DIY Install Jack Studs and Cut Soleplate

Measure 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 toenailed at an angle through the cripple stud and into the top of the header as well as through the face of the header into the king studs on both sides. Finally drive angled screws through the edge of the jack studs and into the soleplate. Make sure none of the screw or nail heads are left protruding.

Cut the Soleplate

After the framing has been installed, cut the soleplate to accept the new door. Use a handsaw to cut through 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.

Finish with a Chisel

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 through the remainder of the soleplate. Pry the loose section of soleplate free from the floor and discard it. With the soleplate 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 soleplate 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 where the soleplate was attached to the sub–floor. Remove the soleplate as described above and fill the gap in the flooring using a piece of wood the same thickness of the finished floor, usually ¾in. for solid wood floors. Cover the patches with a saddle molding.

Go to the: Installing a King Stud to Frame a Door, Cutting Studs and Building a Header or Framing a Window pages of this article.