Recommendation points
Not everyone can be a specialist in the installation of interior doors, but many of us have to face such a task: when arranging a new house or during a major overhaul of an old one. This article will help you avoid some mistakes.
The choice of the master
Door installation begins with the choice of a master. It is important not to make a mistake, because the final result of the work depends only on his professionalism. Can you find an experienced newspaper ad specialist? Perhaps, but, as a rule, a good master is always loaded with work and does not need additional advertising for his services. One of the most common mistakes is that a client chooses a craftsman based on his ability to talk at length about the various intricacies of joinery. Eloquence is not a substitute for skill. Often, behind the laudatory odes to oneself, amateurism is hidden, and best of all, his work will tell about the master..
So, the first tip: do not hesitate to ask the master to show his previous work on installing doors. This will help you make the right choice..
If the house is being overhauled with the replacement of floors and the rebuilding of partitions, then it would be nice to coordinate the work of the carpenter with the work of the builders. It is important to find out all the nuances of the construction of floors and doorways. This is necessary in order to avoid later many difficulties in installing doors. For example: it is good when the door block is installed in such a way when it can be sheathed with platbands from all sides. “L-shaped” platbands look less attractive.
When installing sliding doors that slide into a niche, it is important to securely secure the upper rail along which they will ride. After all, it is she who accounts for the weight of the door leaf. If the rail is not securely attached, then the doors will tear it off. It will be impossible to fix the guide again without disassembling the walls of the niche..
It is important that the floor level in all rooms is the same – this makes it possible to install a door frame without thresholds, which, of course, is convenient, because the thresholds, no matter how carefully you walk on them, are still knocked down. When installing frames without thresholds, one important detail should be taken into account: if the floor is different in adjacent rooms, then the seam between the floor coverings should run in the center of the door leaf when the doors are closed (it is imperative to coordinate this with the master who makes the floors). Otherwise, everyone in the room will be able to “admire” with closed doors a fragment of the floor covering from the next room. It is unacceptable. Therefore, it is so important to coordinate the work of the builders, the master who lays the floors and the joiner.
If the floor level is different, then the door frame should be with a threshold that will hide the difference. The threshold can be made without a quarter, which will make it lower and more comfortable, it will be less touching with your feet. In this case, the tightness is slightly disturbed, but for interior doors this is not so important. Wallpaper or tiles should be brought to the very edge of the doorway, so that the width of the platband is enough to overlap.
Errors when hanging the door leaf
Hinging doors is perhaps the most important process; their service life depends on it. Incorrect mounting leads to stresses and distortions in the door block, resulting in premature wear of the hinges and door locks. Backlash and stresses eventually destroy the connection of the box with the doorway, as a result, the mounting foam, which holds the box in the opening, collapses and spills out. Depending on the weight of the door leaf, hinges are installed that can withstand the required load, there can be two or more of them. It is very important that each loop fits snugly in its groove – no backlash.
Hinge groove milling
The groove for the hinge is made with a hand router, and not with a chisel, as in the last century. All hinges should be on the same axis so that there is no skew and tension when opening and closing the doors. “Play” of loops in grooves is not allowed. If this rule is not followed, the hinges will not last long..
In addition, the doors should be easy to close, without springing, the hinges should not “crush”. To prevent the hinges from “pressing” when closing, making doors from solid wood, an experienced carpenter always makes the edge of the leaf on the hinge side not 90 °, but smaller. And when hanging factory doors, it is necessary to make the correct gap between the canvas and the frame. When closing, a correctly hung cloth should only touch the seal, not the box, even from the hinge side. It is easy to check: just insert a piece of paper between the box and the canvas – the paper should pass unhindered along the entire perimeter of the door.
Correctly embedded door hinge
A few words about the seal: it is important to install the door seal only from high quality durable rubber; it fits into the groove selected in the box. It is better not to use a seal on “self-adhesive”.
As for the door frames, as a rule, the factory ones do not inspire confidence: they are thin, unreliable, of a standard size, made of third-rate wood.
Door seal insert
It is especially not recommended to choose MDF boxes. If the door leaves are already bought in a store, then it is better to order door frames in a carpentry workshop. Order the hitch and installation to the same masters.
Errors when installing in a doorway
Door installation is not as easy as it seems at first glance. Even the highest quality doors won’t last long if they are ineptly installed in the doorway. Therefore, entrust the installation to the wizard.
Door blocks are installed in the opening strictly vertically using a level and a plumb line. If the verticality is not observed, then the doors will spontaneously open or close under the influence of gravity. You can install the door block correctly using wooden wedges: first, the frame is wedged, the hinge side is fixed first, and it is checked for opening and verticality. The door leaf must adhere to the frame evenly over the entire plane.
Wedging the door block
After wedging, the opening is filled with polyurethane foam. The foam expands so that it does not deform the box, it is necessary to install spacers or insert strips of cardboard between the canvas and the box, 2-3 mm wide. You should not save on polyurethane foam. High-quality professional foam does not expand so much when it dries, does not deform the door frame, and after drying it has a higher density and better holds the frame in the opening. Some masters advise, in addition to foam, to fix door frames with anchors or screws with dowels. But, as many years of practice show, for correctly hinged and installed doors, one mounting foam will be enough. In addition, anchors and screws spoil the appearance of the door frame. After drying, the excess foam is cut off with a knife. Then the trim is trimmed (at an angle of 45 °) and nailed. If trimmed correctly, there should be no gaps at the joints. It is necessary to nail the platband with nails with small caps, it is better to use an air gun, then the nail heads will be less noticeable.
If desired, interior doors can be installed independently. But only an experienced craftsman can guarantee the quality of his work. He will install the doors according to all the rules, taking into account the specifics of each specific case. After all, even the best doors can be ruined by improper installation..
What are some common mistakes people make when installing interior doors? I want to make sure I avoid these errors and ensure a proper installation.