Installing a Door Into the Garage
The most important first step is to make sure you get the right swing….
Right or Left In Swing or Right or Left Out Swing
And of course, the right size size
If your replacing a door, match the size and swing to the door your replacing
Now,
Should you buy a Door Slab or a Pre-Hung Door that comes with the Jamb
In most cases, getting a pre-hung door is a better option because the door comes pre-hung inside of a new frame
If your in Southern California most homes/garages are stucco and therfore you’ll want to get the stucco molding, it has a V on one side to but up against the stucco and cover the side of the Jamb
The tricky part about installing a door is to make sure you properly “square” the door, one way to achieve this is to remove the the door from the hinges, and put the frame inside the opening and put 3 screws in the top connecting the door frame (or Jamb) to the 2×4 frame of the opening, this will keep it from moving
Note* Make sure you grab the top piece of the molding to adjust the position of the Jamb as it relates to the molding before your put your 3 screws in
Time to check the opening for squareness, put the door back on by putting the pin into the hinges and test to see if everything lines up,
At this point, you may need to lower your frame or make adjustments on the right or left by unscrewing your screws slightly that you just put in on the top part of the Jamb
Once you have the right height, you’ll want to adjust the right and/or left (if needed), this is where shims come in, if the structure is older the door opening may be “out of square”
A Shim is a sliver of wood that’s tapered, so one side is sharp, sort of like a wedge, it fills the space, so when the sides are screwed in, it will keep the frame sqaure and prevent the frame from bowing outward.
Install your molding, caulk and Silicone everything and your good to go!
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