Working with a pre-hung unit takes a lot of the demanding precision out of installing a door since many of the holes for the fixtures and the locksets are already cut. Still, there needs to be a lot of care taken to ensure the best results.
First you’ll need to remove the old door by tapping out the hinge pins with a screwdriver and hammer. After that, it’s best to slip the new frame into the doorway and check the head jamb for level. If you find that it isn’t level, you’ll need to place some shims under the jamb in appropriate spots. After you measure the shimmed space, you should be able to remove the excess amount from the opposite jamb.
Next, check that the jack stud on the hinge side of the frame is plumb. If that’s the case, you’ll want to nail the jamb to it right away with two nails below each hinge and then two below the center. If, however, the jamb is not plumb, you’ll need to use some more shims to ensure that it will be. It’s always a good idea to keep a supply of wooden shims around at all times in these initial stages so that you can level these jambs off. One of the best methods to ensure that these shims work to the best advantage is to drive two nails in above and below the shims so that you can slide them either up or down, as the case may be.
Before you drive any set nails in, make sure to check to see that the hinge jamb is centered in the wall thickness. A typical jamb is slightly wider than the wall thickness to allow for irregularities in the drywall. There might be some adjustments that are necessary. If that’s the case, there are a few things that you can do to set the situation right. The first thing that you’ll need to do in all cases is pull the nails. Remember to put something under the claw of the hammer to prevent damaging the wood.
Once all these other steps have been taken, you’ll want to put the door back on it’s hinges and swing it closed to see how the fit works. You’ll want to shim again here, by installing them between the jamb and the stud about half way between the hinges and adjust them until the gap between the door and jamb is equal from the top to the bottom. When you get it just where you want it, open the door and drive two finishing nails below the shims.
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