How to install a door jamb. How to properly assemble and install a door frame: basic diagrams and order of work

Having bought a door frame in a store, you should not immediately despair at the sight of a large number of prefabricated elements. To assemble such a structure, you do not need to be a specialist with a higher education. To assemble a door frame with our own hands, consider the entire installation process in detail.

Usually, interior doors are sold disassembled, and at first glance, an incomprehensible and disordered set of elements opens to our eyes, which includes a profile wooden beam, in the worst case, made of MDF, locks and awnings, as well as a canvas. All this vaguely resembles a do-it-yourself children's designer, and most people, seeing all this, panic and start looking for an experienced specialist in this area, whose services are not very cheap. Other enthusiasts are still trying to solve this puzzle, but their efforts run up against a big question mark, because without detailed instructions it is very difficult to understand the assembly process. In this article, we will try to help you figure out how to assemble a door frame without outside help.

Determining the size of the box

The first and very important stage of the entire assembly process is an accurate calculation, down to a millimeter, of the length of the racks of the loot, the threshold (if any) and the upper headroom.

Measurement of racks

The height of the uprights must be equal to the height of the door. Usually the standard door height is 2000 mm. Having made sure of this, we add the width of the gap between the door leaf and the door to the height of the door leaf by a width of 2-3 mm. In the case of installing doors with a threshold, the width of two gaps of 3 mm in size, only 6 mm, must be added to the height of the door leaf. In the version without a threshold, we add only one gap of 3 mm in size, and at the bottom we add 1 cm so that the canvas does not cling to the floor when opening and closing the doors.

As a result of accurate measurements, we obtain the following parameters: for the variant with a threshold, the height of the doors and pillars will be 2000 mm + 2 gaps of 3 mm each \u003d 2006 mm; for the option without a threshold, the height of the doors and pillars will be 2000 mm + 3 mm + 10 mm clearance \u003d 2019 mm.

Measurement of the threshold and upper jumper

The size of the threshold and the upper headroom of the door frame must be the same. Let us determine correctly their length, which will be equal to the sum of the width of the door leaf, the width of the gaps between the door and the loot and the thickness of the profile bar from which the loot will be collected.

In addition, on both sides of the sections of the lintel and the threshold, it is necessary to cut out the landing samples, that is, to cut off the protruding parts of the trap, into which the door rests when closing. The cut should be equal to the thickness of the post at its widest point.

To correctly cut the samples, measure the thickness of the rack from the edge of the lintel on both sides and carefully cut it out with a small hacksaw.

After that, you can screw the door frame with a calm heart.

DIY door frame assembly

We screw the door frame with self-tapping screws or confirmations for wood from 55 mm in length. In order for the profile bar or MDF not to crack, you must first make holes of a slightly smaller diameter than the screwed in self-tapping screw, by about 2-3 mm.

In order for the structure to hold firmly and not fall apart during the installation process, all joints must be fixed with self-tapping screws at least twice.

Marking and inserting awnings

The final stage of door installation is the connection of the door leaf with the door frame. With the help of a simple operation, this will not be difficult. Having laid the door frame on the floor, it is necessary to put the door leaf with the awnings embedded in it into it.

Place the door leaf in the door frame so that the gap is the same on all sides and is equal to 3 mm. To do this, you can use a school ruler, the thickness of which is just 3 mm.

After the door in the box has been aligned, you need to copy the location of the awnings from the doors to the loot using a marker.

Pull the doors off the box, place it on its side, and use a chisel or router to cut out the awning seats.

Connect the doors with the frame into a single structure and screw the hinges to the door.

The assembly of the door frame is complete. Now the whole structure is ready for installation, and you can confidently say that you have mastered the puzzle of assembling the door frame with your own hands!

A correctly installed door frame provides 90% of the overall success of the door unit assembly.

The scheme of the door frame in the wall opening.

Before placing the doorframe, you need to carefully study the basics of this delicate work.

Tools and materials

Tools necessary for work: tape measure, pencil, hammer, square, construction knife, puncher, drill, screwdriver.

