Installing interior wood door frames WITHOUT doors… have you done this and how?
I started a job the other day and only the door frames are on-site because the finish has not been picked for the doors yet, and probably won’t anytime soon. This means that I had to install the door frames without the doors pre-hung on the jambs. I was not happy about it but it’s work and in todays economy saying no to something like this job was not an option. It was a commercial job in Westchester, NY.
The jambs were full 3/4″ primed poplar and the door stops are the type that are intalled into a groove routed into the jambs so there is about 3/16″ play in the groove. All hinges and hardware was already machined. I set the jambs assuring the hinge side was plumb and then leveled off the head and plumbed the opposite jamb leg. I was going to leave the frames with the shims in place but with the nails set top and bottom, not through the shims. The thinking was I could make adjustments when the doors arrive and I have to install them. Heard through the contractor grapevine that most likely the frames would be trimmed before the doors arrive so I had to set them permanently with screws and cut back all the shims. I made a 3’0″ door template from a piece of 2″ foam insulation and used that to check all the frames for margin reveals going around. Checking for any “cross-legged” jambs was difficult and could still present a problem down the road but I did make sure the legs were plumbed the same to help prevent this problem. I’m hoping that I’ll be able to get back before the painters caulk in the door stops so I can at least catch a little wiggle room there.
Aside from the steps I took, what else would you recommend if you’ve done this before. There are another 50 or so openings on this job that may have to be dealt with the same way… although I really hope the rest come as pre-hung units.
Thanks,
John G.
Replies
John
We would routinely set metal jambs either in masonry or steel stud walls (b/4 the sheetrock was hung) and deal with the slabs upon finish. These didn't have movable stops-so what you see is what you got upon install and finish. The safety valve was removing one or "trimming down" the rubber bumpers.
About the only thing I can tell you is that proper width all the way down and a level head is the best you can do.
If you are setting the doors as well, you can always shim or rock the hinges to fine tune the opening.
best of luck.
The ideal thing, short of having the proper doors, would be to get an old used door (or, perhaps better, a new cheap hollow-core), make sure it was perfectly square/flat and properly sized, and use that to set the frames.
I would have a few concerns about installing jambs without the doors on interior doors. Sounds like you have covered the opening width and squareness by checking with the foam sheet. When I hang no door jambs, I'll tack a strip of wood to the jambs to hold the bottoms at the correct width, nailed where the holes will later be covered with the trim. Keeps the bottom legs from flopping around as you place them in the RO.
You didn't mention height. I would want to know the actual height of the doors and what was going on the floor so there would be no issues having to cut the doors later or having too much of a gap.
In all my years of hanging doors, I've never seen loose stops. I would set them 1/32" deeper than the thickness of the doors, just like all fixed stop door jambs unless rubber bumpers, dust or weather strip was being used.
Too bad the contractor is making your job more difficult. Work is work but having to fit a finished door later could be a real problem. It has also doubled your work having to come back. You have to price out your labor in a way that isn't normal for this job. You will also need to use extra care so you don't ding a finished door. I'm guessing the jambs are assembled, so you just stay with the width established by the header. Still, I would go see the doors, just to be safe and see how the finishers were handling and storing the doors. Contractors that are disorganized may also be using fly by night, cheap subs.
The doors are all standard 6'8". All undercut info was provided along with the required shim height to accomodate the flooring so I don't have any worries on that end. I subbed the work from the door company that supplied the doors so they machined all the jambs and will machine all the doors. They are also going to be setting the locks after I install the doors. Luckily, the job was priced with frame installation and door installation as separate tasks.
I would have liked to have the time to get back and run a hollow core door into the openings but as it turns out, the trim will be installed tomorrow so I won't be able to get back and will have to hope that I've done a good enough job setting the frames. I double checked all the openings today after setting the door stop and it looks like I "should" be OK.... fingers and toes crossed!
John,
Any chance you could post a pic? Are these "split jambs" (2 piece jambs) or are they solid jambs, 3/4" x 4 1/2" (assuming 2x4 wall w/ 1/2" rock) with a groove for the stop?
Geoff