Hanging exterior doors 101.

[PEG688]

 So heres how I do it.

 First dry run the door into the RO to ensure every things going to fit , IE RO to small , bad , RO to big , not so bad just "fir" it in as required.

Then I lay a couple of good beads of caulk down on the subfloor  and a big pile in each corner. The corners are generally where the water wants to get in , the caulking helps , On high exposer sites I use a "jamb sill" which is a PVC "pan" like this ,



Wonder if they'll send me a royality check  

 

Caulking in place ,

 

 

 Then set the door jamb in the caulk , I like a pretty equal space on each side of the jamb. GENERALLY I just let the sill sit in the caulk right down on the subfloor , some times is tile is going in the entry way I put a 3/8"  or 1/2" piece of plywood down in caulk first then apply my caulk again for the door jamb to sit in. Rarely do I level the sill , most doors I hang I've framed the place so I know the sub floor is level,  IF the doors hung on a concrete slab you can usea short level on the sill , the problem with lifting that sill is the resulting hole / gap that it creates. If you have to level that sill you'll have to fill that gap either witha wedged shaped piece of PT wood , or a lot of caulking.

I nail,  with casement nails , one nail each side at the bottom , I don't drive them home yet , in case I need to change some thing , keeps your options open , alway a good idea   This pulls the door brick molding tight against the wall sheathing , and hold sthe door with that equal ish spacing .

 MOST doors today have adjustable sills , GENERALLY that adjustment is enought to just set the door jamb right on the subfloor. Remember I said GENERALLY


 I do plumb the hinge side of the door , I remove  the two  short screws closest to the door stop and insert new screws that are long enought to go thru the jamb and catch the trimmer stud.  Generally I do this to the top and bottom hinges , some times on double doors all three ( most doors have 3 hinges or a pair and 1/2 , taller / wider / very heavy doors may have more hinges per door ) . I use the scews starting with one in  the top  hinge to pull the door jamb to plumb,  remember the bottom is fixed by our tack nails , the door will almost always have to be pulled with that upper hinge screw , the weight of the door will be pulling the jamb away ( out of plumb) make sure befoe the srew grabs the trimmer that the brick mold is up tight against the sheathing . now use that screw to pull the jamb( hinge side ) plumb, either place your level on the door edge with the dorr alomst closed , or right on the jamb, once it's plumb back the screw out a couple of turns then place shims behind the hinge , just snug , then re tighten the screw , once you've done 50 or 60 doors the amount of snugness becomes easy to judge  

 So now we have a plumb hinge side and level sill , now use the door as a guage to get a equal gap between the door and jamb side , I use these 1/8 alum. spacer made of common bar stock from Ace hardware , very handy spacers .

 


 


 Some times a jamb will be tweaked and need more than nails to pull it where you need it , I remove the weather strip , most is a fish scale type that just pulls out of a saw kerf ,




Once removed I pre drill and insert a screw where I need it and so I can hide the screw ,





 Same with the head gap , now it can be a real PITA IF the jackarse who hung the door in the jamb screwed the pooch and got the spacing off

 

hinge side I should have a 1/8 " gap here , it can be fixed witha little tweaking , more screws , and some gentle taps after those screws are in place pulling on the jamb , easy does it on those taps as the jamb could split on ya ,



One on each side one in the center , the center one generally needs to be shimmed so the gap does not become to large , the end ones and held by the staples the guy used to asemble the jamb so no shims are needed.

 Gonna take a break and see if this gets any views before I add more , maybe every one knows how to hang doors   , or thinks they do anyway    
 
     

 

[Ernest T. Bass]

Interesting way to hide the screws.... Wish I knew about that before we hung our doors.

Being a first-time door installer, I was a little confused about the manufacturer's instructions to shim the sill, as it would leave a gap underneath like you mentioned. Nice to hear someone confirm my concern...

We have had a bit of trouble with the door jamb loosening up a little, and forming a 1/4'' gap between the brick molding and the outside of the house. Probably from getting slammed by little kids... It seems that I need to add more screws to the jamb, but was a bit hesitant because of the aesthetics. Perhaps I will try hiding them under the weather stripping.

