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Marking rough openings for prehung doors

| Posted in Construction Techniques on August 12, 2002 02:42am

What method (marking) do you use to mark rough openings so that the trim guys know where you want the hindges and which way you want the door to swing on interior prehung doors?

Thanks

Matt
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Replies

  1. User avater
    BossHog | Aug 12, 2002 03:09pm | #1

    Can't they just get that from the prints?

    Sometime when you're bored, try putting a slinky on an escalator.

  2. Edgar76b | Aug 12, 2002 03:24pm | #2

    x marks the spot, of course It should probably be obvious.

    "I was born in the country, razed in the city, I'm a natural born shaker from my hips to the ground" 



    Edited 8/12/2002 8:26:03 AM ET by Edgar76b

    1. dIrishInMe | Aug 12, 2002 07:09pm | #3

      Thanks for the replys.

      OK.  I have 7 houses ready for trim.  It's about 70 doors.  Two of the plans are reversed.   A few had some modificatioons to interior non-loadbearing partitions (and doors) per future homeowner's request.  

      I guess I could just hope that the doors get delivered and installed correctly.  

      Matt

      Edited 8/12/2002 12:22:28 PM ET by DIRISHINME

      1. TommyB12 | Aug 12, 2002 07:34pm | #4

        I mark the hinge side with door side and and arrow pointing in the direction of the door swing.  Pretty simple.

        Tom

      2. User avater
        BossHog | Aug 12, 2002 08:17pm | #5

        "I guess I could just hope that the doors get delivered and installed correctly."

        Heck, I'm sure they will - Hardly anything goes wrong when building a house....................(-:

        How about a strip of duct tape for each door? Start a strip at the hinge jamb, and run it at a 30 degree angle on the side the door swings towards. (Kinda like the line on a print that shows the door swing)

        That oughta be dang near idiot proof.

        The problem with the gene pool is that there is no lifeguard.

        1. Redfly | Aug 12, 2002 08:54pm | #7

          Of course a more important question might be

          "How do I order the doors properly so they end up on the job with the correct handing?"

          or

          "How do I order the door hardware correctly so it all matches the doors that I ordered properly earlier?"

          The duct tape idea is a good one Boss, don't know that I've ever seen it, but I'm gonna start doing right away (I'll be sure you get credit).  Many times I've carefully gone over the entire job, marking each hinge side trimmer with a big fat black marker only to have the drywallers texture over it all.  Hopefully tho, a good trim carpenter will look at indications like lite switch placement, etc, to help decide the proper door swing when no duct tape is present.

          1. Piffin | Aug 13, 2002 04:26am | #8

            Super or lead needs to be on job.

            I've learned that nothing is idiotproof!

            I've got one where I marked clearly on subfloor with heavy Scripto for plunbing drain, hot, cold supplies, tub, stool.

            Darn plumber placed both suppy lines left of the drain, too close to the stool.

            Gotta have him backExcellence is its own reward!

          2. User avater
            JeffBuck | Aug 13, 2002 05:02am | #9

            The leads I used to work with used a sharpie..and drew rectangles to be the hinges...on the studs. Inswing..the rectangle goes in the inside of the stud face....outswing......outter side of the stud....right where the hinges would be on a real door.

            Cased openings got a "C O"...pocket doors got a "P D"........and all this was covered before hand with the trim guy that was to do the install. Other info like "solid" or "Hollow" got sharpied in too.

            Kinda amazing how much ya can write inside door framing. Jeff.......Sometimes on the toll road of life.....a handful of change is good.......

          3. Piffin | Aug 13, 2002 05:19am | #10

            But I'm still laughing at the idiot-proof idea.

            :)

            I used a sharpie on my circ saw once to write the words, "gaurd sticks" in three prominent places, just in case one of the other employees tried to use it.

            One day I heard a bunch of thumpin' and bumpin' and jumpin' and cussing'

            I took a look and saw the plumbers helper yelling at my saw, which was lying next to a nice new divot in the wood floor. I pointed out to him the writing and asked if he had any idea what it means. He said, "Oh! I just thought that it was somebodies name so I didn't bother reading it"

            sigh...Excellence is its own reward!

          4. dIrishInMe | Aug 13, 2002 11:38pm | #11

            Thanks all for your replys.  I did the magic marker arrow on the rough opening, and marked the size above, ie:

            2-6-->

            This is what I have done before and know it is still not mistake proof.   Nothing is.

            Someone said door swing should be obvious.  Well, it is, mostly.  Some door swings are ambigious - ie hall closets.  Only problem is that then, the correct swing door may not be abailable where it does matter. 

            Doors will be installed within the next week.  The drywall guys are finishing up mudding.  I would like the duct-tape idea, except that there is heavy drywall dust on the floor.  Maybe a can of up-side-down spray paint following the tape idea. - yea, I like it!!

            Thanks,

            Matt

            Edited 8/13/2002 4:39:04 PM ET by DIRISHINME

          5. Edgar76b | Aug 14, 2002 10:59pm | #14

            I saw the aaarrow > Just yesterday, when doing an Estimate. It was in sharpie on the jack stud the Arrow indicates the swing.  With the X,  you know the Hinge side. Hall closets tend to swing out, bedrooms swing in. I guess there are exceptions to every rule. I never had a problem. I guess Having the size marked too. Will save a few seconds of measuring the opening. If you can't tell by looking at it. When unloading the doors. Whatever makes it easier. Especially, if you're not working alone . Communication is the key."I was born in the country, razed in the city, I'm a natural born shaker from my hips to the ground" 

          6. TommyB12 | Aug 14, 2002 03:36am | #12

            Hey piffin,

            With all due respect, I'm not sure who the idiot is in your story. 

            I danm near cut my finger off using somebody's broken saw.  I'm not blaming them, but if you put an unsafe tool on the job it will increase the likelihood of injuries.

            I hope you've fixed it by now.Tom

          7. Piffin | Aug 14, 2002 03:58am | #13

            I knew I was setting my self up for that, Tommy.

            This was about fifteen years ago when I was an employee and nobody else had any business using my tools. But that is where I learned to apply Murphy's law to other people and keep accidents away from idiots looking for them. We all gota learn sometime!

            My point was that nothing is idiotproof, they just keep making better idiots.Excellence is its own reward!

          8. TommyB12 | Aug 15, 2002 01:25am | #15

            Glad to oblige you Piffin. 

            I guess that makes me guilty of preaching to the choir.  I sentence myself to removing the "brakes don't work" sign on the floormats of my pickup.Tom

          9. Piffin | Aug 15, 2002 04:13am | #16

            Isn't the OSHA approved location for "Brakes don't work" signage on the windshield?Excellence is its own reward!

  3. User avater
    Mongo | Aug 12, 2002 08:51pm | #6

    If I had a job that I was that concerned over, I'd use a black marker and draw the arc of the door swing on the subfloor. I'd also write the door size somewhere near the threshold of the door.

    If the floor was already installed, I'd stick a piece of tape on the floor showing the direction of swing and door size.

    I'd even draw a rough schematic of the house and pencil in the swings.

    Better safe than sorry if there's a reason to think you might end up being sorry.

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