Doors and Windows - need to replace doors that are 33 and 3/4" wide
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gartie
11-25-05, 07:49 AM
Hello all,
I am looking to replace my upstair bedroom and closet doors. They are 80 inches high, and 33 and 3/4 inches wide. I was thinking about getting replacement doors that are 34 inches wide and cutting them down. A couple of people have told me to get 32 inch pre-hung doors, and put them in. I am not sure which way to go, any help would be appreciated. Also, I have never put in pre-hung doors before. Is it hard, how would I shim them up to close the gap.
thanks,
gary
I am looking to replace my upstair bedroom and closet doors. They are 80 inches high, and 33 and 3/4 inches wide. I was thinking about getting replacement doors that are 34 inches wide and cutting them down. A couple of people have told me to get 32 inch pre-hung doors, and put them in. I am not sure which way to go, any help would be appreciated. Also, I have never put in pre-hung doors before. Is it hard, how would I shim them up to close the gap.
thanks,
gary
XSleeper
11-25-05, 09:11 AM
Are you planning on replacing just the doors, or also the jamb around the doors? And are the doors solid, or hollow core?
If you only want to replace the slab, and not the jamb, then you could get 36" slab doors and cut them down to the right size, mortise the hinge locations with a router and template, and hang them on the original jamb. On a scale of 1-10 for a homeowner with little or no experience working with doors, I'd say this is a difficulty level of 9. It takes a lot of experience to do this without making any mistakes.
If you decide to replace the doors with prehung, that's a little easier, in my opinion... maybe a 7. You don't have any mortising to do, all you have to do is get the door plumb and level, ensure it operates correctly, and has a nice even reveal around the edges. But experience also helps when hanging doors- especially heavy solid core doors which like to sag.
If you go with a 32" prehung, that's considerably smaller than your current door, and standard trim will not cover your old paint lines. If you don't mind wider trim, then that's not a problem. But if you want to reuse your trim, or use a similar size and style, you'll need to add a stud on one side of the door and do some drywall patching and painting so that when you install the trim everything will look as it was before.
If you only want to replace the slab, and not the jamb, then you could get 36" slab doors and cut them down to the right size, mortise the hinge locations with a router and template, and hang them on the original jamb. On a scale of 1-10 for a homeowner with little or no experience working with doors, I'd say this is a difficulty level of 9. It takes a lot of experience to do this without making any mistakes.
If you decide to replace the doors with prehung, that's a little easier, in my opinion... maybe a 7. You don't have any mortising to do, all you have to do is get the door plumb and level, ensure it operates correctly, and has a nice even reveal around the edges. But experience also helps when hanging doors- especially heavy solid core doors which like to sag.
If you go with a 32" prehung, that's considerably smaller than your current door, and standard trim will not cover your old paint lines. If you don't mind wider trim, then that's not a problem. But if you want to reuse your trim, or use a similar size and style, you'll need to add a stud on one side of the door and do some drywall patching and painting so that when you install the trim everything will look as it was before.
Woodbutcher
11-25-05, 05:10 PM
Hello, Sounds like you have a 34" door Measure both sides of the door if it was planed on a bevel, the side with the hinge pins will be wider than the front.Don't make the back any smaller than the that measurment.
Hanging a door weather slab or pre hung is not a first time project get a friend who has some experience to help you.Tht being said here are some directions to help you.
On your new door decide what is the top of the door. Example on a six panel door the small panels go to the top. On a slab door the top may be marked if it isn’t then it will make no difference.
I have hung about 100 doors as a repair not construction. I will try to help you as best as I can.
With your old door in place check the fit. Most fits are OK. Fit is the reveal on the top bottom and sides of the door. With the old door still in place mark it top and back. The back is the side with the hinge pins. Mark the new door top and back this is for your reference it is very easy to get turned around doing this. Pull the pins on the old door and remove all the hardware including the hinge leafs. Do not remove hinge leafs on the door jamb. Measure the old door and cut the new one at the bottom to that length be careful not to splinter the new door, score the door or clamp a piece of scrap wood on the side where the saw blade leaves the wood.
Set the old door on the side with the hinge mortise up. Line up the new door at the top of the old one. The back of one should be against the front of the other. With a combo square scribe the mortise of the old door to the new door. Now take one of the hinge leafs and trace the hinge between the mortise lines you just drew remember the pins on the hinge go to the back of the door. The hinge leaf is probably marked on the back side from paint or varnish, use this line to guide you when tracing the hinge. An interior door is 1 3/8”The hinge will set about 1 1/4” across the door. Use a router to cut out the mortise if you use a chisel be careful cut only across the grain of the door style or you will split it.
Install the leafs on the new door with only one screw on each leaf make sure to drill a pilot hole for the screw or you WILL SPLIT the door. If the door has 3 hinges , leave the middle one off until you fit the door.
Place the new door in the jamb put the top pin in first then the bottom pin, you may have to adjust the bottom leaf a little tap it up or down to make it fit. That’s why I use only one screw at first. With both pins installed, drill your pilot holes and put in the rest of screws in the top and bottom hinges.
