DIY an exterior door on a stone house

[LoveForDIY]

Hello all - I am new here and came across this forum searching for a way to build door frames and attach it to a stone wall.

I have previously restored older doors (images for examples) but the doors already had a door frame and I could simply put the door back together.

now, I have not built a door and door frame from start to finish and this is where I need some advice.



The above image is where my door & door frame will go. My questions are:

1) what methods do you use to attach your wood door frames to stone walls?

2) what type of wood would you use to build the door/door frames? ( I would like it to be inexpensive and was thinking of pressure treated pine but please inform me if this is a bad decision for any reason)

3) since this is my first time doing this, is there any advice or knowledge i should have or do research on before starting.

 

[Agent_zed]

I just finished building and installing a new rear door in my garage. I used pine for the door and door frame and a random piece of hardwood for the doorstep (think it might be mansonia wood as it was off an old organ - I wore a respirator as mansonia is bad for you).

The place that pretty much all door frames seem to fail is the 6 inches at the bottom of the uprights so probably worth wood preserving that really well.

I then finished it all in osmo UV resistant oil. I like oil/wax finishes as you can always easily add more and it will never flake.

The frame is fixed with frame fixing screws. These things are amazing! https://www.toolstation.com/masonry-torx-frame-fixing-screw/p72932
literally drill a hole into brick/stone and screw them in, no plugs needed. Mine is fixed to brick, I think I did 4 per side and it is rock solid.


forgot to say the door I made (2'6 wide) was made with T+G redwood floor boards 20mm thick. All in it cost me about £90. A braced and ledged pine door seems to be about £120 and the ones I've seen have been junk (2 different places I looked at them and both were bent like a banana), hence building my own. I cut a 9"x3" x 3m beam down to make the frame as it was the easiest way to get a decent 4x3

 

[Agent_zed]

The other thought I had as I'm looking to make a front door soon is to use a solid core firedoor blank as the starting point. e.g https://www.doorsuppliesonline.co.u...dwood-lipped-fd30-44mm?variant=35698168627354

I was thinking of routing out a fair bit of it to leave a framework and putting in ~30-40mm celotex. Then cladding the door front and back and edges with T+G perhaps oak or something interesting. It would make the door pretty thick but would then be insulated better than most doors.

The advantage with the door blank is that it is likely to start of square and flat, so hopefully would turn out true in the end.

 

[LoveForDIY]

The other thought I had as I'm looking to make a front door soon is to use a solid core firedoor blank as the starting point. e.g https://www.doorsuppliesonline.co.u...dwood-lipped-fd30-44mm?variant=35698168627354

I was thinking of routing out a fair bit of it to leave a framework and putting in ~30-40mm celotex. Then cladding the door front and back and edges with T+G perhaps oak or something interesting. It would make the door pretty thick but would then be insulated better than most doors.

The advantage with the door blank is that it is likely to start of square and flat, so hopefully would turn out true in the end.

Thank you for the detailed response. I will definitely look into these frame fixing screws and the UV resistant oil. I am attempting to add a glass piece for light in the door I build. I think starting from scratch may be easier for me vs cutting into a door blank. I could be wrong… but I do like this idea if I needed a solid door!

 

[johnnyb]

You neglect to say what tackle you've got in your workshop. 2 inch unsorted redwood deals(9by2) for the door rails/stiles and 3 inch deals for the frame is totally traditional.(and almost waste free ie in half gives 4 inch stiles/top rail full gives 8 1/2 inch bottom/mid rail.

 

[johnnyb]

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Ps I'd love to run a make your own door course. Do you think there would be any interest? Suppose you'd do make your own frame first! First thought being how would you get it home!

 

[Phil Pascoe]

My basement door and frame, west facing in W.Cornwall (so taking some vile weather) was fixed in a very muddy random stone wall entirely with expanding foam. It didn't move in the twenty years we were there.

 

[johnnyb]

I love the traditional square iron dowel fixed into a mortice in the frame and leaded into a stone cill. Few nails into wood plugs. It doesn't need much to hold them solid really.

 

[Jacob]

I love the traditional square iron dowel fixed into a mortice in the frame and leaded into a stone cill. Few nails into wood plugs. It doesn't need much to hold them solid really.

My 14ft chapel windows were fixed with 3no 6" nails each side into wooden plugs hammered into mortar courses. Then adding lime mortar in the gaps between wood and the rebate in the stonework

 

[Jameshow]

S

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Ps I'd love to run a make your own door course. Do you think there would be any interest? Suppose you'd do make your own frame first! First thought being how would you get it home!

Ihne up od love such a course.
You could easily run a carpentry course for second career types - would be great fun.
It all seems to be fine furniture and boxes or NVQ site bashing with nothing in between...

 

[johnnyb]

I also use burnt sand mastic on stone buildings. It's seems old fashioned well it is old fashioned but it's a great product. Both flexible and sticky and can be matched to the stone.(it fills the gap around the frame)

 

[johnnyb]

Yes courses have always been like that. Fine furniture and boxes. I think people have a reel playing in there head and this video is both satisfying and relaxing with classical music in the background. All dovetails and showy wood.
The trouble would be the skill level of the course participants. They would need to be not to raw. Hence why the last course I saw was literally a single mortice and tenon. The guy that runs the courses at the old spode pottery makes a workbench. All the timber is pre dimensioned. And it's £675 seems decent. But it's not like a traditional bench with the interesting wedge joint. Just a basic chunky table.

 

[MikeJhn]

Have a look at Wicks building supplies they have an inexpensive range of Oak door frames, even if not your exact dimensions they are easy to take apart and modify for your opening.

 

[Cabinetman]

Might just be the photo, but it all looks well out of square from here,
If it is and it’s an old quirky building you could just fasten the frame to what you have and then make a quirky door to fit it!
If that doesn’t appeal and it all has to be square you may have to do quite a bit of packing which will reduce the opening a bit.
Lots of door styles to choose from, ledge and brace, stable door framed door with vertical planks or a traditional Georgian type door with panels etc.
It amazing how much you can learn just by a questioning attitude and observation, you are probably are now looking at every door you see!
Ian