Replacing interior door & frame

[ameijers]

(snip)>

You have run into the big gotcha of the Borg and similar stores- they stock based on 80/20 rule (80% of sales are for the same 20% of items), so there is little money in stocking the oddball stuff. You probably want to try a real lumberyard or trim mill, the kind that is in the nasty part of town, not in an asphalt lake, and only open M-F 7-4 and maybe till noon on Sat, since that is when their customers, working tradesmen, do their shopping. Unless you can dig up the make and model of your door, it'll help to take the old door slab in, and just tell them you need to match it. Worst case scenario- they have to special order what you need from a door company. But unlike the Borg, they will know how to do it.

aem sends....

[Jag Man]

In a bathroom remodeling project I have to get the new Jacuzzi tub into the existing tight-fitting niche. I have removed the plaster and gypboard lathe, as the tub needs all the space between the studs at each end of the niche. Now I see that the frame of a door in the wall forming one end of the niche sticks out about an inch beyond the studs, making it impossible to slip the tub into place.

My first thought was to notch out the frame to the height of the tub, then patch it up after the tub is in place, but it now seems like the patching would take a tools and a level of carpentry skill well beyond me. Next, I thought about removing just the offending side of the frame, reinstalling it later, but the way the frame seems to be joined together at the top makes this impossible with the frame in place. So, it looks like the entire frame has to come out, to be replaced with a new one or possible reinstalling the old one if I don't damage it too much.

So, the question is, how difficult is this job? My carpentry skills are only modest. I've seen that HO will install a new frame for $150 labor, so it can't be too bad.

TIA

Ed

[Art]

Here is how pro carpenters did it in my house. You will need a sawzall. Carefull remove molding from one side. You will then see all the nails. Cut them with a sawsall. The frame should now be removable. When done replace frame and nail it and put back molding, patch holes and paint. They had nail guns which helped avoid cracking molding.

[ameijers]

If you have the skills to replace a tub and the surround, all the way down to bare studs, you can pull and replace a prehung door. Hanging prehungs was the first chore they put me on as a kid. Pull off interior casing, cut the nails with chisel or sawzall, and pull frame from rough opening. Installation is reverse of removal- you will need a few shim shingles and a level. If you want pictures, buy one of the cheap DIY books at the big-box. Nothing complicated, you just have to pay attention to keeping everything level and square.

aem sends...

[Harry K]

Yes they are available. Just go to any real lumberyard. They will have bunches of catalogues listing doors and windows. You should find one to suit. If you are replacing just the jams and head (not a hard job) they will have the right lumber and may even cut it to size for you. Yes, it will be a bit more expensive than the big box but it is only a one-time deal.

Harry K

[Jag Man]

casing, cut

shingles and a

everything

Thanks. You encourage me!

Actually, the water damage to the door itself easily justifies replacement, so a prehung assembly would be attractive. however, I looked around at HD (which is what I assume you mean by "big box" ) and they have some prehung door/frame sets, but none with doors like ours which are hollow core faced with oak. The HD ones seem to all be hardboard faces, which to me does more than rhyme with cardboard. I didn't see any frames by themselves, other than one with a 20 minute fire rating thst looked appropriate for a garage door but not a bathroom. Are they available?

Ed

[Jag Man]

Thanks, Art. Just what I needed. In my case there seems to be plaster covering the gap, but when scraped away I do see nails. Only problem is the floor tile was installed after the frame, so I will have to contend with getting the bottom end of the sides out of the cavity formed by the tile. With any luck the gap on top will help in that regard.

Ed

paint. They