Put a screw on the front of the door where the knob will go, you need the screw to pull the door closed so you can mark the door where it hits the jamb. Remove the strike plate off the door jamb. With a pencil mark the door where it hits the jamb. Remove the door and plane down to the line, take your time. You may have to mark the door 2 or 3 times to get the fit.
With a pencil, mark on the back side door casing, the center of the hole located on the door jamb used for the door lock Close the door and transfer the mark to the door. With a combo square use that mark to scribe a line on both sides of door about 3” long and across the style.
Now find the back set of the lock you are using. A new lock will tell you, if you use the old lock, measure the old door from the edge to the center of the hole. 2 3/8” and 2 3/4 are common sizes. Measure also the size of the hole you will need 2 1/8’’is common.
If the back set is 2 3/8. On the line you drew on the door make a mark 2 3/8 on each side of the door. If the hole is 2 1/8, use a 2 1/8 hole saw, cut half way through the door and finish the cut from the other side do not plunge straight through you will splinter the door. Mark the center of style and drill a hole to fit the door latch use a small as possible hole to fit the latch you don’t have much room to spare. Some latches need to be mortised to fit if this is the case put the latch in the hole and trace the face of it then remove the needed amount of wood and install it. Remember to drill pilot holes. Install the lockset and the third hinge if needed. Now wasn’t that easy?
Good Luck, Woodbutcher
Hanging a door weather slab or pre hung is not a first time project get a friend who has some experience to help you.Tht being said here are some directions to help you.
On your new door decide what is the top of the door. Example on a six panel door the small panels go to the top. On a slab door the top may be marked if it isn’t then it will make no difference.
I have hung about 100 doors as a repair not construction. I will try to help you as best as I can.
With your old door in place check the fit. Most fits are OK. Fit is the reveal on the top bottom and sides of the door. With the old door still in place mark it top and back. The back is the side with the hinge pins. Mark the new door top and back this is for your reference it is very easy to get turned around doing this. Pull the pins on the old door and remove all the hardware including the hinge leafs. Do not remove hinge leafs on the door jamb. Measure the old door and cut the new one at the bottom to that length be careful not to splinter the new door, score the door or clamp a piece of scrap wood on the side where the saw blade leaves the wood.
Set the old door on the side with the hinge mortise up. Line up the new door at the top of the old one. The back of one should be against the front of the other. With a combo square scribe the mortise of the old door to the new door. Now take one of the hinge leafs and trace the hinge between the mortise lines you just drew remember the pins on the hinge go to the back of the door. The hinge leaf is probably marked on the back side from paint or varnish, use this line to guide you when tracing the hinge. An interior door is 1 3/8”The hinge will set about 1 1/4” across the door. Use a router to cut out the mortise if you use a chisel be careful cut only across the grain of the door style or you will split it.
Install the leafs on the new door with only one screw on each leaf make sure to drill a pilot hole for the screw or you WILL SPLIT the door. If the door has 3 hinges , leave the middle one off until you fit the door.
Place the new door in the jamb put the top pin in first then the bottom pin, you may have to adjust the bottom leaf a little tap it up or down to make it fit. That’s why I use only one screw at first. With both pins installed, drill your pilot holes and put in the rest of screws in the top and bottom hinges.
Put a screw on the front of the door where the knob will go, you need the screw to pull the door closed so you can mark the door where it hits the jamb. Remove the strike plate off the door jamb. With a pencil mark the door where it hits the jamb. Remove the door and plane down to the line, take your time. You may have to mark the door 2 or 3 times to get the fit.
With a pencil, mark on the back side door casing, the center of the hole located on the door jamb used for the door lock Close the door and transfer the mark to the door. With a combo square use that mark to scribe a line on both sides of door about 3” long and across the style.
Now find the back set of the lock you are using. A new lock will tell you, if you use the old lock, measure the old door from the edge to the center of the hole. 2 3/8” and 2 3/4 are common sizes. Measure also the size of the hole you will need 2 1/8’’is common.
If the back set is 2 3/8. On the line you drew on the door make a mark 2 3/8 on each side of the door. If the hole is 2 1/8, use a 2 1/8 hole saw, cut half way through the door and finish the cut from the other side do not plunge straight through you will splinter the door. Mark the center of style and drill a hole to fit the door latch use a small as possible hole to fit the latch you don’t have much room to spare. Some latches need to be mortised to fit if this is the case put the latch in the hole and trace the face of it then remove the needed amount of wood and install it. Remember to drill pilot holes. Install the lockset and the third hinge if needed. Now wasn’t that easy?
Good Luck, Woodbutcher
gartie
11-26-05, 07:16 AM
Tnak you both for your reply. Since all of the doors measure 33 and 3/4 " (this is new construction, and i think the builder had doors from another job sitting around). Is it possible to widen them to 36 inch doors? Or is this too much work, and effort. I looked for 34" door, and they have to be special order. Is it possible to hang 34" doors in a space that is holding my present doors?
thanks,
gary
thanks,
gary