Installing New Interior Door Jamb

Make sure it s tight and opening in the right direction.

Installing new interior door jamb.

A new door jamb with decorative trim can make a dramatic enhancement. If the holes in the jamb are too large for the screws use wood glue to secure a short portion of dowel tightly in the hole. And on new homes and additions walls can compress as they settle and push down on the top shims causing the jamb to bow down. If you re not steady with your saw you can use a straight edge as a guide.

Only shim the top jamb if you re working with a 3 ft wide door and the top jamb arrives bowed from the factory. If you have more than 3 16 of an inch to remove you can use a circular saw to do so. Go slowly and make a long clean cut. Place the door in the jamb and fasten it to the hinges.

Screw the hinges onto the correct side of the jamb. Caulk underneath the spots where the bottom of the jamb and brick moulding will be. Remove the old door and cut the new door down to size. Once again take care not to damage the frame or the wall during this step in the process.

Allow the glue to cure and drill the pilot holes. Any changes to the door frame should be made before installing the new door. If the holes on your new hinge plates don t match the holes in the screw holes in the door jamb drill pilot holes for the new screws. If you have more than an inch to remove take half off the top and half off the bottom.

Hang the door in 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. Check the fit before installing a new door and enlarge the opening as necessary. If you would like to paint repair or alter the door frame in any way now is the perfect time to do so.