Depending on its design, the door frame can be installed using the following tools and materials:

  • hacksaw for wood;
  • a hacksaw with a fine tooth;
  • miter box;
  • chisel;
  • screwdriver;
  • puncher;
  • drill;
  • drill;
  • construction knife;
  • roulette;
  • square;
  • bubble level;
  • pencil;
  • a hammer;
  • nail puller;
  • direct suspensions;
  • self-tapping screws;
  • dowels;
  • anchors;
  • nails;
  • polyurethane foam;
  • glue for MDF;
  • wedges;
  • wooden bars;
  • door frame;
  • wood putty;
  • additional elements;
  • roofing material;
  • building mixture.

Preparatory work

Cross-section of door frames of different types.

If the door frame is installed in place of the old one, the latter must first be dismantled. The easiest way to do this is by simply sawing the side and top planks in half and pulling out the resulting pieces with a nail puller. Sometimes you also have to cut the fixing nails and anchors around the perimeter. If there are embedded parts in the opening, it is better to leave them. It will be easier to install a new box on mortgages later.

In most cases, an interior door frame can be purchased as a universal kit. You have to assemble and adjust it to the desired size yourself. The box set necessarily includes side and top strips, a threshold or a bottom strip for interior doors - a rarity, but may be present. The porch can be one piece with the slats or be overhead. The box itself can be made of wood or MDF. The slats included in the kit are designed for use as part of a unit with a door leaf 2 m high and 60-90 cm wide.

You can accurately mark the planks before cutting as follows. The split porch is installed in the side strips, which are laid out with the front surface upward approximately along the width of the opening. The canvas is placed on the porches between the slats. The upper bar is applied in place. With a solid porch, it can be applied with the upper side to the canvas, this will not affect measurements. A uniform gap of 2-3 mm is set along the perimeter of the canvas; for this, you can use cardboard trimmings, tile corners, or just by eye. We mark the location of the awnings on the side bar and the canvas.

Installation diagram of door hinges.

The hinges are cut before installing the box in the opening, or better before starting its assembly. This makes your work more convenient. The bar is laid out on a horizontal surface, the contour of the loop is outlined, excess material is removed with the help of a chisel. The generally accepted arrangement of awnings at a distance of 20 cm from the upper and lower surfaces of the door leaf. For lightweight canvases, amplifiers are made in these places.

The cutting points of the planks are neatly marked with a pencil. For a door with a threshold, the gap to it from the bottom of the leaf is assumed to be 2.5 mm. For a door without a threshold, the clearance under the door is made from 1 to 1.5 cm. On the upper and lower planks with a one-piece rebate, marks are made opposite the edges of the hallways on the side plates. This will allow you to cut off the excess protruding porch at the top and bottom to match the corners of the box.

We cut off all the strips with a hacksaw to the desired size. The miter box will help to cut the elements exactly. On the upper and lower planks, using a hacksaw and a chisel, we remove the excess vestibule along the serifs. Put the box on the floor again and put the canvas into it, setting the necessary gaps. We fix all corners with two wood screws with a length of 75 mm with a countersunk head. For self-tapping screws, you must first drill holes of a suitable diameter. If you screw in self-tapping screws without drilling, you can split the ends of the strips.

When the width of the opening allows, it is better to reinforce the MDF box on the sides with additional bars. This will make the structure more rigid. Before trying to insert the door frame into the opening, fasten 3 straight suspensions on its outer side surfaces: 2 at the edges and 1 in the middle. A strip of roofing material is nailed to the lower end of the structure with a threshold.

Door frame installation

Door frame installation diagram.

We install the box in the opening. It should enter freely and not rest on anything. All that interferes must be brought down. For the option with a threshold, you may need a groove in the floor. During installation, it is filled with mortar or polymer construction mixture.

To begin with, the side of the box, on which there will be awnings, is set in level in 2 planes and in alignment with the wall. This side can be immediately fixed to the opening with straight hangers. The upper bar is approximately set to the horizon. It is checked that it does not touch anything, it is even better to have a small gap for subsequent adjustment.

It is quite difficult to accurately level the top bar and the counter side stand.

Fine adjustment is carried out with a suspended blade. Otherwise, it is highly likely that the door will not evenly approach the narthex along the entire plane.

The canvas is placed on awnings, the upper and lateral counter sides are exposed with the required gap around the perimeter and along the vestibule. This is done using wedges. 3 reciprocal straight hangers are screwed on.

For MDF models with a removable rebate, the box is rigidly fixed to the opening with anchors or long self-tapping screws through the rebate groove. In wooden planks, you can hide the location of the fasteners with the help of a matching wood filler. MDF versions with solid rebate can be fixed through the box only in 3 places: under the awnings and the striker plate of the lock. But such fasteners are too close to the edge of the wall and can cause chips. Therefore, it is better to limit yourself to mounting on straight hangers and foam.

