Why You Need Door Frames

Door frames are essential components for hanging doors in your home. They come in many widths and heights, as well as different shapes and sizes. Some frames are just for the main reason of the doors itself and others are more decorative with elaborate facings. Bathroom and bedrooms are the main parts of the homes where doors are needed to provide privacy. You also need frames for the entrance doors of the home. The frames of the doors hold the hinges and the locks, which enable the doors to open and close freely.

To start making a door frame, you first have to determine how much material you need by measuring the size of the opening. The material can be one of many different kinds of wood, such as oak, mahogany, pine and birch. You have to install the header, which is a finished piece of board that covers up the rough stud of the frame. The side frames come next, also flat pieces of board, and they help to keep the header in place. You have to ensure that the header is level and that the side pieces are plum - straight up and down.

The next step in finishing the frame is to install facings on both sides of the door to cover up any spaces between the board and the wall. They can be plain or very decorative, with colonial styles using crown moldings and small wooden blocks in the upper corners.

One you have the facings in place, then you take your door and install the hinges. One side of the hinge is on the door and the other is attached to the frame. Most doors have two hinges, such as a door used inside the home. On heavier doors, three hinges are the norm. When you see that the door is moving back and forth on the hinges freely, then you install the locks. There are special locks for bathrooms and bedrooms with a locking device on the inside. Entrance locks are usually keyed.

The final task is to install small strips of wood, called door stops, along the top and the sides of the door. These strips keep the door from swinging too far in either direction and causing damage to the hinges, the frame and the door.