How to Install a Prehung Door

By: Charles Wardell, This Old House magazine

Shopping List

Supplies You Will Need

1. PREHUNG DOOR WITH SPLIT JAMS

2. SHIMS
for adjusting and supporting jambs

3. STRIKE PLATE
to protect jamb from latch bolt

4. LOCKSET
to hold door closed

5. 4D FINISH NAILS
to tack shims in place

6. 8D FINISH NAILS
to nail through casing

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Tools List
Tools You Will Need
- Hammer or nail gun,
  to attach casing and jambs to rough opening
- 4-foot level,
  for checking plumb or level
- Drill/driver,
  for fastening hinges
- Tape measure
- 3/4-inch chisel,
  for fine-tuning mortises
- Phillips-head screwdriver,
  for mounting lockset
- Utility knife (for trimming shims
- Retractable plumb bob,
  for plumbing jamb
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Introduction
Overview
Steps:
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9

4 to 6 hours
$60 to over $600, depending on door style and wood species

Difficulty: Moderate Installation takes patience and time, and frustration can grow if wall framing is out of whack.

A door is a precision instrument. It should consistently snap into its latch, clear its jamb, and swing effortlessly on its hinges. The fine tolerances needed to achieve this kind of performance help explain why hanging a door is considered a true measure of carpentry skill.

"I started out using little more than a hammer, a chisel, and a screwdriver," says This Old House general contractor Tom Silva. In those days, he'd assemble the jamb, hand-cut the hinge mortises, and hang the door separately. "It took a good long time and lots of patience," he says. A prehung door does simplify and speed up installation, but the term "prehung" is really a misnomer. These doors and jambs must still be carefully adjusted to account for shortcomings in the wall frame. "It requires accuracy to put in one of these," Tom says. "If it's not installed right, it won't hang well."