Before filling the gap with foam, the ends of the opening should be slightly moistened with water. It is advisable to fill it in such a way that the foam does not creep out beyond the plane of the wall. Cutting it leaves the pores open and reduces the strength and durability of the filling.

To prevent foam from squeezing the opening, it must be wedged. You can just leave the canvas in the opening, and put cardboard scraps into the gaps. If the door opens inside the room, this will not work. We'll have to use scraps of wooden blocks and wedge them in the opening.

After a day, the foam will harden. The removable bolster is fixed with glue. For reliability, you can add small carnations with bitten off caps. It remains to make the opening and fit the fittings. When you want to have a casing on both sides of the opening, and the width of the box is less than the thickness of the wall, additional strips are used.

Interior doors today are an integral part of every interior. A variety of models allows you to make your room not only practical, but also original. But this feature largely depends on the correct installation of the door frame of the interior door. Therefore, before starting such an operation, you should familiarize yourself with the main nuances of this procedure.

Door types

Interior doors are structures that play only a decorative role, so the strength parameters are not so important here. Manufacturers try to make their products as comfortable and beautiful as possible. The main criterion for the classification of interior paintings is the material from which they are made. Depending on this, several types of doors can be distinguished:

  • Fiberboard. The basis is made up of wooden blocks, to which thin wood boards are attached. To protect the surface of the material, it is laminated and covered with several layers of varnish. This type of product is the cheapest, but also short-lived. Often they are complemented by a box with a threshold. Experts do not recommend installing these doors in a bathroom or kitchen with poor ventilation.
  • MDF... Cloths are much more expensive than fiberboard products. The products are distinguished by an optimal ratio of price and quality. Therefore, many buyers prefer MDF doors. The material resists moisture well, and also has high sound insulation rates.
  • Natural wood.Solid wood doors are unique and beautiful products that are perfect for any interior. The substance is very well processed, which allows it to be given different shapes. Therefore, such doors are often decorated with carvings, which makes them even more beautiful.

They are supplemented with a telescopic or simple box that allows you to fix the platbands more efficiently. Doors are made from various types of trees, among which the most popular are pine, oak, ash, maple, mahogany and many others.

There are many other classifications of interior doors that take into account their technical parameters and design features. They can be single or double-leafed, and the surface itself can be smooth or complemented by curly cutouts and glass inserts.

What do you need?

Installation of interior doors involves not only a careful approach, but also the use of high-quality auxiliary tools. To perform such tasks, you will need the following standard set of products:

  • Saw. It should be sharp and have small teeth, which will eliminate the appearance of chips on the surface of the box.
  • Drill and drill set. The type of tool depends on the wall material to which the frame will be attached. It is important that the drills are able to drill holes in brick, concrete, etc. In some cases, you may need a hammer drill and several drills.
  • Screwdriver and attachments for a certain type of fastener.
  • Tape measure and pencil for marks.

  • Level.
  • Fasteners. In most cases, you will need several wood screws, as well as wall plugs. Sometimes special anchors can also be used.
  • Polyurethane foam.
  • Spacer elements. They are needed to fix the box in the opening. Wooden wedges are often used for this. Therefore, you need to stock up on wood, from which it will subsequently be possible to form several similar products.

This list is not universal, as it depends on the type of door frame and how it is installed.

Installation subtleties

Installation of a door frame for an interior door is a complex procedure that requires certain skills and patience. You need to start with the preparation of the working tool, as well as the choice of the mounting method. In most cases installation is carried out using anchorsthat securely fix the frame.

How to assemble?

The box installation procedure begins with its assembly. This design can be of several types. Today, U-shaped frames are increasingly used, which exclude the presence of a threshold. But there are also rectangular designs that are also used quite often.

Factory models are often already prepared for assembly, as they are pre-finished to give a beautiful look. If you decide to build a box from a wooden bar yourself, then it must be thoroughly dried and polished.

Assembling the box involves performing several sequential operations:

  • Initially, you need to lay the bars on a flat, horizontal surface. Often, for this, a floor is used, which is covered with paper or foil to prevent damage to the door leaf.
  • Collecting a box begins with measurements. It is important that the width of the opening is slightly larger than the door leaf itself.
  • When all the data are known, the elements of the duct should be connected into a single structure. They can dock in several main ways. The simplest connection is considered to be at 90 degrees. For this, the upper bar is cut from the ends at a given angle.

