Hey Guys,
Iam building a new home and have to hang “several” prehung split jam interior doors it looks pretty straight forward but I only want to do this once. Do I need to center them in the opening or do I just attach the hinge side to the 2x’s after I check them for plumb and then shim up the opposite side? Any help is greatly appreciated as well as any tips.
Thank You in advance
John
Replies
Do I need to center them in the opening or do I just attach the hinge side to the 2x's after I check them for plumb and then shim up the opposite side?
You can just set them tight to the 2x's with whatever shimming is neccessary to achieve plumb unless the gap is so wide that your trim will have trouble covering. In such a case it is best to add solid shimming (say a ripped strip of the appropriate plywood thickness) to roughly center the door.
I always center in the opening and shim. I've always felt that if I went tight to a plumb framing member, there would be no room for adjustment, plus any changes to the 2X (twisting, drying etc.) would be transferred to the door jamb. It works for me.
MES
I agree with M&D. Centering the door keeps you on the layout and allows for future adjustments when needed. When I first place the door in the opening I check the top casing for level. No sense plumbing the side if the top is tilting, especially if you need a tight fit to the floor.
John, center the door in the opening. Measure opening and find the difference between the rough opening and the out to out dimensions of frame. Example, if R.O. is 38" and the frame measures 37 1/2" you have 1/2" to play with. I tack a 1/4" shim at the top on the hinge side. Plumb down from there and find thickness of shim near bottom. Use straight edge or a dry line to shim in between.
I use under layment shingles for shims, I also partially shim lock side. In the example I used I then tack a shingle point at the top , middle and bottom. I tack it on with a brad nailer, no more than two brads.Do not add mating shingle until the door frame is leveled, nailed up on the hinge side. Add mating shim where required, hang door( forgot to mention I remove door from frame first thing) check margins and adjust shims if needed.The shims that were tacked can also be moved if necessary, that's why I said only two brads at most.Before you nail up the lock side jamb, check door to see if it closes reasonably well against the stop. Sometimes you have to move either the top or bottom of the jamb slightly so the door closes on the stop at the top and bottom.