Door Frames

Any door you have, be it interior or exterior, is ultimately only going to be as effective as the frame it is built into. When you are planning your new home or next renovation project, some time to consider what caliber of strength you want to give your door frame is a must.

A simple entrance door into your home can be installed with a modicum of trouble. You must first work your new opening in between the wall studs making sure you are not interfering with any electrical wiring or major support beam. Standardized doorframe kits can be purchased for this. Depending on the physical spacing of your wall supports you may have to insert extra wooden fillers so the frame will fit securely into the wall. This step will be necessary too, if you are replacing an old doorframe in an area where the original wood has rotted away. You must make sure the doorframe is straight and lever. After inserting the foot plate you can measure and drill the holes for hinges and locking mechanism. Precision is a must for a properly hung door, more so if you are installing a custom sized door into the frame and don't have the luxury of using the premanufactured standard kits.

Metal doorframes pose fewer problems in keeping your doorframe aligned but you will have more difficulty working it as all anchor holes and lockset openings must be drilled or cut into the metal doorframe. It will be somewhat easier for the do it yourself builder to use hollow metal door frames and they will provide adequate security in all but the most strenuous conditions. Aluminum doorframes are easiest of the metal frames to work with, but care must be taken that you do not bend them during installation for they cannot be straightened by hand and would need to be replaced.

Putting a pet door in for your dog uses the same basic principle for a full sized door whether it is being installed into an existing door or into the wall by itself. Pocket doorframes are a bit different from standard doorframes, as you have to install the rails the door will ride on inside the wall that makes the "pocket" for your door. While it is not impossible to install a new pocket door into a preexisting structure, it is best done as you build a new home.

When installing a storm door onto a steel door frame care must be given when drilling the attachment holes. You do not want to risk weakening the metal in the area by adding too many "missed" holes and forcing the hinges to fit can cause the storm door to warp out of true and decrease the efficiency of the storm door as a protection against the elements.