Fitting a doorframe

[disco_monkey79]

Sorry, me again...

The former residents of our house removed a set of double doors, to make one large room out of 2.

Great for space, but bl**dy cold, so we want to refit doors. However, it looks like the removed all the timber, covered over with 15mm timber boards, to tidy. I don't want to start pulling it all to pieces before I'm actually ready to hang, so I'm assuming the worst and preparing to have to start from scratch.

I've been reading up, and it advised to chase out the mortar, and hammer in wooden wedges, to give you something to nail the frame to. It may be that these are there, but if not, is it strictly necessary? Can't a door frame be screwed to the brickwork with rawl plugs/long screws?

Was the wedge method a convenient way of doing it when building a house, or am I overlooking something?

Cheers!

 

[Lardman]

Done a similar thing recently, for a similar reason.

AFAIK Wooden wedges were easier to hammer nails into rather than messing around with drills.

Nothing wrong with drilling, plugging and screwing but you'll need to do so through some folding wedges as the door opening wont be anywhere near square

Fitting a door lining is simple enough - just remember to get everything square or you'll give yourself a headache hanging the door.

 

[disco_monkey79]

Brill, thanks for the reply!

Folding wedges - I'm unfamiliar with these... Presumably they are for packing out so the frame sides a vertical?

Is the idea that a wedge is inserted from either side, so each side is packed out correctly?

 

[gwr]

yep you got it disco

 

[RogerS]

Only thing to watch with very old properties (or new if the builder was a cheapskate) is if they used a very sandy/weak mortar between the bricks. I've seen it 'liquefy' under the vibration from a hammer drill. DAMHIKT.

 

[mtr1]

You just drill a 5.5mm hole with these, no need for a plug. I use them quite a bit and their great for windows and door frames.

 

[ondablade]

Depends i guess on what's behind the facing, and i'm no expert - but the last couple of times i've done that job i used 8mm x 100 + long hammer fixings to secure the frame.

For anybody not familiar these are like a long screw with a countersunk head inside a plastic sleeve. e.g. http://www.tooled-up.com/Product.asp?PID=150934 As you drive or screw the screw in it causes the plastic sleeve to expand and so gets a good grip.

The advantage i figured was that you can drill and countersink the holes for them in your door frames before you put the frames in. Then having lined the frame up, and you can run a long masonry drill of the same size through into the wall and fit them with everything in situ.

You can buy opposing wedges which makes the thickness adjustable if you like, although since i was close to a saw i just cut shims to the right thickness. Either way get your shim placed in situ and drill through it too before running in the hammer fixings.

Another advantage of the hammer fixing is that you can countersink the hole in the frame for its head - they look neat if it's a workshop or somewhere where you don't mind them showing. Failing that counter bore for them and fit a wood plug/fill the hole with something like Plastic Padding Wood filler before painting.

Once you get the first fixing in place it's easy enough to line up the rest.

If putting doors back into a big ope like yours it's sometimes possible to pack the frame to adjust the size so you can use two stock sized panel doors side by side with offset hinges, flush bolts top and bottom on one and two door handles (only one side functional - then you can have the two rooms open almost into one with both open, or close it all up if you prefer.