An attractive door can have a great impact on your home decor. Apart from this, a door frame plays a crucial part in making your house burglarproof. One simple kick and your door is flung open! This is something you would not want. So it is good to get a strong and tough door frame that protects you and your family from burglary, and makes it difficult for the robbers to penetrate your house. Installing a door frame is not a very difficult job and can be learned easily by understanding the simple steps involved in building a door frame. Let’s have a look at some tips and suggestions on how to build a door frame. Read about home decorating and home improvements.
A door frame is designed to fit in the door. It encloses the door completely, on all sides. Door frames consist of the following parts:
Header or Lintel – It is a horizontal beam which runs along the top of the door.
Sill – Runs along the bottom of the door.
Jamb – Vertical portion of the frame that runs along the sides of the door.
Steps to Build a Door Frame
Framing a door is a simple and easy task. All you need to do is follow these simple steps that will guide you on how to frame a door. Have a look at how to build a wooden door frame.
To build a wooden door frame you need:
Wood stock
Saw
Hammer
Measuring tape
Finish nails
Step 1: The first step is to know the dimensions of your door. Measure the height and width of your door. Then add a few inches to both the sides. The door opening has to be a little bigger than the door so that the door can fit in.
Step 2: Cut two studs according to the height measured and set them upright separated by the width space. Now add a cross beam, by nailing the sides to the top, in order to form the header.
Step 3: Insert a door jamb, on the hinge side, where you can hang your door. You can get ‘ready to install’ door jambs to make your work easy. Your doorway is now ready. Wedge thin wooden shims in between the door frame and the jamb to get the right level.
Step 4: Mark the place for the hinges with a penknife. Drill in holes and nail the hinge pins. Also make place for the knob on the other side of the door way. Now attach the knob or latch mechanism. Make sure you set it at the right height so that the tab on the door fits in, when you close the door.
Step 5: It’s time to set the door. See that there is a gap on the top corner of the hinged side. This will facilitate easy moving of the door and your door won’t get stuck in the frame. Also make sure that the door does not drag or hang diagonally on the hinges.
Step 6: Once the door is hung, swing it for a few times to check if the alignment is proper. Make the adjustments if required, till you get the right alignment.
Learn more about:
Door Frame Repair
Pocket Door Repair
Door frames should have a width same as the thickness of the wall, to allow moldings to fit properly. But one can also have a projecting door frame depending on the choice. Door frames can be of any material right from wood to aluminum. The method to build a door frame is similar to the one described above, only with a few changes depending on the material used. Choose door frames that will not only look good but also be strong and safe. So now that you know how to build a door frame, what are you waiting for? Get started and build door frames for all the doors in your house. It will give you great pleasure if you are of the ‘do-it-yourself’ types.