Renovation 4th Edition
Page 29
misaligned, and leak.
each end.
meet perfectly in the middle and what to do
about it.
INStAllAtION: A QUICk SUMMARy
Measure the RO to make sure it’s large
enough to accommodate the prehung unit.
Using a 6-ft. level, see if the bottom of the
RO is level and the sides are plumb. Leveling
the bottom is critical: French doors are wide
and heavy and must rest solidly on a level
opening. “Leveling a Doorsill” on p. 113 covers
the process. But if the sill/threshold is made
out of aluminum, it won’t have much inherent
strength. To prevent flex, you’ll first need to
create a level pad of shims spaced every 6 in. to
8 in. and then set the sill on top of them. Or
you might rip down a beveled piece of treated
wood to attain a level surface. Whatever works.
Also check the wall faces on both sides of
the RO for plumb—so you’ll know what you’re
dealing with if the wall isn’t plumb. The frame
must stay square for the doors to operate
correctly and to maintain a 1⁄8-in. reveal. But to
fool the eye, you may have to tip the frame
slightly in or out at the top or perhaps fudge
the casing to reconcile a plumbed frame to a
not-plumb wall.
As with single-door installations, some
carpenters prefer to remove the doors from
the jambs. But if it’s a good-quality, factory-
built unit, I suggest leaving the doors in the
frame and getting a lot of help lifting the unit
into the opening. Center the frame in the RO,
Tilt French doors into
margin the frame in the wall, and tack the
place. Tack the cleats
frame in the opening using one 10d finish nail
to the upper corners
at the top of each hinge jamb.
of the frame to keep
the unit from falling
Double doors have two hinge jambs, of
through the opening
course, so it doesn’t really matter which one
and to ensure that the
you plumb first. An old-timer I know likes to
jambs will be flush
shim the top hinge on each side first, to
with the sheathing.
Doors, Windows, and Skylights
119
When jambs are bowed, a plumb bob
When there’s too much of a gap where French doors meet If doors are not protected by an overhang, apply flexible,
gives more accurate readings than a
in the middle, use a flat bar to ease the jambs toward the
self-adhesive flashing tape over the top flange of the
spirit level. Hang the bob from a nail
middle so you can slip shims behind them. Tweak and
head casing after the doors are set and the casing is
near the top of the frame. When the
reshim the doors until they seat correctly and close evenly installed. This flashing overlaps the fiber-reinforced
jamb is plumb, readings to the string
in the center.
flashing strips on each side. To facilitate painting, the
will be equal along its length.
manufacturer premasked door lights with plastic film.
establish the correct 1⁄8-in. gap between the
bows, the head jamb was probably milled too
doors, high up. Then he plumbs and secures
long and should be cut down. The gap between
one side completely, then the other, keeping an
the double doors should be 1⁄8 in. or whatever the
eye on the gap as he goes. He adjusts shims
manufacturer suggests.
continually on both sides. When he’s done,
Wider gap between doors near the top.
there are five pairs of shims (and five pairs of
Shim out behind a top hinge on one side.
10d finish nails) on each jamb and five shim-
P R O T I P
Uneven door heights, binding in a corner.
nail pairs across the head jamb. Lastly, he
One corner of the frame is lower than the other.
removes a middle screw from the top hinge on
Before drilling, chiseling, or
Try driving a shim under the jamb on the low
each jamb and replaces it with a 3-in. screw
routing a prehung door, insert
side. But, given the importance of solid shim-
that sinks deeply into the framing. Hanging
wedges beneath it so it can’t
ming under the length of the sill, you may want
doors is a little like having a religion—it
move. Alternatively, you can pull
to remove the frame and reset all the shims.
doesn’t matter what you believe, really, just
the hinges, remove the door from
A less likely explanation: One jamb is too long.
that you believe in something.
the frame, and support it in a
In which case, use an oscillating multitool (see
pair of homemade door bucks,
p. 49) to cut the jamb in place, then pull the nails
also called door-holding jigs.
tacking the jamb to the RO so you can reposition
FINe-tUNINg FReNCH DOORS
the jamb.
