Interior Doors

Standard interior house doors come in standard dimensions: 24 In. - 36 In. x 80 In. Interior doors are generally 2'6" and bathroom doors may be 2'4". All standard doors today are 6'8" in height.

Standard Interior Door Size: 30 inches x 80 inches

prehung door unit: comes attached to its jambs with the hinges already in place

door blank or slab: just the door itself with no associated trim and sized to fit into the existing door jamb

 

Types of interior doors

Hollow core: Hollow-core doors are made from two thin veneer plywood or hardboard faces. Between the two are supports, often made of cardboard, to help keep the door rigid. These doors are light, inexpensive, prone to puncture, and ineffective as sound barriers.

Solid core: Some manufacturers carry solid core doors made from high-density fiberboard or hardboard. A top-quality engineered-core door may be constructed with hardwood sticking.

Solid wood:

 

Installation

Prehung Door Unit

With a factory-manufactured pre-hung door, hinges attach the door to the preassembled jambs, and the sill and jambs are braced to keep the whole assembly square until you install it.

The rough door opening should be 2" wider and 1" taller than the finished door dimensions. With the extra space you adjust and plumb your new prehung door assembly to square it up.

Measure the wall's finished thickness before purchasing a door. Prehung doors may come either with split or flat jambs.

Use a level on the hinge side of the casing to align it vertically. Tap shims into place between the door jamb and the rough framing to make the jamb plumb.

nail through both the jamb and shims into the wall stud near the top hinge using an 8d finish nail. Any nails that you drive through the jambs should also go through shims behind the jamb. Then the other hinges too.

Trim any shims that protrude from between the jambs and framing to allow the second jamb to be installed.

Nail through the center of the stop and jamb to secure the second jamb.

Complete Guide:

Position the door properly Place the door in the rough opening, centering it in the frame and fastening it as discussed in the steps below. Using a piece of drywall (or other finish material) as a spacer against the trimmer studs, slightly adjust the unit until it is flush with the spacer. (If the finish floor has not yet been installed, raise the side jambs to the correct level with blocks; you want to avoid cutting off the bottom of a new door if possible.)

Before nailing the jambs, it's very important to make sure the door fits squarely in the opening and that the jambs are plumb, both from side to side and from front to back. Drive pairs of tapered wooden shims between the jambs and the trimmer studs (if the casing is attached to the jambs, insert shims from the open side) to adjust the unit and hold it in place until you nail it.

Secure the door hinge-side first Start by shimming the lower hinge side of the door. Nail through the jamb and shims part way (1 inch) into the stud with a 10d finishing nail; position the nail where the stop moulding will cover it. Insert shims next to the upper hinge location, check the jamb for plumb, and nail partway.

Again, shim, plumb, and nail halfway between the top and middle hinge positions. Repeat this process between the middle and bottom hinges. Check to make sure the jamb above the doorway is level. Now shim the opposite jamb at similar locations, but do not nail where you will need to cut for the latch.

Complete the installation Remove any bracing or blocking tacked to the unit. Close the door, and check that there is the same amount of space (1/16 to 1/8 inch) between the edges of the door and the jambs. If the door sticks or is out of alignment, pull out nails in the area that seems to be the problem, using a block to protect the jambs from your hammer.

Adjust the shims and re-nail. Install the lock set. Drive the nails almost flush, and then set the heads with a nailset. Using a handsaw, cut off the shims flush with the jambs (you can just break off short, thin pieces). Finish with door casing or other trim.

Nail the threshold between the jambs, shimming below if the threshold does not rest securely on the subfloor. Finally, install the stop moulding with 4d finishing nails.

Frame Up Doorway for New Wall Construction

Framing with steel wall studs when your house first goes up will help the finish carpenters as they move to framing the interior walls. Steel will not change shape and cause wavy walls.

To transfer the load of a bearing wall to each side of a door or window, a header is placed over the opening and supported on each side by a stud nailed to a cripple or jack stud

The opening bounded by the header and the two cripples and the sub-floor is called the rough opening of the door.

Allow 2 inches for width and 2 inches or slightly more for the height of the inside door jam.

• Refer to "Frame a Doorway" on the "Interior Wall Construction" wiki page.

 

Fire Rated Door

A fire door is a type of door, or barrier used as a passive fire protection item within buildings to prevent the spread of fire or smoke which may consist of dangerous chemicals. It is usually the only means of allowing people to pass through a fire-resistance rated wall assembly.

Fire Door Brands

• Mastercraft
• Stanley Steel