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Adding Door to Doorway

My bathroom has the toilet in a cubby area through a wall. There is no door. The house was built 18 years ago. Can I just buy a door that fits, chisel the doorway sides for hinges and stuff, and screw it in myself? Or do I have to hire someone to tear things up and put up a header and load-bearing wood and stuff like that? Or do you have a suggestion for a shower rod and curtain or something similar? And if the answer is that I need lots of support built, can you say in general the current wood trim can be removed carefully enough so the wallpaper around it isn't disturbed? I mean, if the wallpaper is torn up, I will have to completely redo the wallpaper in the whole bathroom because it's 18 years old and we have no extra.

Reply to
nielloeb
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Measure the opening (across as well as vertically)and go to your favorite lumber yard, Home Depot, Lowes,etc. and see what they have in a prehung door that will fit.

Reply to
Charlie Bress

If you have a cased opening, you can have a door made to fit it. They do not do this at the big box amateur stores, but a door mill will have no problem, even with odd sizes. It will probably be less expensive, too. You will probably have to install door stop on a cased opening, but that is simple.

Once you have a door that is correctly sized, install your hinges and hardware and you are good to go.

Reply to
Robert Allison

What do you need a door for anyway? Most people are extremely attractive when they are taking a dump. And, if your wife and you havn't seen each other crap yet, then you aren't really married.

Reply to
Matt

chances are the OP doesn't have a frame, but drywall and some unknown number of studs somewhere in the wall. the answer in this case would be no, they need some sort of framework to attach the prehung doorframe to. you can't attach that to the drywall.

Reply to
Charles Spitzer

On 2/16/2005 4:06 PM US(ET), snipped-for-privacy@hotmail.com took fingers to keys, and typed the following:

I can't see the alcove from here, but if you do not remove any structural components, you do not need a header above the door. All you need above is a 2"x4" framework to attach sheetrock. You might be able to remove the trim without destroying the wallpaper if you run a utility knife around the seam between the trim.and wallpaper You might also consider a slatted folding door, or an accordian door, if a swinging door would be too intrusive into the reat of the bathroom.

Reply to
willshak

Yeah, but you are assuming it's a guy and his wife. It could be a couple of gay male lovers, who have not quite come out of the closet yet. After all, this toilet is in a closet .

Reply to
dont.ask

UPDATE: Thanks for the good advice, everyone. To further help you help me, the opening has wood trim on it, including on the top of the opening. It's not just drywall all around. I suppose it's 1x6s with typical moulding on the approaching walls. It could be 2x6s, but if I were building the house, I would have saved my money by using 1x6s. I guess the main thing I'm worried about is the opening being able to support a door (even a cheap, hollow door).

Reply to
nielloeb

If it is a wrapped opening (drywall on sides), then it would not be a cased opening. I believe it is a cased opening because the OP mentioned that he has casing over wallpaper. One does not usually put casing on a wrapped opening, but one does put casing on a cased opening.

Reply to
Robert Allison

On 2/17/2005 8:00 AM US(ET), snipped-for-privacy@hotmail.com took fingers to keys, and typed the following:

If you are worried about hanging the door from that 1x6 trim, you can get some longer brass screws from Lowes or HD for the hinges. I recently did that with some french doors and got brass screws long enough to go into the studs.

Reply to
willshak

The door is supported by the hinges, and the hinges are supported by their screws. Use 2" screws, and worst case, they'll embedd in

3/4" of trim, 1/2" of sheetrock, and another 3/4" of stud.

THat will hold up an interior door, unless you're swinging on it.

Reply to
Goedjn

If the height of the opening is 80-81" you are ready to shop for a door. Just measure the width top, middle and bottom. Use the smaller number. I don't recall all the sizes and I may miss one but common stock door sizes are 24, 28, 30, 32, 36 and I think they make a 34. The jamb portion of your opening most likely is 1x stock but that is fine that is all a pre-hung door has anyway.

Robert gave you instructions about the method in his first post. You most likely will need to add the blind stop he mentioned.

Colbyt

Reply to
Colbyt

Yes, they do make a 34, in fact that is one of the more common exterior door sizes. 32 is pretty much the standard these days, but

30 was otten used as were the 28". Anything less than that is getting too small, but they do make 24's and smaller.

And, to the OP, yes, I see no reason at all that a 1x6 frame cant hold a light weight door, unless they forgot the nails in those 1x6's.

If the door size is no where close to standard, if you dont mind a little extra work, you can make a door out of 2x2's and put 1/4" plywood on both sides, or even panelling. I guess it mostly depends on appearance and your time.

Reply to
Me &

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