![]() Set this reveal by driving an 8d nail through the face of the latch-side casing and into the trimmer, near the top of the door. If necessary, adjust the reveal by pushing up the head casing.It should be uniform from left to right and 1/8- to 3/16-inch wide. Check the horizontal gap, or "reveal," between the top of the door and the head jamb.Adjust the gap between the door David Carmack ![]() Fill any gaps between the casing and the wall with tapered wood wedges.Ĥ. Nail through the casing and shims and into the trimmer.If the wall is out of plumb and the casing does not rest against it, shim behind the casing at the hinge locations to make the door plumb.If the wall is plumb and the casing rests flush against it, tack 8d finish nails through it at the other two hinge locations. ![]() Hold a level against the face of the casing and adjust the jamb in and out until plumb. Tack an 8d finish nail through the face of the hinge-side casing 3 inches below the miter, into the trimmer.Lift the door into the rough opening and push the hinge jamb tight against the shims tacked to the trimmers.Nail each pair to the trimmer and cut off the ends with a utility knife so they don't protrude past the drywall.Adjust each pair's thickness until the gap between shims and string equals the gap at the first pair. Place overlapping pairs of shims at the other two hinge locations.Measure the gap between the shims and the plumb bob string. Adjust the shims to 1/8 inch thick, and tack them with a finish nail.Where the gap is the smallest, place overlapping shims. Tack the plumb bob to the top of the hinge-side trimmer, and measure the gap between the string and the trimmer at each hinge location.Mark the hinge locations on the hinge-side trimmer by measuring up from the floor (or top of the shims). On the hinge jamb, measure from the bottom of the jamb to the center of each hinge.If the wall is out of plumb, or the trimmers are out of plumb, out of square, or not parallel, see “Prehung Door Swing: Getting It Perfect” below. Finally, check that the trimmers are parallel by measuring between them at the top, bottom, and middle of the opening.Also, check the trimmers' faces with a framing square to see if they are square to the wall. Check the walls and the trimmer studs for plumb using a level or plumb bob.If the latch side is lower, no shims are needed. Tack the shims to the floor with a finish nail.Adjust until the level's bubble is centered. If the hinge side is lower than the latch side, slip shims under the level nearest the hinge jamb. Place a 4-foot level on the floor in the doorway. ![]() Let that person figure out what the door’s “handedness” is. So rather than answering directly, say instead which side you want the knob to be on when opening the door toward you. SPECIFY THE SWING DIRECTION: Your supplier needs to know which way you want the door to swing, but beware of the question, “You want a left-hand or a right-hand door?” Those terms don’t always mean the same thing. If they aren’t, read “Prehung Door Swing: Getting It Perfect” (below) before you order. If the opening already exists, check that the trimmers are plumb, parallel, and square to the wall and the header. The jamb’s depth should match the thickness of the wall, including the plaster or drywall. KNOW YOUR OPENING: Prehung doors are made to fit rough openings 2 to 2 1⁄ 2 inches bigger than the corresponding dimensions of the jamb. Here are two steps for avoiding that outcome. With a prehung door, however, most of the assembly work is done off-site, so a mistake made when you place an order can turn a perfectly good unit into worthless scrap. “If it’s not installed right, it won’t hang well.” Common Mistakes to Avoid When Ordering Prehung Doorsīack when carpenters assembled the parts around a door piece by piece, they could easily customize their work, make changes, or correct problems. “It requires accuracy to put in one of these,” Tom says. These doors and jambs must still be carefully adjusted to account for shortcomings in the wall frame. Purchasing one does simplify and speed up installation, but the term “prehung” is really a misnomer. What Is a Prehung Door?Ī prehung door is a unit that comes with hardware and a frame, ready to be installed into a doorway. "It took a good long time and lots of patience," he says. In those days, he'd assemble the jamb, hand-cut the hinge mortises, and hang the door separately. "I started out using little more than a hammer, a chisel, and a screwdriver," says This Old House general contractor Tom Silva. The fine tolerances needed to achieve this kind of performance help explain why hanging a door is considered a true measure of carpentry skill. It should consistently snap into its latch, clear its jamb, and swing effortlessly on its hinges.
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