I would like to replace a walkout basement door but I am not sure how to approach this since its in a poured concrete wall. Ideally I want to just get an ecomomical steel prehung door.

What do I need to consider to get this done?

 

Pull the inside casing off the door and measure the size of the opening. Measure left to right and top to bottom of the rough opening. Also measure the how thick the wall is. Take these measurements along with a picture of the current door/opening to where ever you would like to purchase the door from. They will make sure that you get a door that fits the opening.

 

Just measuring the size of the door will tell you what size to buy.

 

Hi, I installed a few doors but never to a concrete wall. I think your best bet is to use czizzi's recomendation. The reason is with the inside casing removed you may be able too see how the door was installed then go from there.
Good Luck Wood Butcher

 

My confusion is if I can attach a prehung door to the 2"x something frame that is already in there. (remove hinges that are mortised and put it right in there) or do I remove everything and attach new 2"x something directly to the concrete rough opening.

Also

Old door (not framing members inside concrete rough opening) is 36"... so if I buy a 36" prehung I assume that takes into acount the frame of the new door. (the actual door itself would be smaller than 36")

Any ideas?

 

So the opening already has wooden framing members around it? If so, and if they're in good condition, I would just use the existing ones. You would measure the rough opening of the hole not including those members.

But I'm a bit confused... Does the old door have door jambs? And the old door jambs are attached to the wooden framing members, which are in turn attached to the concrete?

A 36" prehung would likely *not* take into account the frame of the new door. It would need a RO of about 38" or so, but with exterior doors, it does depend a bit on the manufacturer, so you should double check.

 

If the 2"x? frame is able to be reused, there would be mortised hinges in it as well as the hole for the lock. Would that have to be repaired? Ideally I would be able to remove the jamb and reuse the 2x6 (I think) to mount the prehung door too.

If I replace everything I assume I would put it new 2x6" (I think?) The problem is I have never had much luck drilling into concrete. Do you think its possible to do this without having to buy a hammer drill?

Below are some photos, my concern lies in the strike plate area and if I need to repair here or if the new door will be using the same frame for security.

Rough opening (with 2x still in opening) is approx 35.5x80. THe prehung steel doors at the homecenters call for rough opening 2" more which is probably the exact size of concrete alone. What type/size of door do I need?

 

You have had 2 people tell you to "measure the size of the opening". I have yet to see you post an exact measurement of the distance between the cement blocks on each side. You can measure this either on the inside or the outside, or both. Posting the exact measurement between the 2x8 woodbuck that lines the opening would also be helpful.

Probably? Why not get out a tape measure and measure it? Maybe then we could answer your question.

Yes, that's the idea. You might be able to leave the 2x8 buck that is on the top and both sides, but we can't tell until you measure it! So please do that, report back your findings and we can go from there. The height of the opening would also be nice.

 

Thanks xsleeper.... as stated in previous post, the rough opening with the 2x's still in place is 35.5x80

 

The attached pdf gives you the rough opening and unit dimensions for pretty much every door configuration available. Decide if you will leave all wood up and use the balance to install a door or if you are going to pull down to the block and use that for the rough opening. Giving us the width of the current slab was not what was requested and does not give us height information to assist. Height with wood in place probably will not accommodate any door currently on the market except maybe a modified patio door designed to go into an old patio slider rough opening.

http://www.thermatru.com/customer-su...comp/arch1.pdf

 

Ok, let's try this one more time. What's the size of the masonry opening? Width x height?

 

The opening in the foundation is 39 3/8x 81 3/4.

The height is floor to top not counting sill weather plate.

I didnt provide this measurement initally since I was thinking I wouldnt have to replace the 2x thats already there. Judging by your responses I am assuming I have to start fresh?

 

A 36" prehung door comes with brickmould on the outside that usually measures 40x83. This will clearly not fit in your masonry opening. A prehung jamb measures 37 1/2" wide, and it clearly will not fit between your existing woodbuck, which you say is 35 1/2". (must be 2" wide stock?) However, if you remove the existing woodbuck, replace it with pressure treated 1x6, you would have enough room for a 36" prehung. You would also need to remove the brickmould trim that is usually installed on the exterior of the door, and remove the top woodbuck completely, and it "might" fit. It will be really close. After the door is installed, you would then need to trim the exterior side of the door by piecing in some exterior trim to fit. (it would be roughly 1 5/8" wide on the sides... and the top would probably be caulked and covered with 1/2", if that.)

If you wanted to downsize to a 32" prehung, you could leave the existing woodbuck, and you would probably want to pad it out with an additional 1x6 on each side so that the rough opening is closer to 34". Again, the top woodbuck would need to be completely removed, because you usually need at least 81 3/4" of height for a prehung jamb to even fit. (some doors are taller so you would need to verify this when you select your door.)

The best option in your case is to look into a shorter door (32x78 or 36x78), which are almost always special order and as such, usually cost more. Here is an example of the door you'd want.

If you are wanting to avoid getting into the concrete at all... then get a 32x78 so that you can leave the existing woodbuck.

 

THanks. Obviously I was thinking along the wrong lines prior to your last response.

So I am going to want to confirm if I need a special order door and if I want an economical one from the hardware store I am going to have to replace the 2x as suggested.

As far as attaching the new wood to the masonary (If I go that route) Would it just be a matter of using masonary screws and plug/anchors? 3 on each side. The other option I saw at the hardware store was tapcons.

Removal of the top woodbuck is ok, I assume a prehung door doesnt get attached at the top anyway. (I may be way off).

Im ok with downsizing too but I am disapointed that I might be dealing with a special order here.

 

If you are going custom special order, you can inquire about getting a door jamb that will better match the thickness of the block wall (8"). I would also order it without brick mold and install that separately after the fact. No brick mold takes one additional line item out of the equation and will make the decision easier.

 

Yeah, sorry about the special order but you will be so thankful that the size of the door will work well with your size of opening. Not sure if Home Depot could order something like this for you or not, but I would think so. I agree with Czizzi's comments about leaving off the brickmould and also ordering the proper wall thickness. However a lot of guys don't know how to install a door if it doesn't have brickmould. (they use it like a nailing fin). But even if a door has brickmould, it should still be secured with shims and jamb screws.

As far as securing new wood to the cement, yes you could use Tapcon's (Tapcon is one brand of cement screw) and you will need a hammer drill and the correct sized drill bit. The length of the screw depends on the thickness of what's being fastened. Usually fastening 3/4 lumber will require a 1 3/4" screw. Countersinking the holes with a spade bit first will allow the screw to go a little deeper and give the threads more bite. A 2 1/4" screw can sometimes be too long and can get tight in the hole before it gets tight on the wood.

Other fasteners sometimes used are called fluted concrete nails, that just hammer into a smaller diameter predrilled hole just like a nail into wood. A drive pin nail is similar, but when you drive the nail it, the fastener is wedged into the hole. They are very simple and hold well. Whatever kind you use, you will definitely need more than 3 per side... LOL I would suggest you first lay the wood into a couple beads of construction adhesive, then arrange the concrete fasteners in pairs so that the wood doesn't warp or twist. I'd say 8 per side would be a bare minimum. After all, when your door slams shut, you don't want the door- or the wood it is fastened to- to ever move!

 

THanks Xsleeper! Tell you what, grab your hammer drill and come on by next weekend. I will spring for a pizza after your done installing my new door!!