Installing door jambs

Hold the tape measure up to the top of the door frame. Note the measurement and save it for later. Measure the sides of the door frame. Take your tape measure to one side of the door frame. Note the length and mark this on one piece of wood. If you have level ground, this measurement will be the same for the other side. Most likely they'll be different, so measure the other side of the frame and mark its length on another piece of wood. Don't forget to also measure the top part of the frame for the smaller piece of wood.

Cut the wood. Suit up with safety gear, including gloves, safety glasses, and a visor, before turning on your circular saw. Thin the pieces of wood so they fit within the frame. Follow up by cutting their length according to the measurements you took earlier. Part 2. Nail the wood together. Lay one of the longer pieces of wood on its side and add a bit of wood glue to the end.

Attach the shorter piece to one end of the longer piece. Get your nail gun and hold it square on the outside of the area where the wood meets. Add the nails to secure the pieces together. Align the other piece of wood on the opposite side and attach it the same way.

Hold the jamb up to the door frame. Carefully move your newly-cut wood up into the frame. Since you measured, it should fit in there well. Align the left side against the wall and see if it appears level. Double-check this with a level. Level out the jamb with wood strips. After attaching the jamb to the frame, place wood strips shims under it. Make sure that you do not lift the jamb too much. Figure out where you need to place the shims to level the hinge side from top to bottom.

Get these strips from the home improvement store. Slip them between the jamb and frame as needed. Make sure to fasten the hinge side jambs directly to the stud.

You can fasten them loosely in case you need to slide a jamb behind it, but it is best to keep it tight. Hold the door against the jamb to check for clearance. You can hold the jamb in place by lightly hammering in a few nails. Place the door inside the jamb. The door needs to fit comfortably inside the jamb. Look for the gap between the door and jamb to be one-eighth of an inch. Add or remove shimming so the door fits.

When you're sure the measurements are correct, remove the door. Nail the hinge side of the jamb to the frame. Get your nail gun again. Make sure the jamb is even against the wall and frame. Begin securing it with nails from top to bottom. Be sure to put a nail through each shim to hold them in place. Screws make exterior doors stronger and more adjustable. Drill a hole in the jamb before adding the screws, then attach the weather strips over them.

Secure the other sides of the jamb to the frame. Move onto the top side. First, hold your level up to the jamb. If it doesn't appear level, add some shims to even it out. Finish by nailing the jamb to the frame. Repeat this with the side opposite the hinges. Cut the shims to size with a utility knife. The shims will have their ends sticking out of the jamb. Go ahead and take your utility knife or other woodcarving knife and score them, then use your hammer to break off the ends.

Part 3. Hang the door in the jamb. Screw the hinges onto the correct side of the jamb. Unless you are installing a prehung door, you'll need to trace the outline of the hinges on the jamb and cut an indentation using a router or utility knife. Place the door in the jamb and fasten it to the hinges. Make sure it's tight and opening in the right direction. Measure out the stopper width.

The door stopper also called stop molding can be bought pre-cut or fashioned out of wood strips. You will need to measure out how wide the stopper needs to be so that the pieces on each side of the door frame fit together. The moulding goes behind the hinges and rests in the middle of the jamb. Measure it against the jamb until you're sure it's the right thickness. When cutting it yourself, you only need strips of wood about one or two inches two to five cm wide. Measure the stopper's length on the door jamb.

Start with the top part. Measure all the way across the jamb so that the stopper will go all the way across the jamb. Now measure the amount of wood needed from top to bottom of both the left and right sides of the jamb. Cut your stopper wood down to size.

Use a saw to trim the wood to the required length. Nail the three pieces together with a nail gun, positioning it outside the point where they join.

To ensure that a degree angle is obtained while nailing the jamb parts, use a square. Place the right side jamb and the top part jamb to the side and top. Now wedge with a nail together. Repeat for the left side jamb also. Also, take note to ensure that the weather stripping side of the door jamb must be facing the interior part of the house. Place the side jamb where the jingle would be fixed along the edge of the door and mark the hinge locations and outline onto the jamb with a sharp pencil.

Use a router or chisel to cut out the shallow recesses also referred to as mortises on the jamb. Starting out on the side of the door that attaches to the hinge, fixes the jamb to the door frame. Place the door jamb onto the frame and check to see if it is leveled on the other side.

Use shims or wood strips to achieve alignment by placing them between the doorjamb and the door frame. Hold the level vertically to the sides and horizontally across the top.

If the doorjamb is not level, adjust the shims until it is. Starting the the the hinge side of the jamb, nail the jamb to the frame from top to bottom using your nail gun. Make sure to drive a nail through every shim to secure the jamb in place. Move next to the top side and the other opposite side ensuring that the jamb is level with the frame before nailing.

The function of the doorstop is to prevent the door from swinging the wrong way. They are thin planks nailed to the center of the faces of the side and head jambs and are usually flat on the side that touches the floor but rounded on the other side. To install the doorstop, first measure out the thickness of the door to be installed.

Use the measurement to mark out the position of the door on the top plate when it is closed. Use this mark to position your doorstep. Measure and cut the doorstop for the top plate and nail it into place. Then mark the lines for the stops on the sides of your jamb, measure and cut them to length, and finish by hammering them into place.

The door jamb is not just a part of the door but an essential component that needs to be given detailed attention. You need to have a well-fixed and durable door jamb as it will bear up the door. It also holds the hinges and thus ensures smooth and free opening and closing of doors. Both the door and the jamb must be installed appropriately to ensure that the panel fits snugly and there is no gapping, which could cause problems by permitting outdoor elements to get into your home.

It is also essential to install well-fitting and robust door jambs on the home's interior. Otherwise, the panels could creak, stick, or even fail altogether. A forceful kick to a door with a weak door jamb not minding the door quality would bring down the door and grant easy access to thieves and other unwanted elements into the house since the jamb also holds the latch on the other side. Following the aforementioned easy steps, you can prevent theft and avoidable embarrassment by installing a sturdy door jamb for your door.

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