It is important that the cut surface is flat and free from distortions. After that, the vertical support is attached to the cross bar and screwed on.

  • You can connect these elements at an angle of 45 degrees. To do this, a corner is cut off on each bar. After joining both structures, they should also form 90 degrees. Please note that even the smallest deviations should not be allowed, since the operation of the entire system depends on this.
  • When you have fitted all the bars, you can connect them together. To do this, use nails or screws. It is advisable to drive 2 fasteners in each docking side. It is important that after assembly the box is held as firmly as possible, and the elements do not move relative to each other. If you plan to organize a threshold, then it is attached to the supports like an upper bar. It is also important to connect this part as evenly as possible.

  • After assembling the box, you should start attaching the hinges. For this, the frame is laid on the floor and leveled. After that, grooves for the hinges are cut out from one of the sides on the vertical rack. Experts recommend placing them at a distance of 20 cm from the top and bottom edges. The grooves are formed using a chisel or a router.
  • When the hinges are attached, place the door leaf inside the frame and mark their locations on it. To do this, the product is aligned with the frame, and then loops are applied and the places are marked.

The grooves on the door are cut in the same way as on the frame.

How to install correctly?

Do-it-yourself door frame installation involves performing several sequential operations:

  1. Before installing the product, you need to measure the structure and doorway. It is important that the structure fits into the hole, which should be slightly larger than it.
  2. After that, you need to carefully lift and insert the box into the opening. You need to install the structure on a flat surface in order to eliminate distortions. The ends of the product must coincide with one of the sides of the wall. This is important if the width of the wireframe is less than this value.
  3. It is important that the box is level in all planes. Therefore, you need to align and fix it in this position. For this, wooden spacers are used, which are installed between the frame and the wall.

How to fix?

Fastening the structure is the final stage of the installation of this product. This process consists from several successive stages:

  1. Several mounting holes are drilled in the fixed box. In this case, a drill is used for wood, which only the frame passes through.
  2. To form holes in the wall for the dowel, use a long concrete drill. With its help, markings are made through previously drilled holes on the surface of the vertical supports. Please note that the diameter of the drill should not be larger than the hole in the tree, since then you will not be able to fix the system with a self-tapping screw.
  3. At this stage, you need to remove the box and drill larger holes in the marked places on the wall. They must fit the plastic dowel or anchor that will be used for this purpose.
  4. When everything is ready, the box is put back in place, aligned and secured with wedges. If all is well, you can screw the frame to the wall with self-tapping screws in several places. It is important to constantly monitor the position of the box relative to various planes.
  5. The procedure ends with filling the cracks with foam and hanging the doors on the hinges.

Replacement methods

Very often, interior doors are installed in place of already worn out systems. This, in turn, involves dismantling the old box. There are several ways to replace the old design:

  1. Dismantling with destruction of the frame. This approach involves removing the old box with brute force. Here they use both crowbars and saws, with which they divide it into several separate parts. After that, the installation of a new system is already carried out.
  2. Dismantling the structure while preserving the frame. If the doors are still in good condition and can be used elsewhere, remove the box carefully. To do this, sequentially remove all screws or other fasteners. Then the foam is removed, which additionally fixes the product. This will allow you to easily remove the box later, while maintaining its integrity.

This step-by-step guide is not universal, as box replacement is based on specific design features.

If the door clings to the threshold

Wooden doors are prone to warping. Even if you installed the structure and checked the correctness of its movement, this does not mean that it will always be so. Very often the canvas starts to cling to the threshold.

Unlike metal doors that are fully prepared for installation, wooden counterparts are sold as a complete set. The explanation is simple - many manufacturers (mainly foreign companies) supply models of certain standard sizes to the market, and not for a specific opening, and do not meet our standards. In addition, it is not known in which direction the door should swing open at the installation site.

Therefore, the door frame is represented by bars, from which you also need to assemble the jamb and prepare it for hanging the canvas. Knowledge of some of the features of "design" will allow you not to resort to the services of hired craftsmen, but to do all the work yourself.

