If the door frame is not solid or straight, the door may scrape or not fit correctly.
A door frame isn’t expensive or difficult to build, nor does it use special, expensive materials.
A door frame is composed only of two materials: two-by-fours and nails.
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So, creating a well-built door frame is less about materials and more about technique.
Think of a door frame like a four-sided picture frame: top, bottom, and two sides.
The top plate is already part of the house and is not part of the door frame construction.
The sole/bottom plate might already be in place or you may need to add it.
Is it flush or do you walk over this bottom side?
This accounts for 3/4 inch jambs and bottom threshold.
It is best to know the actual door and manufacturers rough opening recommendations before starting.
Building a door frame is one project where you really need high-quality two-by-fours.
Look for premium kiln-dried two-by-fours that are not wet and which are perfectly straight and true.
Otherwise, nail a continuous two-by-four across the width of the doorway.
The two-by-four will extend across the doorway for now but later will be cut away.
This measurement will vary by ceiling height.
Tape the bubble level to each of the king studs as you place them.
Or shoot a plumb line from the laser level.
Nail the king studsso that they are 38-1/2 inches apart, on-center.
Toenail the king studs into place.
Add the Jack Studs
Cut two of the two-by-fours each to 80-1/2 inches.
Drive the nails directly into the king studs rather than toenailing the jack studs.
Cut and Add the Header
Cut the header to 37 inches long.
Standing on a ladder, place the header on top of the jack studs.
Nail the header into place by driving nails through the header and into the ends of the jack studs.
This single two-by-four header method is only suitable for interior non-load-bearing walls.
Cut off two pieces of two-by-four to that length.
Toenail these support boards into the top plate.
The bottom sections of the support boards can be secured by driving nails upward through the header.
If the flooring is a decorative floor covering, place tape on the cutting area to avoid damage.
Slow down your cutting toward the end to avoid biting into the flooring.
Another way to avoid damage to decorative flooring is to cut the sole/bottom plates to size ahead of installation.
Nail down any protruding nails.
The door frame is now ready for either aprehung dooror for the construction of a door casing from scratch.
Double-wide door frames for French doors orsliding doorsneed specific framing due to the lengthened spans.
