Framing Doors and Windows Page 3

Install the Cripple Studs, Header & Jack Studs

Measure, mark and cut the new jack studs for the frame adding the height of the new jamb plus ½inch. Slide the assembled header into place and butt it against the cripple studs. Wedge the jack studs under the header for temporary support. Square all the new framing members and fasten the jack studs to the king studs using 3 inch screws or 16d nails driven at about 12 inch intervals.

Drive screws thru the jack studs and into the kings studs. On both sides of the wall, drive screws at an angle thru the header and into the cripple studs; thru the header and into the king studs and thru the jack studs into the header. Finally drive angled screws thru the jack studs and into the sole plate. Make sure none of the screw or nail heads are left protruding.

Cut the Sole Plate

After the framing has been installed, cut the sole plate to accept the new door. Use a handsaw to cut thru the 2x4 plate right next to the jack studs. Protect floors from the saw blade with a scrap piece of plywood or a similar, thin material. Cut the plate stopping about 1|8in. from the floor and use a chisel and hammer to finish the job.

Make a second cut with the saw about half an inch or more from the studs. Remove the waste to form a channel large enough to use the chisel to cut thru the remainder of the sole plate. Pry the loose section of sole plate free from the floor and discard it. With the sole plate removed, the opening is ready for the new pre-hung door. See Installing Doors and Windows for help.

After the door has been installed finish the flooring. Fill any holes where the sole plate was removed using wood putty and finish the floor to match the rest. If the floor is too rough to refinish, use a threshold saddle to cover it.

In many cases the wall will have been installed before the finished flooring. If this is the case, there will be a gap in the flooring and the sole plate will be attached to the sub–floor. Remove the sole plate as described above and fill the gap in the flooring using a piece of wood the same thickness of the floor, usually ¾in., before covering with a saddle.

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