Useful information

  1. It will be useful to those who, for whatever reason, do not want to purchase a door in a furniture showroom, but would prefer to make it themselves, according to their drawings. This often happens with non-standard openings; it is much easier to assemble a box of the required dimensions than to deal with expanding / narrowing the passage. The nuance is in the choice of the width of the timber. It must correspond to the thickness of the wall, and the latter (for buildings erected according to a standard design) depends on its material.

Dimensions in mm. Deviations are allowed within ± 5.

  • Brickwork 75 - Box 108.
  • Log house (log, timber) 100 - jamb 120.
  1. If an imported model is purchased, then its box is slightly different in size due to inconsistencies in standards. Its width varies from 80 to 205. Therefore, you will need to choose a suitable block, focusing on the thickness of the wall at the location of the opening.

What is the reason for this? With a significant difference in size, problems with the installation of platbands are provided. There are several solution options - the use of add-ons, the manufacture of a "rough" box; but all of them only complicate the installation and increase the final cost of the work.

Box set

  • Looped jamb (vertical post on which awnings are attached).
  • Porch (the opposite side of the box, on which the lock striker, latches are mounted).
  • Headroom (horizontal element connecting the posts) It is also called the top beam.
  • Nut (bottom lintel; optional part of the structure, but some models are equipped with it). It is used if the assembly of the door frame with your own hands is carried out for its installation in rooms such as a bathroom, toilet and a number of others, where emergency situations are possible associated with a breakthrough of liquid communications. The task of the threshold is to prevent the spreading of water over adjacent rooms.

Build options

The task is to connect the individual parts of the kit into a rectangular frame structure. Depending on the presence / absence of a threshold, it takes the form of a closed / open loop. In principle, there is nothing complicated; the main thing is to make a competent installation. When deciding how to assemble a door frame, you need to consider that this can be done in several ways. Which is preferable, you will have to determine yourself. In this matter, a lot depends on practical experience in this area and the tool that is at hand.

Baguette connection

Plus - the relative ease of assembly. The technology consists in angular filing (trimming) of the ends of the fastened elements (450). After aligning the parts, the final fixation is done with screws (self-tapping screws).

The downside is the limitation in application. It is related to the material of the jamb. For example, it is not recommended to assemble a door frame made of MDF in this way - it is possible that the edges may "loosen up", the appearance of cracks and chips.

Spike connection

Plus - reliability. This assembly option ensures the durability of the structure despite the fact that the door is subjected to constant and significant loads. For example, at the entrance to a building, in places of intensive movement of people.

The downside is that self-assembly requires not only experience, but also a special tool. In their absence, no, even the most detailed, step-by-step instructions will help.

Right angle

Plus - it is considered the simplest technique in independent implementation, and therefore convenient: no special tool, other than a household one, is needed. It is only necessary to cut off a certain part of the quarter (depending on the dimensions of the elements to be connected) and fasten the parts according to the dimensions of the opening. Sometimes this is not practiced - the connection is made end-to-end. The result is expected - the door frame is strong and reliable.

Assembly order

The technique is a right angle. When self-assembly, it is recommended to completely mount the structure, and only then place it in the opening.

In some step-by-step instructions, a different technology is considered - the preparation and installation of individual parts of the frame in the opening, their alignment with pads and further connection into a single whole. This method is much more difficult, and without proper experience it is better not to practice.

  1. Preparation of the workplace: free a certain segment on the floor, put together several tables of equal height. The challenge is to provide an even, solid foundation. Otherwise, it will not work to make a high-quality assembly of the box for the entrance, interior door.
  2. Measurement of the dimensions of the opening. Produced in 3 levels (width) and 3 points (height: center and sides). In accordance with this, the required box dimensions are determined; there must be a technological gap between it and the walls (recommended within 4 ± 1 mm).

  1. Cut samples. It is done if their length does not coincide with the opening. To do this, you need a pencil (draw lines) and a hand saw.
  2. Pre-assembly of the box. All parts are laid out according to the scheme, taking into account the direction of opening of the canvas. That is, it is taken into account on which side of the rectangle the bartack and the hinge jamb should be. After aligning the "shape", its geometry is controlled, its dimensions coincide, and marks are applied to select a part of the quarter.
  3. Preparation of joints. Notches are made along the outlined lines, after which part of the part is removed with the help of a chisel. To increase the reliability of the joint, the cut is leveled to an ideal state - with a knife, a file, a grinder.
  4. Marking for fittings and material sampling. It is more expedient to immediately prepare the "nests" for the hinges, the latch (lock) striker, than to do this after the door frame is installed in the opening. But modern awnings (for example, "butterflies") should not be fixed. They are fixed on the box when hanging the canvas. The only exception is for hinges of old modifications, collapsible; one half of them is installed on the frame during its assembly.

