*
I am replacing an exterior door. The replacement that I bought is not prehung(trying to save some $). The jamb and threshold need to be replaced as well(some rotting on the threshold). Anyone have some advice, common mistakes/problems to avoid?
Mike
Replies
*
Mike,
From the exterior doors I've replaced (20-25), I'd recommend using a prehung if you need to replace the jambs and threshhold too. The only time I use a slab and take the time to cut the hinges and such is if the jamb is still good and I think I can replace just the door slab quicker than I could the whole unit.
If you have unlimited time and patience, you can go the separate door and jamb route but if you want it to go a little quicker and dare I say easier, I'd go for the prehung.
And if you look at the costs, I bet it works out about the same as usually I spend around $100 on a slab and then about $50 on exterior jambs, $15 on a threshhold and I'm already close to the average $200 for a prehung unit.
Good luck!
Mike
*Michael McK:I agree with Michael R. If you live in an area large enough to have a door shop or two I suggest you take the door you bought to them and have it pre-hung. You could even call and get a ball park price. It's probably not as much as you think. They will need to know the wall thickness to determine jamb width. Your existing jamb should help set you in the right direction. If you do not live in an area large enough to have this type of shop You will have quite a lot of work just gathering together the material and tools. In this situation I guess the best advise is to think in terms of copying the existing door and jamb, assuming that is what you want to do. Before giving detailed hanging advice I will need to get some rest. Maybe someone else will chime in now.Good luck.Ross
*door hangers handbook ( by gary katz) will tell you everything you need to know. it is available from taunton direct. (no i am not an employee of this mag. i just think that book will sum everything you need to know about doors and jambs etc.)
*As has been pointed out, you already made the first mistake by not buying a prehung.To avoid your next one, figure out why you have that rot and prevent it as you install this one. Gutters to avoid water splashing.Good seal and paint on all surfaces.Seat threshold in good caulking.
*OK, some good advise. Now lets "pretend" that I have already torn out the old jamb amd threshold. And started to replace it late in the afternoon, rushed through the job. And now have a door that will not close. (this is only a hypothetical, no cabinet maker would admit that he can't hang a door!) I have the tools and know how to trim the door, but it seems that the door is already sagging. It is not hanging flush with the hinge side jamb (which is plumb). I am not sure where the weakness is that is letting it sag.So now I really need some help. BTW all of my tools are in the truck so no need to rush over to "borrow" any from an "open house". I like the idea of having a shop prehang my door but i'm in too deep now.Mike
*Door hanging is easy if you've done a dozen already. If not, take all the above advice and add:1. Make sure the hinge side jamb is at a perfect 90* to the (leveled) floor. Use whatever shims are needed.2. Top jamb runs BETWEEN the door side jamb and the swing side jamb, not above them.3. Top of top hinge 7" from top of door. Bottom of bottom hinge 11" from floor. Middle hinge, split the difference.4. Hold the jambs on with 2.5" 15 ga air nails or 2.5" drywall/deck screws in the center of the jambs, zigzag pattern, in the area to be covered by the door stop.5. Latex or butyl caulk the space between the sides of the jambs, both in and out, before affixing the trim molding.6. On the outside trim molding, put a large bead of caulk on the back side before nailing it in place.
*OK, some good advise. Now lets "pretend" that I have already torn out the old jamb amd threshold. And started to replace it late in the afternoon, rushed through the job. And now have a door that will not close. (this is only a hypothetical, no cabinet maker would admit that he can't hang a door!) I have the tools and know how to trim the door, but it seems that the door is already sagging. It is not hanging flush with the hinge side jamb (which is plumb). I am not sure where the weakness is that is letting it sag.So now I really need some help. BTW all of my tools are in the truck so no need to rush over to "borrow" any from an "open house". I like the idea of having a shop prehang my door but i'm in too deep now.Mike
*Mike,Chalk it all up to experiance.No matter what you try, you are basically trying to make a sub standard installation into a standard installation. You are going to spend more time, more money, and much more frustration doing this than you will ever realize (that is, until you are done). And then, after all you go through, it still won't be right. It will have problems from here on out, and you will always be unhappy with it. It is gonna look butchered, and every time you go through this door, you will think to yourself that you should have taken it out and done it over. Remove the jamb and door, and do it right. It will take less time, less effort, and much less frustration in the long run.James DuHamel
*A cabinet maker. That says it all. Probably used those little #4x3/8" brass flatheads and just two of those cute little brass jewelry box hinges.Seriously, you say your jamb is plumb. Is your level right on? Did you shim securely? At all three hinges? With a long screw through to the trimmers? At least on the top hinge?