Also, does the wood jamb of the door come primed, or painted? Do we need to paint the jambs and the molding? They aren't a bad color just the way they are, but I'm not sure what they're coated with..

One more thing... Isn't it a good idea to put a bead of caulk around the outside edge of the RO as well as under the sill, prior to installing the door?

[PEG688]

#1: Interesting way to hide the screws.... Wish I knew about that before we hung our doors.

#2:Being a first-time door installer, I was a little confused about the manufacturer's instructions to shim the sill, as it would leave a gap underneath like you mentioned. Nice to hear someone confirm my concern...

#3: We have had a bit of trouble with the door jamb loosening up a little, and forming a 1/4'' gap between the brick molding and the outside of the house. Probably from getting slammed by little kids... It seems that I need to add more screws to the jamb, but was a bit hesitant because of the aesthetics. Perhaps I will try hiding them under the weather stripping.

#4: Also, does the wood jamb of the door come primed, or painted? Do we need to paint the jambs and the molding?

 #5: Isn't it a good idea to put a bead of caulk around the outside edge of the RO as well as under the sill, prior to installing the door?

#1: Thats a million dollar tip , very few do that

#2:  Those instructions are IMO a joke , but if it's all ya got .................

#3:  You do have nails in the brick molding right?  If not add some , about 5 per side on a standard 6-8 door . casement nails , sort of a big "finish " nail head I use 10 d's.

#4: Some are  , most in fact are preprimed ,  you'd MTL have to special order a unprimed jamb if you where going to stain it. Most jambs are finger jointed pine around here, some have a new jamb bottom where the bottom 12" of jamb are a plastic / fake wood . Jambs  , IF they rot , tend to rot at the connection of the side to the sill where the water sits.

 So yes if your jambs are a sort of white color it's MTL primer and should be painted .  I say that but on my own house both my utlity room doors , a "front and back ",  never have been painted , ah well a coblers kids are bare footed  

#5 :  I don't , you should either what called" back caulk " which we do on stained houses , we caulk the brick mold edge to the building paper and bed the siding in the wet caulk . On painted jobs we side up the wall and caulk our way back down , caulking the brick mold to the siding . Then the painters paint over the whole works .  

[Ernest T. Bass]

No, actually, I never nailed the brick molding. Would a 15 gauge finish nailer w/ 2 1/2'' nails work? Our whole house is held together with those things...  

[PEG688]

 Well they might hold   , BUT a nice 10d galv, casement nail will hold , and won't rust . Finish gun nails are wimpy , to small a gauge ,  they won't do what needs to be done for the long haul.

Most modern carpenters use them ( gun nails ) to hang exterior doors , they go back on call backs or have unhappy clients neither of which I want.

Interior door generally are lighter in weight and hung on narrower jambs , 2x4 walls,  exterior doors also get slammed more often due to wind , different animal .  

[Ernest T. Bass]

Ok, thanks! I'll dig around and see if I can find some old-fashioned individual nails and pound them in by hand.  

[PEG688]

  I use a flat bar , IF the floor I'm working over is unfinished to hold the door open when I let in the backsets and escutchions, and strike plates .  This is once the door is hanging / hung .



 The wood they use really is geting worst to machine by hand , sharp tools are required for a good job .

 

You can see it's pre machined but of course not right for the stuff we have to install. It was pre done with a router, and as you can see it's a laminated "plywood "type cord . I did split that lil side ,   good thing it's paint garde I glued it back using tape to hold it till the glue dries .

 Dead bolt reenforcment plate , pre drill for screws so it doesn't split.




Screw on then use a knife to cut right up tight  to the plate .




 The reenforment plate goes first screws close to the door stop , I remove the weather strip so it doesn't get cut / damaged in the process.


Then the cover/ finish  escutchions




Not perfect but good enought for paint garde , the primer always wants to chip at least a little  


 

[glenn kangiser]

Very nice tutorial, PEG.  Thanks for all the time you put into that.

[Sassy]

Yes, I think even I could install a door now!    (but don't tell Glenn, he just might make me do it, but I'd have to print out your step-by-step pics & instructions)

[PEG688]

BTW these foam " wedgie "  fillers go tucked behind the weather stripping to "seal up" that inside corner, I install them after the painter is done as they are a "one time " peel and stick glue set up. If you put them on right away either the painter pulls them off and they will not restick or he paints them .  