  1. Connection of parts of the box. For each "line" - at least two fasteners. The spacing between them is chosen so that they are located at least 5 mm from the edge.

Note. If a sill is provided, then it is placed in a box with the expectation that there should be at least 10 mm from it to the canvas. This is necessary to ensure the natural circulation of air flows.

It remains only to check the correctness of the geometry, process the joints in order to eliminate possible differences in height and install the door frame in the opening.

It turns out that there is nothing super complicated in assembling the jamb. In the process of work, you will not need cutters, a laser level and other special tools (equipment). All that is needed to "design" the box is neatness, care and accuracy of marking.

Buying doors in a store, we knowingly acquire a door block that is not completely prepared for installation, but a scaled-up likeness of a children's designer set for “skillful handles”. It is quite understandable why the hinges are not hung and the locks are not embedded, because it is not known which side the door will open in. Manufacturers do not assemble boxes, since they do not know exactly the dimensions and features of the opening being equipped. Therefore, the owners have to hire craftsmen or independently build this important part of the door block. And for this you need to clearly know how it is possible and necessary to make sawn timber, how to assemble a door frame for a long-term service of an interior or entrance structure.

What is the root "snag"?

The complexity of a number of operations for assembling the base frame for hanging the door lies in the specifics of the production of cuts and in the connection of the components. The work, which is simple in the eyes of an inexperienced man in the street, is complicated by the presence of a feigned notch on the profiled jambs and crossbars of the future box.

Two box construction schemes

You can dock them by running the cuts:

  • at an angle of 45º, for which you need a good miter box with a reward, but it is much better if you can beautifully cut off the excess with a miter saw;
  • at an angle of 90º, which will require not only a fine-toothed saw and accuracy of the performer, but also knowledge of the technological subtleties of essentially not too complicated work.

Self-tapping screws with galvanized coating or “nailless” spike joints are used to perform a strong docking of components. Thorns can be formed at both of the above angles. However, they are milled mainly perpendicular to the full thickness of the box beam, which must be taken into account when calculating and marking the length and width of the door frame-frame.

It makes no difference, the spikes of the transverse strips of the box will fit into the grooves of the horizontal ones or vice versa. If only the connections were strong and unshakable, for which they are sometimes reinforced by additional driving of zinc-coated nails.

The shape and dimensions of the structure

The geometric parameters of the base box being constructed are determined by two conditions:

  • the width and length of the door leaf itself, for which this frame is intended to cover and support;
  • purpose and category of the room being equipped.

Therefore, even before the starting stage of work, it is necessary to clearly determine where and how to install the door frame the owner of the door and opening in his personal property wants.

Depending on the purpose of the premises, the requirements for ventilation or for the insulation that the door must provide change. The front door to the bathhouse and the door to the steam room should not let the cold in and let the beneficial warm air out. The washing department, on the other hand, needs additional ventilation so that excess vaporization is spontaneously unloaded and the building materials do not rot. Additional ventilation is required in the boiler room, especially if gas equipment is installed there. What can be done:

  • If it is necessary to provide a barrier against heat leaks, four bars are required for the construction of the door frame, which, after being connected, will turn into a closed rectangular frame. The door frame will consist of a false and hinged vertical bar, a lintel - an upper crossbar and a threshold connecting two vertical elements in the zone of their conjugation with the floor surface. A 3 mm technological gap must be maintained between the box beam and the canvas along the entire perimeter for free movement of the door.
  • If it is required to provide a natural outflow of steam and polluted air, the box is assembled from only three parts, since instead of a threshold that prevents aerodynamic processes, a gap of 15.0 - 20.0 mm must be made. The door frame reminds in such cases the letter P. The gap of 3 mm laid by the technology runs only along the vertical posts and lintels.

A 2-3 mm gap should be left between the threshold and the newly installed floor covering in case of thermal movements.

A closed box, of course, is higher than an open counterpart, since it is increased due to the thickness of the nut. This nuance must be taken into account in the calculations so that you do not have to "shorten" the door leaf, which is especially undesirable if it is covered with veneer.