*I am thinking that I will remove the jamb and redo it. Possibly getting a local shop to prehang the door for me. But yes Ralph the jamb is still plumb. I think I may have screwwed up hanging the door itself. There is a slight gap between the door and the hinge jamb at the bottom and about a 1/4" at the top. What could I have done wrong?Mike
*Bad hinge? It happens. Two shallow mortises? What's holding the jamb to the trimmers at the top. Could you have over shimmed on the top of the strike jamb, forcing the top of the hinge jamb over, especially if you don't have a shim at the top of the hinge jamb.
*Check that jamb again, a little off will show big time at the top. Replace the top, closest to the stop hinge screw with a longer screw of the same size, 2 1/2 or 3 inch. It should pull it up a little. If that dont do it, check your shim location. You can use a flat bar between the jamb and trimmer to see if maybe the jamb needs to go away from the trimmer. You get the hinge side right and a level header, the latch side should just be the same distance away, all the way down. Just thought of another possibility, make sure the hinges are morticed correctly, not rocked one way or another. Best of luck and unless it's the coolest door on the planet, buy a prehung exterior door and make it easy on yourself.
*Michael,Amidst all of this good advice was a recommendation for The Doorhanger's Handbook by Gary Katz.If you haven't finished with that door yet, or if you plan on doing more, this book is worth far more than what you'll pay for it. I wish I had bought it a long time ago.I don't work for Taunton Press, either. Just a somewhat impartial recommendation on the basis of my experience.
*Is the door square? That's not a given.Andy
*Michael, did you bevel the hinge side of the door 1/8" or so?
*rob.kelly,
View Image © 1999-2001"The first step towards vice is to shroud innocent actions in mystery, and whoever likes to conceal something sooner or later has reason to conceal it." Aristotle
*Mike,
View Image © 1999-2001"The first step towards vice is to shroud innocent actions in mystery, and whoever likes to conceal something sooner or later has reason to conceal it." Aristotle
*Joe Fusco-- I missed Post #10. Brain fade, most likely.
*Mike-You are getting a lot of good advice which was no doubt learned in the circumstances that you are now in. Even if the door is prehung, there is no guarantee that you will not need to monkey with the door to make it work well. I just hung my second door in the same opening in a week. The first door would not close even though it did sit in the frame when it arrived at the job. The owner did not want me to plane the lockset side, so I cocked the hinges and beveled the hinge side of the door but the finger-jointed wood split out and the result was not pretty. The owners were then concerned about the weatherstripping causing the door to bind and numerous other possible defects. I bought the door and put the second one in for free. Same problem with the fit but this time I beveled the strike side and everyone is now happy. God help the apprentice who has to deal with doors like these.The really great advantage with using a prehung door is the weatherstripping that it comes with. It is hard to equal this with what you can buy at your local lumber yard.
*To bring this issue to a close, I discovered that the door was not square. After fixing that, I redid the jamb, taking my time to shim securely. Everything works like a charm. Thanks for all of your advice.Mike
*Attaboy.
*I have done lots of doors this way. If you have removed the rotten threshold cut a new threshold and install it taking care that you do not force the lower jamb legs out of plumb. The new threshold should be snug but not so tight that you have to pound it into place. Do any flashing or weather sealing at this point. Next place the new door in the opening and use shims to center the door and maintain a consistent margin between door and jamb paying close attention to the gap at the head. Scribe and cut any head or part of the door that needs to be cut. I bevel both sides of the door at 3 degrees. Reinstall the door and shim from the bottom as you did before. Using the existing jamb hinge as a guide, with a utility knife mark the door for hinging. Router or chisel out the gains for your new hinge. Here you need to be careful that the hinge depth on the door corresponds to the depth of the jamb. Install the door and check for binding. Shim accordingly. On the strike-side of the jamb mark the center of the strike plate and transfer that mark to the door. This will center up the lockset. Drill an appropriate hole for your lockset and install. At this point if everything has gone absolutely right you're about even as far as the money goes. Occasionally that happens.
*
I am replacing an exterior door. The replacement that I bought is not prehung(trying to save some $). The jamb and threshold need to be replaced as well(some rotting on the threshold). Anyone have some advice, common mistakes/problems to avoid?
Mike