Now it’s time for fine-tuning the installation or,
Doors aren’t in plane. The frame, doors, or
as the pros call it, working the frame. Here are a
RO may be twisted. Use a level to see which ele-
few problems you might run into and what to do
ment is out of plumb, then sight along the
about them:
straight edge of the level to see if any surface is
Doors hitting in the center. Ease off the
bowed. If the RO is plumb, the jambs or the door
shims behind the hinge jambs. If the problem is a may be warped. Contact your vendor to see about
bowed jamb, use additional nails to pull it back
getting a replacement.
toward the outside of the RO or, as needed,
The door won’t stay shut, or one hinge
21⁄2-in. screws.
binds while the others work fine. See if the
Doors too far apart in the center. Shim out
jamb is twisted. You may need to reset the shims
from the RO more. If that doesn’t work or if you
until the jamb is square to the door. Otherwise,
must shim so much that the center of the jamb
the hinge may be irregular. To correct it, use an
120 Chapter 6
adjustable wrench or locking pliers to bend the
knuckles on one of the hinge leaves. Bend the leaf
on the door, though, because you’ll probably split
zzzzzz Bending a Hinge knuckle
the jamb if you try to bend a leaf attached to it.
If the door binds on the latch
jamb yet the hinges are tight, a
Instal ing Hardware
hinge leaf may be bent. Use an
Specifics vary, but most locksets come with paper
adjustable wrench to bend a
templates that locate the center of the holes
hinge-leaf knuckle on the door.
Door leaf
drilled in the face of the door (face bores) for
handle-spindles or cylinders, and holes drilled
Jamb leaf
into the edge of the door (
edge bores) for latch
assemblies. A second paper template locates
holes drilled in the latch jamb of the door frame.
Although the directions given in this section are
typical, always follow the directions supplied by
your lock maker. Note: Measure the door thick-
ness before buying locksets or key cylinders.
Some mechanisms are adjustable, whereas oth-
ers fit only specific door thicknesses.
MORtISe lOCkSetS
Mortise locksets house latch bolts and dead bolts
in a single casing and can be operated with a sin-
gle key turn. Mortising a lock case into the edge
of the door takes some work, but the unit is very
secure. The door stile must be solid wood for this
type of lock.
1. Using the template, mark the outline of the
lock case on the edge of the door. Then mark a
line in the exact center of the edge. Along this
line, use a 7⁄8-in. spade bit to drill holes to the
depth of the lock case. Overlap holes slightly.
Whenever you need to drill and chisel
2. Use a chisel to square up the edges of the
a mortise lockset or route hinge leaves
into a hinge stile, this homemade
lock-case mortise. As you chisel, test-fit the lock
door buck will keep the door steady—
case periodically to avoid chiseling away any
thanks to removable wedges. This is
more wood than necessary. When the lock case
far easier than trying to work on a
fits all the way into the hole, trace the outline of
door that’s hanging in a hallway!
the main latch plate onto the edge of the door.
Use a router to mortise the latch plate. If the door
edge is beveled, adjust the tilt of the main latch
P R O T I P
plate to match the bevel beforehand.
3.
Because
Remove the lock case. Using the template,
manufacturers often
create a general hardware tem-
mark knob/spindle and key/cylinder holes on the
plate for several different door
face of the door stile. Use a hole saw to cut the
styles, the template provided
cylinder hole and a Forstner bit or spade bit to
may be inaccurate. you may not
cut the smaller spindle hole, holding drill bits
need all the holes indicated, or
perpendicular to the stile. Drill the holes until the
you may need to reposition the
point of the bit just starts through the other side.
template to accommodate a door
To prevent splintering of the stile face, back the
edge bevel. So examine the door
drill out and finish drilling from the other side.
hardware and think things
4. Reinsert the lock case, and screw it to the
through before you mark or drill
the door. If spindle holes don’t
edge of the door. Then insert the spindles, slide
line up perfectly after drilling,
the escutcheons over the spindles, attach the
gradually enlarge them with a
handles or knobs to the spindles, and see if they
rat-tail file until they do.
turn freely. Once they do, screw on all the trim
Doors, Windows, and Skylights
121
Thumb-turn
zzzzzz Mortise lockset
Main latch plate
Dead
Lock case
bolt
Knob spindle
Key cylinder
Knob
Trim plate
Thumb lever
Finished
latch plate
Latch bolt
Thumb-lever
Handle
shaft
Door edge
A. Use the paper template supplied with your lockset to
center face bores on the door stile and edge bores on the
door edge. The template gives the exact setback and hole
sizes. Use an awl to mark the hole centers. Prehung doors
often come with lock cases prebored.
Mortise locksets combine security and convenience,
because you can use a single key to operate both a
latch bolt and a dead bolt.
