banned by fire codes.
Prehung exterior doors typically come with
weatherstripping attached, which can be easily
removed before installing the unit so you can bet-
ter see the 1⁄8-in. reveal between the door and the
To install the reinforcer, you’ll need to drill
jambs. Door shoe gaskets (which seal the bottom
through the jamb into the framing behind; the
of a door) are removed for the same reason.
extra-long screws will grab the framing.
Tubular is the easiest to retrofit to old doors and
the least expensive type of permanent weather-
Weatherstripping
stripping. The reinforced part of the strips is usu-
ally metal, with slots for screws; slots allow you
Door Frames
to adjust the stripping so it fits tight to windows
Air leaks can account for 20% to 30% of the total
or doors. To install tubular weatherstripping,
heat loss of an insulated house. If your budget is
shut the door and press the strip’s flexible seal
tight, sealing seams (see chapter 14) and holes in against the door, then screw the reinforced part
the building envelope, packing insulation into the to the jamb. Don’t buy tubular stripping that
gaps around windows and doors, and installing
nails up or has round holes (not slots) because it
can’t be adjusted.
Metal-leaf, commonly called a V-bronze or
metal-tension strip, is a thin metal strip folded
lengthwise and nailed with brads to door jambs.
When the door shuts, it compresses the metal,
stopping drafts. Metal tension strips are durable
and, because they fit between the door or win-
dow and the frame, are hidden when the door is
shut. When installing it, place the leaves flush to
the doorstop, spacing brads every 3 in. Install the
head piece first, then the sides. To keep the leaves
from snagging where they meet in the corners,
snip them back at a slight angle (5°). In time, the
leaves flatten, but they can be raised by running a
The 21⁄8-in. face bore for a cylinder lockset is often
flathead screwdriver down the center of the fold.
predrilled at the mill. You may need only to screw the
latch plate to the edge of the door . . .
Kerf-in features flexible stripping (silicone, vinyl,
or nylon) that slides into a kerf (slot) between
the jamb and the doorstop. Kerf-in is the pre-
ferred weatherstripping for prehung exterior
doors because it seals tightly and can be easily
replaced if the stripping gets compressed over
time. To cut kerfs into existing frames, use a kerf-
ing tool, which looks like a laminate trimmer on
an angled base. (There’s an interesting kerf-in
sequence on p. 145.) Silicone stripping is a good
choice for retrofits because it compresses so
small that old doors shut easily without doorstop
adjustments. At head-jamb corners, cut stripping
at 45° angles so it lies flat.
. . . then insert the lock body into the spindle hole of the
latch assembly, and screw the two handles together.
Follow the instructions supplied with your lockset.
124 Chapter 6
zzzzzz Door Weatherstripping
Door
Metal-leaf (also called V-bronze
Rigid jamb
Kerf-in
or metal tension)
(tubular)
Jamb
zzzzzz Weatherstripping thresholds
U-profile
shoe
Outside
Drip bar
Vinyl-gasketed
Neoprene
Vinyl insert
threshold
door sweep
Threshold
SeAlINg UNDeR tHe DOOR
side of the door. On an outswing door, cut the
sweep to length and hold it against the bottom
Weatherstripping at the bottom of a door must
edge of the door so the sweep just touches the
create a tight seal and be durable. Elements that
threshold when the door is shut. Flap sweeps are
attach to door bottoms are called shoes or
not as durable as kerf-in sweeps, but they’re inex-
sweeps; those that attach to doorsills are thresh-
pensive, easy to install, and reasonably durable.
olds. Although primarily intended to reduce
If you have an inswing door, install a door
drafts, they also must resist water seeping or
shoe or a gasketed threshold. To do so, measure
blowing in under the door. If your region gets a
the distance, at several points, between the bot-
lot of precipitation, a roof or porch overhang
tom of the door and the top of the threshold.
should be your first line of defense—properly
Typically, you’ll need about 1⁄2 in. of space
sized, the overhang should extend out from the
between the door and the threshold to accommo-
building half the distance from the doorsill to the date the thickness of the shoe and its vinyl
underside of the eave. You’d also be well served
insert—check the manufacturer’s specs to be
to retrofit the water-return threshold described
sure. If there’s not enough clearance, plane or cut
on p. 126
down the door.
attaching sweeps and shoes. If you’re fortu-
After measuring, pull the door’s hinge pins
nate enough to have an outswing door, install a
and lift the door out. Then, using a hacksaw, cut
compressible gasket to the integral stop in the
the shoe to length—typically, the shoe stops short
threshold and a flap neoprene sweep to the out-
of the doorstops on either side, so it will be 1 in.
