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Wood door sill install

PenobscotMan | Posted in Construction Techniques on September 12, 2010 05:46am

I’m making from scratch an exterior door unit to accommodate an antique/junk door.  I’m pulling a blank on how the sill fits in.  I’ve laminated some SYP for the sill and will cut the bevels and the horns.  Is the sill attached to the jambs (under them) before the install?  Or do I make up the unit like a prehung interior door (no bottom), install it,  and then slide the sill in from the outside, in which case the jambs will extend down the cut ends of the sill.

I’ve tried to find drawings of this configuration but without luck.

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  1. CooperDBM | Sep 12, 2010 10:56pm | #1

    I'm in the middle of doing the same thing.  I've made a solid maple threshold that's profiled to drain to the exterior.  The new jambs are already in place and I'm fitting the new threshold between them.  With the wear that the threshold will experience I thought it was important to be able to pull it out and refinish it or replace it in the future.  My old threshold (not the original) was like this.  I installed the jambs as a unit, with a transom window, connected by a piece of plywood across the bottom.  The threshold will sit on the plywood.

    My question now is how to attach the threshold.  I don't want to nail through the top and since it's 10" wide solid wood I don't want it to split by attaching it front and back (inside and out).  I'm thinking about just bedding it in silicon.

    Note that I'm a DIYer so this isn't a pro opinion.

    1. calvin | Sep 13, 2010 06:40am | #2

      Don't want to nail it?

      Then use screws.  Easy to remove if you do want to pull it out.

      1. CooperDBM | Sep 13, 2010 08:30am | #3

        It's just a matter of appearance.  Since the interior tile floor is already in place my only access for fasteners is through the top.  I may use some hand placed finishing nails on the inside corners with a silicone bed.  Not too worried about how easy it is to remove.  If it needs removing then it would probably be replaced.

        1. DanH | Sep 13, 2010 09:11pm | #6

          Screws and plugs or finish screws.

  2. User avater
    MarkH | Sep 13, 2010 07:56pm | #4

    http://books.google.com/books?id=KNoTAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA237&dq=exterior+door+frame+construction&hl=en&ei=nbmOTJm9GoSnngeB_dGyDA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CDAQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false

  3. CooperDBM | Sep 13, 2010 08:09pm | #5

    Living here in Ottawa I can't afford to spend any more time at Lee Valley :-)  I realized that the weatherstripping will obscure a spot on either end of the threshold and I've place screws there.

  4. User avater
    MarkH | Sep 14, 2010 07:12am | #7

    As for fasteners, look at Tremont nails for some galvanized cut nails.

    http://www.tremontnail.com/tremont-galvanized.htm

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