I French Doors

French doors create a grand entrance into a custom

closet. They consist of two separate doors hinged
on opposing jambs of a doorway. For a closet, you'll
most likely want the doors top open into the room,
providing easier access to closet items. French doors
are typically sold in prehung units.
Before purchasing a prehung French door unit,
determine the size of doors you need. If you plan to
install the doors in an existing doorway, measure the
dimensions of the rough opening (from the unfinished
framing members), and then order the unit to size
according to manufacturer recommendations.
If you must alter the existing opening (as shown
in this project), build the rough opening a little larger
than the outside dimensions of the door unit. Prehung
units typically require adding I" to the width and 1;2"
to the height.
A
Use
existing
If the doorway is in a load-bearing wall, set up
temporary supports and install an appropriately sized
header. Depth is critical: it's based on the length of
the header, the material it's made from, and the weight
of the load it must support. For actual requirements,
consult your local building department.
I
Tools & Materials
Tape measure
Circular saw
Reciprocating saw
4-ft. level
Hammer
Handsaw
Drill
Utility knife
Nail set
,Old stUdS,
marked
--------
for cripple
Prehung French door
unit
2 X 4 lumber
2 X 6 lumber
10d and 16d common
nails
Wood shims
8d finish nails
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_New king
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;.,.-
stud location
- --- -, I
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Wallboard cut
framing -srutts----
/- ___ J:
Old header and ""
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back for access
where
/
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Wallboard
jack stud to be
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possible
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"
removed
New heade
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location
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A
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V
I How to Install French Doors
A. FRAME THE ROUGH OPENING
1. Shut off power and water to the area. Remove
the wall surfaces from both sides of the wall,
leaving one stud bay open on each side of the new
rough opening. Also remove or reroute any wiring,
plumbing, or ductwork. Layout the new rough
opening, marking the locations of all new jack
and king studs on both the top and bottom plates.
Where practical, use existing framing members.
Tip: To install a new king stud, cut a stud to size and
align with the layout marks, toenail to the bottom
120 BUILD YOUR OWN CUSTOM CLOSET
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New jack
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stud location
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plate with 10d common nails, check for plumb,
and then toenail to the top plate. Finally, mark both
the bottom and top of the new header on one king
stud, then use a level to extend the lines across the
intermediate studs to the opposite king stud. If using
existing framing, measure from the existing jack stud.
2. Cut the intermediate studs at the reference marks
for the top of the header, using a reciprocating saw
or handsaw. Pry the studs away from the sole plates
and remove. The remaining top pieces will be used
as cripple studs.