E. Use a chisel
to square up the
rounded corners
of the latch-
plate mortise.
B. Drill the face bores, which are
positioned with a paper template. Use
a hole saw for the larger, key/cylinder
hole and a Forstner bit for the spindle
or thumb-lever hole. The small, round
level taped to the top of the drill
helps the installer drill perpendicular
to the door face.
C. Once you’ve mortised the lock case into the edge of
F. Strike plates
the door, use a router and a template to mortise the latch
are closely
plate into the edge.
matched to the
locksets they’re
supplied with.
Typically, the
larger opening
receives the dead
D. Holes in the lock case should
bolt. For added
align with the holes drilled into the
strength and
door face. If they don’t, use a rat-tail
security, use
file to enlarge the face bores
3-in. screws that
gradually.
will reach
framing.
122 Chapter 6
hardware. Typically, door handles or thumb
levers are 34 in. to 38 in. high.
5. You also will find a strike-plate template.
zzzzzz Reinforced Strike-Plate Assembly
Depending upon the depth of the strike-plate
Mortise in
assembly, use a router or a combination of drill
latch jamb
and chisel to mortise the plate into the jamb. To
3-in. screws
more accurately position the leading edge of the
Security insert
strike plate, rub pencil lead on the latch edge;
when the latch is released against the jamb, it
will leave a pencil mark. For greater security, buy
Strike plate
a unit with a strike-plate reinforcer and 3-in.
mounting screws.
CylINDeR lOCkSetS
Dead-bolt hole
Cylinder locksets (also called tubular or key-in-
knob locks) are popular because they’re inexpen-
sive and easy to install. Better models have a
Latch-bolt hole
spring-loaded dead latch that prevents the bolt
Dust bucket
from being retracted by slipping a plastic credit
card between the door edge and the frame. But
no cylinder lock is secure because all can be
Because 3-in. screws anchor this assembly to framing behind the door
snapped off with a pry bar or a swift kick. To be
frame, this strike plate can’t be dislodged by a kick.
safe, install a dead bolt, too.
1. Using the template supplied by the manu-
facturer, mark the centers of holes to be drilled
into the face of the door (face bore) and the edge
(edge bore). Use a 21⁄8-in. hole saw to drill the
face bore. But after the tip of the hole-saw bit
emerges on the other side, prevent splitting by
backing the bit out and finishing the hole by
zzzzzz Cylinder lockset
23/8-in.
drilling from the other face.
backset
2. Use a 7⁄8-in. spade bit to drill the edge bore,
keeping the bit perpendicular to the edge. Insert
the latch/bolt assembly into the hole, and use a
1-in.
utility knife to trace around the latch plate. Rout
edge bore
the inscribed area so that the plate is flush to the
edge of the door.
3. Screw down the latch plate and insert the
Latch plate
lock mechanism through the latch assembly. Try
the handle; it should turn freely. Next, position
Latch bolt
the strike plate on the jamb. To locate the strike
plate exactly, rub a pencil on the end of the latch
bolt, shut the door, and release the bolt against
the jamb.
4. Using a 7⁄8-in. spade bit, drill a latch hole
1⁄2 in. deep into the jamb. Center the strike plate
21
Spring-loaded
/8-in.
over the hole, and trace around it with a utility
Handle trim
face bore
plunger
knife. Use a router to mortise the strike plate.
Latch assembly
When the door is shut, the latch bolt should
Latch-plate
mortise
descend into the strike-plate hole; the small
spring-loaded plunger next to the latch bolt
should not. The plunger should be stopped short
by a lip on the strike plate.
Cylinder locks are relatively inexpensive and easy to install.
5.
Many interior doors come with the large face bore predrilled.
For greater security, install a unit with a
strike-plate reinforcer and 3-in. mounting screws.
Doors, Windows, and Skylights
123
weatherstripping should be your first priority.
DeaD Bolts
The single most crucial piece of weatherstripping
is a tight-fitting door threshold.
exterior doors should have a dead bolt with a minimum 1-in. throw (extension)
and a reinforced strike plate that screws into the framing. single-cylinder dead bolts
WeAtHeRStRIPPINg jAMBS
have a thumb-turn on the interior that is easy to open in the event of a fire.
Today, there are three main types of weather-
Unfortunately, thumb-turns can easily be turned by a burglar breaking a glass side-
stripping: tubular, metal-leaf, and kerf-in. Most
light. double-cylinder models, which require a key, are more secure but may be
are easy to install and require few special tools.