How To Build An Internal Doorway – Creating the Doorway in a Stud Wall

stud wall doorwayWe are often asked how to build an internal doorway which is quite an open question as there are two very different circumstances people may actually be asking about.

One scenario may be that the home owner is replacing the door linings, new for old. On the face of it this is a straightforward job but due to the weight of a door and its repeated use poor workmanship will be swiftly exposed and undone.

Another scenario is that someone may want to create a whole new doorway in a wall where one currently does not exist. This is obviously a bigger job particularly if it is a brick wall as the bricks will need to be removed by hand then disposed of and the brickwork above the doorway must be securely braced. Therefore we have put together two guides. The first is how to create the doorway in a plasterboard wall so the opening is ready for the fitting of the door linings and the second article covers how to fit the door linings ready for the door to be hung.

Building an internal doorway in plasterboard is considered to be a tricky job as the cost of getting it wrong can be very expensive so it may be a false economy if you are choosing to do it yourself and then have to employ a professional to fix your mess. With this in mind we recommend you have an advanced level of DIY skills before taking it on! For making a hole in a brick wall we recommend you use a professional builder as messing about with load bearing walls has no place in DIY blogs.

Creating the Doorway Hole in a Plasterboard Wall

  1. Remove the skirting boards with a crowbar or chisel placed in between the wall and the inside of the skirting board. Carefully prise the skirting board away from the wall.
  2. Mark out the where you want the hole to go in the wall using a piece of chalk. Be sure to make the marking plasterboardlines perfectly straight and use a spirit level to guarantee vertical and horizontal accuracy.
  3. Make sure you check for electricity cables and water pipes so you won’t cut in to anything hazardous.
  4. Using a drill create a small hole in the plasterboard then follow this by making ahand saw larger hole with a jigsaw. After creating an opening big enough then use a hand held larger saw that will be able to cut through both sides of the plaster board and any stud woodwork as you precisely follow the chalk outline.
  5. Now remove the plasterboard from the centre of the hole to leave your raw doorway.
  6. Remove the stud floor plate with the saw to the same width of the door opening.
  7. Cut two wood studs to fit the height of the door way. These will be the new vertical door jambs and used to fix the door linings to later.

    spirit level

  8. Using a spirit level to ensure the doorway is vertical  fit the studs in place at the sides. The vertical studs must be fitted securely to the top and bottom wall rails as they will carry the weight of the door.
  9. Cut one wood stud the same width of the doorway. This is for the top of the doorway.
  10. Fix the top stud securely across the top of the doorway bracing the two vertical studs. Don’t worry if it looks messy at this point as the linings, architrave and plaster will cover this up later.

Now you have fitted the structure for the door to be hung from you are ready to fit the door linings which is covered in the second article.

images courtesy of sxc.hu

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