I purchased a set of double pre-hung doors for our entry closet which is completly finished. I measured the finished dimensions before ordering instead of tearing out the drywall and getting to the framing. The walls are fairly plumb and can be adjusted ala the article in FHB Jan ’04. But, there is quite a bit of buldge or “woop’ as we call it in the drywall on the face of one of the walls. Can I scrape down the drywall so that it is flat, or do I have to remove the sheetrock and nail in 1/2” plywood and start all over with bare lumber?
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Let me ask you, Is it a finished sheetrocked opening? If that's the case then there is probably some type of corner beed on all sides of the door. You might be able to knock that off and install the new door unit. The trim should cover any open gaps of the sheet rock.
Regards,
Auggie
Yes, it is completly finished on all surfaces. I am thinking that the texturiziing is causing the uneveness and could Surform it down to the sheetrock. Would it be OK to attach the jamb to the frame through the sheetrock or would this compromise the strench of the install.
It shouldn't compromise the strength of the install, provided you shim the opening properly and use adequate anchors for the new door. I put the shims on a door frame at the hinge locations and it is a good idea to screw the top hinges of the doors with a longer screw that goes through the shim and sheetrock into the jack stud in the rough framing. Then trim out the door on both sides and you should be fine.
If you have a wrapped opening as you describe, you'll have a better time installing if you strip the bead away. You will get some thickness added as a result of that, and the mud that feathers away. That said, just removing the bead still leaves you with the mud. And while yes, you could sand at that for a while and probably (gingerly) get decent results, at the stage you're at, I'd be more inclined to take the path of least headache, set the doors flush, and compensate for the bulge by adding a thin jamb extension on the inside. Get your trim joints tight - screw the miters together if you have enough stock thickness to do that, and when you nail it tight to the wall, your joints should hold, even if the casing does a slight wave.
"If you pick up a starving dog and make him prosperous, he will not bite you. This is the principal difference between a dog and a man." - Mark Twain
Get rid of the drywall inside the rough opening. Its not meant to withstand any kind of structural movement (however small) an operating door is going to have. It will crumble over time and your shims will come loose. You will be removing the door jamb to fix it.
Do it right the first time
Since I already ordered the door and jamb from measurements with the sheetrock still on, can I add a strip of 11/2' plywood to make up for the sheetrock I remove to keep the dimensions the same.BTW, thanks for the advice.
I would remove the sheetrock and put 1/2" plywood strips on each side. You're going to find that the finished sheetrock opening with corner bead is wider than the standard 4 5/8" jamb anyway.
Some guys will tell you fasten it right over the sheetrock. A bad choice IMO