Installing Split-Jamb Doors - Fine Homebuilding FHB Logo Facebook LinkedIn Email Pinterest Twitter Instagram Plus Icon Close Icon Navigation Search Icon Arrow Down Icon Video Guide Icon Article Guide Icon Modal Close Icon Guide Search Icon Skip to content
Main Menu
Subscribe

In every issue you'll find...

  • Expert insights on techniques and principles
  • Unbiased tool reviews
  • Step-by-step details to master the job
  • Field-tested advice and know-how
Subscribe Now!
Subscribe
  • How-To
  • Design
  • Tools & Materials
  • Videos
  • Blogs
  • Forum
  • Magazine
  • Members
  • FHB House
  • Podcast
  • Join
  • Log In
Main Menu Subscribe
Job Site Diaries

Installing Split-Jamb Doors

A style that works well for remodeling applications where one side of the opening has a different thickness wallboard than the other.

By Andy Moore
Article Image

door

Love them or hate them, split-jamb doors are common option for a lot of production style homes and remodels. For those unfamiliar, split-jamb doors come with casing pre-attached from the factory and the jamb separates along the stop. This allows you to quickly hang the hinge side of the door and shim the jamb. After that, you can simply insert the remaining side and nail it off. This style also works well for remodeling applications where one side of the opening has a different thickness wallboard than the other.

Some drawbacks are that the casing is installed in a factory and not by a skilled carpenter. This usually means the miters are not as tight as you would prefer, the fasteners used to attach the casing to the jamb are not set properly, etc. There have been times where I’ve had to rebuild the door frame and casing. (Sometimes the factory’s tolerances are shocking and/or the quality control wasn’t exactly on point the day they were assembled.)

Now that I’ve gone over a few pros and cons, the following is my method for installing split-jamb doors in new construction:

separte jamb sparate Jamb

I start by removing all of the scrap blocks, staples, fasteners, etc., used to keep the door together during shipping. Then, separate the jamb. There usually are a couple of nails through the jamb that hold the door slab in place. I DO NOT REMOVE these until right before I set the door into the rough opening. This just helps keep things together while moving it within the room.

nail through slab

Depending on the finished floor going in, I will set the door about a 1/2 in. to 5/8 in. off the ground using a scrap piece of trim or a shim. This allows 3/4-in. hardwood to have good clearance under the bottom of the slab. This also helps in not having to trim the legs of the door at time of install.

raise Door

Once the door is in the rough opening, I plumb it left and right. When I’m happy with the placement I will put a pattern of three nails vertically at each hinge location all the way down that side of the casing.

nailing Door Plumb

Next, I adjust my margins along the top corner of the door on the hasp side, then put two nails on either side of the mitered casing (not getting too close to the miter).

Now I nail the casing on the hasp side, adjusting and working the margin as go.

hasp side casing

At this point I will inspect to make sure the door slab touches the stop evenly and that the door is totally plumb. One way I do this is to open the door to approximately 45º. If the slab stays put and doesn’t move on its own I know it’s balanced.

check Balance nailing shims

Now shim the door as you prefer. (I like to follow Gary Katz’s concept of shim placement.) After the door is shimmed and margins are good, insert the other side of the jamb and casing. Give it a few taps with a mallet until casing is flush with wallboard. I then nail the perimeter of the casing, and follow it up with nails through the jamb.

check margins settingcasing

 

nailing jamb final

Follow Andy Moore on Instagram @Modern_Oak for more tips and ideas.

Sign up for eletters today and get the latest how-to from Fine Homebuilding, plus special offers.

Sign Up

Get home building tips, offers, and expert advice in your inbox

×
X
X

New Feature

Fine Homebuilding Forums

Ask questions, offer advice, and share your work

View Comments

  1. PoonamParek | Feb 16, 2017 10:11am | #1

    Hi I'm the owner at JNTU Students Site jntu world

  2. User avater
    Laianecamero | Mar 02, 2017 05:54am | #2

    different Style!!!

  3. BarbaraGSmith | Jun 03, 2018 11:56pm | #3

    Great Stuff..

  4. user-4435907 | Nov 30, 2020 02:31pm | #4

    When ordering your doors why not just order the correct jamb width? They can make jambs any width you need for the opening. We have a lot of instances where we have 3/4" installed on one side of the wall and a 1/2" on the other side. We just order a wider jamb.

Log in or create an account to post a comment.

Sign up Log in

Become a member and get full access to FineHomebuilding.com

More Job Site Diaries

View All
  • Shower niche

    Interior Finishes for a Cabin in the Woods

  • Cabin exterior

    Cladding Details That Last

  • Waterproofing system

    Shower Waterproofing

  • Slab Tile

    Finishing Touches for a Porcelain-Slab Shower

View All

Up Next

Featured Story

porch ceilings

Exterior Finishes

Take a look at some of the key design details and materials used to clad the outside of the 2020 FHB House.