Doors, Windows, and Skylights
125
Inswing
cardboard or “door skins” (thin wood veneer),
anD
create a template, transfer those profiles to the
oUTSWIng DoorS
underside of the threshold stock, and use an
oscillating multitool with a metal-cutting blade
The vast majority of exterior doors on residences
to make cuts. Dry-fit the threshold to ensure a
are inswing doors, which swing into living spaces.
good fit, then remove it, caulk the sill, and screw
in a perfect world, they would all be outswing
the unit down. Install and adjust the threshold’s
gasket, rehang the door, and test the fit.
doors, which are inherently better at blocking
air and water because, when they are closed,
retrofitting a water-return threshold. This is a
outswing doors butt against a stop in the thresh-
bit more work. A three-piece threshold can be
old that is similar to the stops in jambs. Add a
installed over an existing threshold. Consisting of
compression gasket to that threshold stop and
a sill cover, a drain pan, and a threshold with
weep holes, the assembly is sloped to send water
water will have to defy the laws of gravity to get
back outside, hence the name water return.
around it. But our imperfect world includes bur-
The retrofit requires accurate measurements
glars, who can easily pop the hinge pins of an
and careful cutting so all three pieces fit snugly
outswing door to gain entry—unless you install
to the existing door frame. To start, measure the
nonremovable hinges. Food for thought.
widest point of the doorway opening and rough-
cut the sill cover to that length. Next, hold one
end of the sill cover square to the base of a jamb,
and scribe the jamb’s profile onto the metal sill.
shorter than the width of the door. Shoes have
Use an oscillating multitool with a metal-cutting
screw slots that let you adjust their height; attach blade to cut the first end before scribing and cut-
the shoe with one screw at each end. Rehang the
ting the other end. The sill cover must slope
door, lower the shoe until its seal makes solid
about 1⁄8 in. toward the outside so it will shed
contact with the threshold, tighten the screws at
water. Hold a torpedo level on the sill cover while
that height, and then open and shut the door. The you temporarily shim the back edge up.
door should drag slightly as you operate it, and
Measure and cut the threshold (not the drain
you shouldn’t see daylight under the shut door.
pan) next. Usually, the threshold lines up to the
Finally, insert and tighten the rest of the screws
outside edge of the doorstop, so when the door
in their slots.
shuts, it fits snugly to the threshold as well. As
P R O T I P
Installing a gasketed threshold is similar. If
you did with the sill cover, scribe the profile of
there is an existing (ungasketed) threshold,
the jambs onto both ends and cut them out. With
Metal thresholds are thin
remove it and measure from the underside of the the threshold resting on the sill cover, lightly
enough to cut with hacksaws or
door to the top of the sill. Remove the door so
scribe the outside edge of the threshold onto the
jigsaws. But an oscillating multi-
you have complete access to both ends of the
sill cover, using an awl or a pocketknife. The
tool with a metal blade is the
doorway. The trickiest parts of fitting a threshold outer edge of the drain pan should sit just shy of
tool of choice: wide enough to
are the complex trim profiles at either end—
this scribed line. Remove the threshold and
track properly and cut square, yet
doorstops, jamb casing, and so on. Using heavy
scribe the profiles of the jambs onto the drain
agile enough to notch door-
frame profiles. Play it safe: Don’t
hand-hold stock while cutting it.
Clamp it down so your hands are
free. And by all means, wear eye
protection and work gloves when
cutting metal.
Door shoes are usually sized for the 13⁄4-in. thickness of
By turning the screws of this adjustable threshold, you can
the exterior door. The shoe is cut back about 1⁄2 in. from
raise and lower the oak strip to get a good seal to the door
both sides of the door so the shoe’s drip cap will clear the
bottom, thus stopping drafts and water.
thicker part of the jamb as the door closes.
126 Chapter 6
Door
zzzzzz Water-Return threshold
Integral doorstop
rabbeted into jamb
Drip bar
Metal door
shoe
Vinyl seal
(insert)
Threshold
Weep holes
Drain pan
Sill cover
P R O T I P
If hinges are loose because the
Old threshold
screw holes are stripped, fill the
holes with epoxy putty. Allow
that to harden before drilling
new pilot holes and replacing the
screws. Alternately, you can
enlarge the hole by drilling it
with a 1⁄4-in. bit and drive in a
Silicone caulk
tapered dowel of the same thick-
(three beads)
ness to fill the hole. glue the
dowel, and let the glue dry
before drilling new pilot holes.
