

Pilot Dane's plan will also work provided the door jamb is wider than the existing wall. But most prehungs don't have solid wood jambs, so if you plan to stain and varnish, cutting them down would mean you would have to put new veneer on the cut edges of the jambs. If you are going to paint it isn't such a big deal.
 
 

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