DIY Network

Garage Entry Door Installation Learn how to install a garage entry door. From "DIY to the Rescue" episode DTTR-106

With a clean garage and room to work, the team decides to install a door. Because the door will be installed on a load-bearing wall that needs modification, the Rescue crew has called in professionals. A word of caution: Modification of load-bearing walls is definitely not a job for the inexperienced do-it-yourselfer. While the door can be installed fairly easily after the modification, altering a load-bearing wall might literally "bring down the house."

In Ohio, Gloria's home state, a permit is required to alter a load-bearing wall. With the proper permits obtained, the professionals add support beams before removing the load-bearing studs, building a new door frame, and removing the exterior materials.

With the door frame in place, the Rescue crew teaches Gloria how to install her new rear entry door.

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Materials:

measuring tape
flat pry bar
hammers
chisel
screwdrivers
2 drills, with drill bits and driver bits
utility knife
circular saw
hack saw or reciprocating saw with metal-cutting blade
miter saw
wooden shims (Cedar contractor’s shims, 2 pks)
caulk gun with butyl caulk
exterior pre-hung door
exterior trim
weather stripping
safety glasses
work gloves
wood filler
nail set
pencil
Z-flash
tin snips
4' level
door hardware (doorknob and dead bolt)
casing nails (1 lb. box of 2-1/2 12d)
16d finishing nails

	Figure A
	Figure B
	Figure C
	Figure D

1. Measure the opening for the doorway. Measure the width between the side jambs, the head jamb to the seal under the old threshold and the thickness of the wall. The rough opening should be at least one inch wider and taller than the outside frame dimensions of the door to be installed. Also, decide on a right-handed or left-handed swing.

2. Dry fit the door (figure A) and check that your opening is plumb and level. With the shipping brackets still attached, carefully set the door in place, centering it within the opening. If necessary, add shims under the lower side jamb until plumb and level. With a carpenter's pencil, mark a line at the top of the door on the brick lintel, then carefully remove the door.

3. Begin installation by first running two thick beads (or lines) of latex caulk along the subseal at the bottom of the door opening. Between the two beads, apply another bead in a zig-zag pattern between the two (figure B). Then lift the door into the center of the rough opening, positioning the bottom seal first, then tilt the door into place. Check for plumb (figure C) and shim the frame as necessary.

4. Adjust the shims and frame assembly (figure D) until the jamb on the hinge side of the door is plumb in both directions. There should be a constant gap (about 1/8-inch) between the jamb and the edge of the door. After making these adjustments, temporarily nail the door in place through the hinge jamb near the hinge locations with 16d finishing nails, without driving the nails all the way in. Secure the door with cement screws at each shim location. Trim off excess shims using a utility knife and pry bar.

5. Remove the shipping brace and test the operation of the door. Finally, attach the long-anchor screws (provided with the door) through the hinges and into the door framing.

6. Seal by running a bead of paintable latex caulk around the entire door. Fill the holes left by the screws with wood filler. Once the caulk and wood filler have dried, install weatherstrip at the base of door if necessary.
   

RESOURCES :

Thurma-Tru Doors
Website: www.thurma-tru.com