Featured Video

Micro-Adjust Deck-Baluster Spacing for an Eye-Deceiving Layout

No math, no measuring—just a simple jig made from an elastic band is all you need to lay out a good-looking deck railing.

Related Stories

  • Phenomenal Fenestration

  • Scribing Made Simple

  • Temporary Door Control

  • The Cornerstones of Comfort: How To Choose the Right Windows and Doors for Your Climate

Discussion Forum

Recent Posts and Replies

  • |
  • |
  • |
  • |
  • |
  • |
View More Create Post

Highlights

  • Fine Homebuilding All Access
  • Fine Homebuilding Podcast
  • Tool Tech

    Plus, get an extra 20% off with code GIFT20

  • "I have learned so much thanks to the searchable articles on the FHB website. I can confidently say that I expect to be a life-long subscriber." - M.K.

    Get home building tips, offers, and expert advice in your inbox

    Sign Up See all newsletters

Video

View All
  • Podcast 193: Understanding Permeability, Insulating Behind Fiberboard Sheathing, and Building a Patio Door

  • How to Frame an Arched Doorway

  • How to Test Paint Stripper for Your Next Refinishing Project

  • Video: Build a Dutch Door

View All

Doors

View All
  • steel-framed windows

    Phenomenal Fenestration

  • door control

    Temporary Door Control

  • how to choose the best windows and doors

    The Cornerstones of Comfort: How To Choose the Right Windows and Doors for Your Climate

  • Help with Heavy Doors

View All

BOOKS, DVDs, & MERCH

Shop the Store
  • Musings of an Energy Nerd

    Buy Now
  • Fine Homebuilding Magazine Slipcase

    Buy Now
  • Code Check Building 4th Edition

    Buy Now
  • 2020 Fine Homebuilding Archive

    Buy Now
  • Shop the Store

Fine Homebuilding Magazine

  • Issue 297 - February/March 2021

    • Foundations for Success
    • Staircase Renovation
    • Ditch the Hose
  • Issue 296 - Dec 2020/Jan 2021

    • Insulating Glass Keeps Getting Better
    • Simple Way to Make Old Walls Straight and Plumb
    • Making Sense of Minisplits
  • Issue 295 - Kitchens & Baths

    • Condo Kitchen Reimagined
    • Row-House Remodel
    • Rise of the IAQ Monitor
  • Issue 294 - Oct/Nov 2020

    • Schoolhouse Reimagined
    • Tool Test: Folding Sawhorses
    • A Better Way to Build Tall Walls
  • Issue 293 - Aug/Sept 2020

    • A Practical Guide to Fall Protection
    • Installing Frameless Cabinets
    • Make Any Tablesaw Safer

Fine Homebuilding

Follow

Newsletter

Get home building tips, offers, and expert advice in your inbox

Sign Up See all newsletters

Membership & Magazine

  • Online Archive
  • Start Free Trial
  • Magazine Subscription
  • Magazine Renewal
  • Gift a Subscription
  • Customer Support
  • Manage Preferences

Taunton Network

  • Green Building Advisor
  • Fine Woodworking
  • Fine Gardening
  • Threads
  • About
  • Contact
  • Advertise
  • Privacy Policy
  • Careers
  • Copyright
  • Terms of Use
  • Accessibility

© 2021 The Taunton Press, Inc. All rights reserved.

    Main Menu

  • How-To
  • Design
  • Tools & Materials
  • Video
  • Blogs
  • Forum
  • Reader Projects
  • Magazine
  • Members
  • FHB House
  • Podcasts

  • FHB Podcast
  • ProTalk
  • Account

  • Log In
  • Join

    Podcasts

  • FHB Podcast
  • ProTalk
  • Popular Topics

  • Kitchens
  • Business
  • Bedrooms
  • Roofs
  • Architecture and Design
  • Green Building
  • Decks
  • Framing
  • Safety
  • Remodeling
  • Bathrooms
  • Windows
  • Tilework
  • Ceilings
  • HVAC

    Magazine

  • Current Issue
  • Past Issues
  • Magazine Index
  • Subscribe
  • Online Archive
  • Author Guidelines

    All Access

  • Member Home
  • Start Free Trial
  • Gift Membership

    Shop the Store

  • Books
  • DVDs
  • Taunton Workshops

    More

  • FHB Ambassadors
  • Reader Projects
  • Podcast
  • Customer Support

    Account

  • Log In
  • Join

Newsletter

Get home building tips, offers, and expert advice in your inbox

Sign Up See all newsletters

Follow

Join All Access

Become a member and get instant access to thousands of videos, how-tos, tool reviews, and design features.

Start Your Free Trial

Subscribe

FHB Magazine

Start your subscription today and save up to 52%

Subscribe

We hope you’ve enjoyed your free articles. To keep reading, become a member today.

Get complete site access to expert advice, how-to videos, Code Check, and more, plus the print magazine.

Start your FREE trial

Already a member? Log in