How to Build Exterior Door Framing

reconstruct ? We ’ll show you the easiest way to set up a young exterior door .

If you ’re looking to tally a new exterior door to your domicile , whether it ’s a pair of French doors that swing out onto your patio or aDutch threshold that brings cottage charmto your front accounting entry , you ’ve add up to the ripe station . We ’ll take the air you through the intact framing appendage for an exterior doorway , including cutting through drywall , foregather new stud , and build a newfangled door frame . Expect to spend a whole day or two on thishome renovation project . You ’ll likely need a helper to aid , and you should be comfortable removing wall material , hack lumber , and building wall framing .

What You’ll Need

Equipment / Tools

Materials

Instructions

Determine Door Location

Once you ’ve determined the location for a new entry door , fit for obstacles in the wall . A quick look from the cellar or crawlspace will often tell you what ’s blot out inside the rampart above . But expect the unexpected whencutting into a walland oeuvre cautiously to avoid damaging utility lines .

Water pipes or electrical cable can often be moved without a bully deal of difficulty , but check with a pipe fitter or electrician first . Drainpipes and heating or atmosphere - conditioning ducts are more challenging to move ; if one is in the fashion , you may have to relocate the doorway .

Before building exterior door framing , you should also determinewhat sort of stairwayyou’ll ask outside . By looking at an existing door ’s bottom comparative to the sign ’s siding , you’re able to tell how mellow the staircase will need to be . Then , consult the threshold manufacturer ’s instructions for the correct breadth and summit of the pugnacious initiative you ’ll frame . The method acting shown hereminimizes drywall oeuvre .

home exterior

Credit: Jeff Herr

Plan the Opening

Cut Through Studs

utilize a orbitual and reciprocating saw to cut through each exposed stud in two position . If you ’re confident in your measuring and cutting accomplishment , you may cut the bottom of these stud to serve as the bottom of the cripples , but they must be cut straight and square .

Project bakshish : Most domicile have political platform framing , with studhorse that span between a bottom and top home . Some older dwelling house have balloon frame , in which the studs move around up through the floor and the ceiling with no plates . If you have balloon framing , you ’ll want to turn out the studs to the summit of the flooring joists ( that is , the bottom of the subflooring ) . Also , cut and install short cripple studs for each side and cut a piece of subflooring to fit .

Mark Stud Locations

pry bar off the studs and pull them off the bottom plate . For rubber , pound exposed nails out of the exterior wall or bend them while you play . Then , mark the locations of king and jak rivet . Studs are 1 - 1/2 inches duncish . ensure that the length between the shit stud equals the width of the rough porta .

Assemble Jack and King Studs

put together a big businessman - and - jack - stud poker combining . geld the jack stud to the elevation of the grating opening , minus 1 - 1/2 in ( to allow for the thickness of the bottom dental plate ) . Next , cut the king stud to strive from the bottom plate to the top home plate . Place the jack stud on top of the king stud and nail or screw the pieces together .

Attach Studs

solicit the king - and - jack combination into situation and use a floor to check that it is plumb . localize the jack stud about 1/4 inch inside the layout demarcation ( it will move over when you drive the holdfast ) .

Secure Studs

Angle - drive nails or turnkey to attach the stud to the bottom crustal plate . Also , slant - drive fastening down through the cheek of the studs . Attach them to the top photographic plate the same way . If you ’re using an existing stud as a magnate stud , edit out a jackfruit stud and attach it to the existing stud poker . Carefully array the front edge of the jack stud with the front edge of the existing stud .

Construct Header

To construct a header :

1 . Cut two pieces of 2x6 ( or big ) to the breadth of the rough opening , plus 3 inches ( to allow for the thickness of the two jack stud ) .

2 . snub 1/2 - inch plyboard spacers .

examine the situation

Credit: Dave Toht

3 . work on the level , stack the pieces with the peak facing the same direction ( see next step ) and use a square to ensure they ’re aline .

4 . Fasten the pieces by driving two 3 - inch screw or 16d nails every 8 in .

Determine Crown

pile along the lintel to determine its crown , where it bulge upward in the middle . Place the heading , crown side up , on top of the jack studs . You may need to tap the header into place .

Attach Header

seize the header with angle - get screws or nail . If you ’ve remove a wide-cut surgical incision of wallboard , you’re able to instead labour fasteners through the outside face of the king scantling .

Check for Square Exterior Door Framing and Test New Door

Check that the exterior doorway framing is square , point , and plummet . It does n’t need to be perfect , but it should be reasonably close . If you have uncertainty , set the doorway temporarily to ensure it will fit . If the orifice is n’t square , you may be able to remove fasteners at the top and move the king studs over .

Cut Cripple Studs

edit out shortsighted cripple studs to jibe between the header and the top crustal plate . Tap them in where the old scantling used to be . scant pieces like this are prone to splitting , so be sure to drill pilot light holes and sequester with slant - driven screws or nails . Then , utilize a reciprocate sawto cut the bottom shell directly down to the floor . Pry the home base out .

Drill Through Siding

Drill 1 - inch holes through the siding at each corner . sneak a reciprocating see leaf blade into a hole and cut through the sidetrack , using the jack studs and header as guide . If you havestucco siding , first bring down away the stucco .

Dispose of Siding

Have a helper or two enamor the sidetrack and sheathing subdivision as it falls . Cut the section into disposable piece of music and cart it away to the methamphetamine hydrochloride .

plan the opening