The screws that come with every brand door I've hung,  I throw away  . They all have that shoulder where the screw shaft and threads meet, I've pre drilled , I've waxed , I've waxed and predrilled   and still have had the shafts break to many times.  

So now I make sure there's no lil wrench / allen / foot bolt plastic dealie / head bolt escutchion  dealie in the bag with them and I $hit canum right outta the gate .

Mr. Murphy's rule of course states IF a screw snaps off the thing , what ever it may be , will have to be moved / taken down / adjusted just a lil !!!!!!!!    
   

Now don't every one chime in with questions or "kudo's " , I couldn't take it    :'(

[glenn kangiser]

BTW these foam " wedgie "  fillers go tucked behind the weather stripping to "seal up" that inside corner

Not like any wedgie I've ever seen.  :-?

...or been given... :-/

[PEG688]

They don't come with yard sale / cast off doors Glenn, you know that "New stuff" they sell has a few whistles and bells that the salvag yard doesn't have . Off course the new stuff doesn't have the patina the old MIGHT have. Lifes full of trade offs eh!  

[Sassy]

  So yes if your jambs are a sort of white color it's MTL primer and should be painted .  I say that but on my own house both my utlity room doors , a "front and back ",  never have been painted , ah well a coblers kids are bare footed    

PEG - you've gone & ruined my image of you as the person who ALWAYS finishes a job to perfection...  :-/

BTW, I think we have a couple doors like that... one in our place in the valley & one in the cabin... ah well  

PS now Glenn knows this so he'll have you as an example when something doesn't get totally finished  :'(

[PEG688]

Sorry to ruin that "image " , most things get done around here , but there's a lil color puddy missing here and there, those doors are primed a light gray and my wife has never said "They need painted!" You don't need to tell her either Kathy so don't get ta thinkin about it.  And we have one bath room thats just never gotten remodeled , it's not bad , quite usable , just needs spruced up a new vanity , well tub and toilet , the works  , when we do it . But it's not bad we just never have gotten to it yet.

 I once heard another carpenter telling some one how he "Saved the violin work for at home !" That's never been my view on it , hell I can live pretty low , as long as it's clean and neat.  I don't need much  but what I make for sale / others that are paying me to do it , I want it as "right" as I can make it and still fit it into the budget , within reason that is .  

[MountainDon]

So yes if your jambs are a sort of white color it's MTL primer and should be painted .  I say that but on my own house both my utlity room doors , a "front and back ",  never have been painted

I feel soooo much better!    I have a back door that's the same. Since 1991 IIRC.

[glenn kangiser]

They don't come with yard sale / cast off doors Glenn, you know that "New stuff" they sell has a few whistles and bells that the salvage yard doesn't have.

Now I know why I didn't get the wedgie, PEG.

[John Raabe]

Nice work on the tutorial PEG. Thanks for taking the time to do this.

I posted a link at the top of the forum links at the main CountryPlans start page.

[PEG688]

Your welcome John hope it helps some one out .

I also add a protective wrap , generally out of Typar cuz it handy , some times our doors come with plastic sill protector , these didn't .

So a staple , fold and wrap the sill so muddy boots and other light const. action save the sill from scratching.





Just staple to the plate or box sill and subfloor , helps some what , they still can get bent / damaged  But>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

[PEG688]

 Bump for considerations.

[PEG688]

Nice work on the tutorial PEG. Thanks for taking the time to do this.

I posted a link at the top of the forum links at the main CountryPlans start page.

I should have looked there. 

[PEG688]

 As you can see I didn't use the dust cover that reinforcement plate is only important IF someone tries to break in , it would slow them down some , but IF they where smart crooks ( oxymoron I know) they'd just break a window and unlock the door and or window they just broke out.


The dust cover is really "fluff".   If you do want to use it , it goes in first then the reinforcement plate them the final escutcheon. The  nicest looking one.

[Ernest T. Bass]

Thanks again for the info! Just reread the thread and am glad I did, as I happen to have a cabin door to install soon.