hanging pre hung doors

[renee]

can any one tell me if it is hard to hang a pre hung door? this will be my first time to try this, and i dont want to mess anything up. thank you in advance

[Jay J -Moderator]

Hi renee,

I admire your desire to do this. The GOOD news is that if you ‘clean’ the opening of the doorway where you can see the studs, then your in position for a good start. After that, even as you ‘hang’ the door, you’ll know if it’s ‘working’ properly BEFORE you put the trim back on, and all.

So, see this How To Install A PRE-hung Door for some info. Also, I’d ctc. the mfgr. of the door to see if they have some info. Heck, contact almost ANY mfgr. of a pre-hung door for instructions. Once the door is shimmed and temporarily in place, you can nail the Jam more permanently. I’d pre-drill any nail holes because, otherwise, you may split the wood. The nail holes should be slightly smaller than the diameter of the nails. (Screws are even better. You don’t have to pre-drill the studs but you can if you want.)

Good luck! My best to ya and hope this helps.

Jay J -Moderator

PS: God Bless America!

[Steve:]

are generally easy to install, sometimes the hardest job is to remove the old door and frame. Or to get to the rough opening.

Remember, the opening will not be square, but the new door kit has to be. You do this with shims and adjustments here and there to get the kit in square.

I like to screw the jambs in, this way the screw becomes an adjustment tool.

Shims come in pre packs at home centers.

The kit should be about two inches smaller than the rough opening on the sides. I like to install more shims on the hinge side than the lock side. This way the throw of the dead bolt will reach into the wall stud for more security.

Before sealing it up, make sure all four sides of the door are properly seated in the frame and opens and closes smoothly.

What ever you do, do not do any sawing or sanding or shaving of the door itself. All adjustments will be with the frame which adjusts the door.

more shims on bottom of hinge side makes top go in. Study your old geometry before tackling this

[bruce kefauver oct 15 2002 at 8:50]

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