Important. If you do have to cut on a veneer, start on the trimmed side and work your way up to the uncoated side. So the veneer will suffer the least, the chips will be insignificant.

The sequence of the simplest assembly scheme

There are not too many people willing to mill or painstakingly choose spikes with grooves with a chisel without experience, and not everyone stocked up on equipment for perfect diagonal sawing. Therefore, most home craftsmen stop at the simplest scheme with joining elements at right angles.

Now let's find out how to properly assemble the door frame. It is more convenient to work by laying out all the components at a single level horizontally. Most often this happens on a floor covered with cardboard or other soft material, less often on two tables pushed together, four stools can be fitted.

When buying a timber separately from the canvas, please note that the base for fastening the door in the opening should not be narrower than the canvas and wider than the wall.

Work order:

  • On the site equipped for work, lay out the box beam face up, that is, outward with the porches. If the beam is wider than the canvas, we bring the plane of the door to a single level with the future box, placing softcover books under the canvas. According to any of the selected schemes, three standard elements are first involved in the work: a false and looped jamb and an upper crossbar.
  • The upper crossbar of the door frame, installed in a brick or foam concrete opening, is recommended to be made wider than the box to increase the bearing capacity. Usually it is 0.5 cm narrower than the opening. To search for the attachment points of the vertical bars to it, first find the center of the lintel, then set equal distances in both directions.
  • To form a gap equal to the entire perimeter between the canvas and the box beam, cardboard or old linoleum cut into pieces is laid.
  • Having marked the gaps, we mark the cutting points without scratching the surface. It is better to lightly press with your fingernail. A pencil, especially a poorly sharpened one, is not recommended by experienced craftsmen for marking. It will not provide accuracy.
  • Saw off the crossbar according to the selected scheme.
  • Let us mark, preferably with an awl or a sharp scalpel, the part of the false profile, which must be removed so that a plane forms at the junction. Then "cut off" the marked area with a chisel or saw off. This is one of the most significant steps in the assembly of the box, which does not tolerate inattention and mistakes. A slight shortage in the length of the box bars will still be covered by the platband, and poorly cut off with a chisel or sawn off ledges of the vestibule will be visible. Decided to cut? Take a hacksaw for metal and cut so as not to accidentally rip off the veneer from the underlying plane. For insurance it is better to cover it with cardboard. After we have done the wash down to the depth of the ledge, we clean off the excess with a chisel.
  • We lay out the sawn-off bars back around the canvas with cardboard in the gap. Mark the location of the loops with maximum accuracy. The standard is considered to be the indentation for the installation of weights of 20 cm from the top and bottom of the canvas. Not forgetting about the upper gap, we put a point on the hinge bar at a distance of 20.03 cm from the intersection of the lintel and the jamb.
  • Let's hook the loop card to the hinge bar on two screws and mark with a scalpel or awl the shape of the socket and the points of the holes for the screws. Slowly, scrupulously remove the veneer or solid wood to a depth equal to the thickness of the card.
  • We put the hinge flags in the nests and fix them there with self-tapping screws. The lock striker on the box is installed only after the box is fastened in the opening and the canvas is hung, as there may be discrepancies.
  • We return the loop bar to its place. We thoroughly check the perpendicularity of the elements to each other. We fasten the crossbar and the posts, distributing two screws per connection.

The gates are made in the same way as the lintel.

Features of assembling boxes for wooden baths

Wood is an excellent building material, which differs from others by the ability to settle after construction, which is not very pleasing to the owners. Openings in baths and houses made of logs or beams should not be equipped at all in the next couple of years after the construction of the crowns. Moreover, it is imperative to find out how to properly install the door frame in a log or log opening.

There are 2 options here:

  • If the width of the opening formed during the construction process corresponds to the design solution, a groove is cut in the end right in the middle and then a bar is hammered into it. It is to this beam that a box can be nailed, it is impossible to directly to the walls, because after shrinkage they continue to "settle" a little.
  • If the opening is not formed, you need to cut a hole for the passage with a width less than the design one by two thicknesses of a kind of ridge. In such cases, a box beam is made with a groove.

In both versions, the box elements at the same time serve as a crown connector. A gap is always left above the opening to protect against deformation during the shrinkage period.

Which of the ways to collect the box to use is up to the owner himself. Much depends on the specifics of the operation and on the properties of the building material. We tried to familiarize with the most significant moments and subtleties, which should not be forgotten.