I screwed my first set of double doors in and found they were all out of line. I measured, used the level and the square still the doors didn’t match up they overlapped at the top and were to far apart at the bottom. My next attempt had to be better so I came up with a plan and it worked to perfect. Keep in mind that everything I do is self-taught, but when I figure out a good way to do something I share it with others.
I figured I’d frame the doors in laying on the floor that way I’d know the doors were matched perfectly because trying to level each side of the door frame can still lead to an error of a quarter to half an inch. You’ll need a large area of smooth floor as a work area. 3/16 is a good gap to leave between the doors I use framing nails that are close to this thickness and tape them between the two doors. 1/8 of an inch is a good gap to leave between the top and bottom of the doors so once again I use nails of the right thickness to act as a spacer for when I frame around the doors.
Have the hinges screwed to the door first. Have the doors resting on boards to the right thickness so that it is flush with the frame boards as they sit on the floor next to the door whether it’s 2×4’s or set the doors higher if framing with 2×6’s. The sides of the frame need to be extended past the top and bottom of the door far enough to be flush with top and bottom of the frame don’t forget to include an 1/8 inch gap top and bottom of the doors. To screw the side of the frame to the hinges you’ll need to open the hinges 180 degrees, line the frame sides to the right distance. Drill pilot holes smaller than the screws to be used.
Once the sides are screwed to the hinges fold the hinges shut so that the frame sides are sitting on the floor. Screw the top and bottom of the frame to the sides making sure they are resting snuggly against the spacer nails. Screw temporary triangle braces at the corners of the frame. The door ready to stand up in its final resting place. Temporarily brace the framed doors in a standing position. Frame around the preframed doors. Remove temporary bracing and with a level make sure the doors are standing straight up while you screw a couple of screws in each side attaching the wall studs to the door frame. Open and close the doors to make sure they don’t scrape the ground anywhere. If all is well with the doors then go ahead and screw or nail them in securely. Beef up the framing around the door for strength this will ensure your doors wont budge for years or decades to come. Now you can enjoy your new double doors with their precision fit.