This three-piece threshold fits over an existing threshold
and can withstand just about anything short of Noah’s Flood.
For success, carefully fit and caulk the unit’s pieces.
pan; use aviation snips or an oscillating multitool threshold and install the shoe on the bottom of
to cut the pan—it’s very thin.
the door, as described in the preceding section.
With all three threshold pieces in place (and
sloping toward the outside), measure up 1⁄2 in.
Keeping the Weather Away:
onto each jamb and make pencil marks. The
1⁄
A Primer on Flashing
2 in. indicates the thickness of the door shoe
you’ll attach to the bottom of the door. Remove
Midway in our look at exterior doors and win-
the threshold and the drain pan, shut the door,
dows seems like a good place to discuss flashing,
and spread a scriber to the distance from the top
specialized materials that help seal out water
of the sill cover to the mark(s) on the jambs. Then and—in conjunction with insulation, sealants,
scribe the bottom of the door to indicate the
and exterior casing—cut drafts. This short sec-
amount that you’ll need to trim off. Cut down the tion shows some of the materials used as flashing
door, vacuum the existing threshold thoroughly,
and how they are applied around the perimeter
apply three beads of silicone caulking across the
of a rough opening to make exterior doors and
opening, and press the sill cover into it. Then do
windows weathertight.
the same with the sill drain pan. Also caulk the
jamb-and-pan joints. Finally, screw down the
Doors, Windows, and Skylights
127
Hanging a Door to an
existing Frame
Hinge Setbacks
outline of the frame opening after you
pull the staples.
Hanging a new or recycled door to an existing
As you transfer the outline of this
frame is a common renovation task but not always
template to the face of the door, subtract
feasible. At the very least, the hinge jamb must be
1⁄8 in. from the top and sides of the tem-
straight. If planing down or screwing down won’t
plate to create an 1⁄8-in. clearance
straighten a bowed or twisted section of hinge
between the door and the jambs; sub-
jamb, you may
tract 1⁄2 in. from the bottom edge of the
its casing) and replace it
Leave a slight gap between the door and the doorstop, so the door won’t bind.
template for clearance above the finish
possible, try to leave the frame and its casing in
floor or threshold. If the floor isn’t level,
place—especi
Door
ally exterior casing. Retrofitting
bit is the best way to center pilot
Doorstop
you may need slightly more clearance.
holes for hinge screws. Otherwise,
weatherproofing elem
1/16-in. clearance
ents such as head flashing
Place a spirit level across the opening to
screws that drift off-center can
is tedious an
Hinge jamb d tough to do right.
cause hinges to twist and misalign
Set hinge back 1/4 in. from door face
see how much out of level the floor is.
with the other hinges.
Set hinge back 5/16 in. from stop
Creating a template
trimming the Door
the most reliable way to fit a door to an out-of-
trim the door rails of the door, then the
square frame is to create a template. (Read “the
stiles. to prevent splintering, first score along cutlines with a utility knife (see the photo on
Beauty of templates” on p. 372 for tips.) Use 4-in.-
p. 110). then use a 71⁄4-in. circular saw with a sharp, 40-tooth carbide blade to make the cut.
wide, 1⁄8-in.-thick strips of plywood; staple the
For best results, cut 1⁄16 in. beyond the cutline. then use a belt sander with 80-grit sandpaper
plywood strips to the edges of the doorstops the
to trim the edge exactly to the cutline. Some carpenters trim door edges with a handplane or
door will seat against. Where strips cross, join
power plane instead. If you use a power plane, go slowly to remove the wood gradually, making
them with fast-setting hot-melt glue. In addition,
several shallow passes.
run horizontal strips across the top and bottom of
the door opening from jamb to jamb, and diagon-
Cutting the Hinge gains
ally cross-brace the strips so they will retain the
Cutting hinge gains (recesses) is best done with a router and a template, as shown on p. 121,
but a hammer and chisel will do fine if you’re hanging just one door. If the door frame already
has hinge gains, transfer their locations to the door by marking them right onto the template.
Alternately, you can use shims to wedge the door snugly against the hinge jamb, then use a
utility knife to mark the hinge positions on both the jamb and the door.
zzzzzz Hinge Setbacks
typically, the top of the top hinge is 7 in. from the top of the door; the bottom of the bot-
Hinge jamb
tom hinge is 9 in. to 11 in. from the bottom of the door (see “Positioning Door Hardware” on
Renovation 4th Edition Page 30