Afixing doorframe/architrave

[Nickfromwales]

[Nickfromwales]

Beware when using this discipline. If you have a hallway / corridor with multiple doors, opening both in and out, the architrave head height will differ, as per the stagger shown in my ? drawing. . Anyone with OCD will soon spot it. 

[jamiehamy]

That makes sense - thank you! I had figured that when I was planning but *think* I'm okay. That's pretty much what I'm planning to do with the door stop to be fixed on. With nails..

 

 

[Crofter]

And you deliberately don't fit the arc flush with the edge of the lining why?

 

Pic is hugely helpful but I'm still a bit confused about where the rebates would come in.

[Construction Channel]

1 hour ago, Crofter said:

And you deliberately don't fit the arc flush with the edge of the lining why?

 

It allows space for the round bit of the hinge. 

[Crofter]

Just now, Construction Channel said:

 

It allows space for the round bit of the hinge. 

So simple, yet so obvious now you say it- thank you

[Jeremy Harris]

FWIW, I used planted stops, as for an amateur they are a great deal more forgiving.  My only regret is pinning and glueing them in place (they are oak, like the linings) because, even though I tried very hard to fill and stain the filler in the pin holes to match the oak, I can still see where they are and it annoys me.  Apart from those filled pin holes, there are no mechanical fastenings on show anywhere in our interior oak joinery  - the fixings for the linings are hidden behind the planted-on stops (another good reason for using them!).

[Nickfromwales]

6 hours ago, Crofter said:

And you deliberately don't fit the arc flush with the edge of the lining why?

 

Pic is hugely helpful but I'm still a bit confused about where the rebates would come in.

 

Current job. 

Set a little further back from the lining here as these will be fire doors with bigger than normal ball raced hinges. 

You also do not fit the arcs flush with the lining as if you open the door past 90o then the door will hit the face edge of the arc and cause the door to start pulling the hinges out . 

The rebate is the part in my pic where the door resides, otherwise, without a rebate, it would just be a square bit of wood. 

[Crofter]

And another newbie question...

When you are leaving an opening for a door, I take it you ought to leave a bit of clearance all round, just like you do for windows? So I'm thinking door width + 4mm + 2x lining width (@33mm?) + mystery amount for packing. I left 15mm each side when I did the windows, which was just enough to get the foam gun in. Obviously not an issue with an internal door.

Or do I just do my best to build the walls plumb, and fix the linings directly onto the studs?

[Nickfromwales]

Door lining 'kits' come with the head set out for each door size, 30" or 33" are typical, and have rebates in the head to accept the legs. Those rebates are the size of the door plus the required gap so you don't need to calculate anything. 

Forget trying to build the studs to take the lining direct as the stud work will just not be straight enough, and usually has a slight twist too, so allow a 5-8mm gap over the overall width of the lining, either side, to accommodate packing accordingly. 

You need to allow for flooring when affixing the linings so that you end up with a 3-5mm gap between the floor and the underside of the door. With wooden flooring I'd make that a minimum of 8mm to allow for a small stone to have been carried in by someone's shoe, which, if caught under the door, will leave a lovely arch shaped deep scratch as the door drags it across when opened / closed . 

Put a 600mm spirit level on the floor where the lining is to be fitted. If it's out, work out by how much and cut a packer / shim. Sit that packer under the leg that's low prior to starting affixing the lining. 

Fix the hinge side first, plumb and true, and take your damn time doing so. This extra effort now will save masses of grief and planing etc when you come to actually 'swing' ( mount ) the door, so basically invest lots of time on the linings and the doors will swing themselves. As you pack and screw the lining, working from the top down, you'll need a framing level ( 1800mm ) to use as a straight edge to check that your lining is perfectly flat all the way through each fixing interval. Try and coincide with the hinges but not exactly in line, just above or below so you don't get a conflict when cutting the hinges in. Space the screws ( 2 per interval ) quite wide apart, which will allow you to train the lining to stay at 90o to the wall parallel. 

Fix the opposite leg again working from the top down and check the opening size each time to ensure your not tapering in / out. 

Its easier if you have a door there so you can hold it it in the opening when you've finished screwing up, to check you've got equal gaps at the sides and head. Just a brief glance will identify any problems, but the framing level is your friend so you should be all good. 

Drink beer, and relax. 

[Declan52]

Or buy a door pre hung in a frame ready to be fixed.

[Stones]

Our finishings are all oak - linings, stops, facings and doors, and the finished product looks really, really good. Well worth it if your budget can stretch that far.  The linings were packed off the openings to ensure they were plumb, doors hung, stops fixed on then finally facings fitted.  Rebates for hinges as shown in pictures.

 

 

In terms of finish, if oak isn't an option for the linings and stop, white or off white woodwork can work well.  I would avoid staining softwood to look like oak, as its impossible to get the softwood looking like oak, or at least that's what we have found having tried in our last two houses.  One option, which may seem a bit odd ball, is go for softwood linings, and facings and simply oil them to bring out the natural beauty of the wood.  We did this with our staircase (softwood stringers and risers, oak treads) 

 

[Crofter]

That looks really good- and I'm surprised how well the softwood and oak work together.

Your arcs are pinned and filled I take it?

[Stones]

I was pleasantly surprised as well.  The original intention had been to have a white painted staircase with the oak treads (SWMBO had found some decals of mice that she had planned to stick to the risers).  As soon as the stair was fitted, I could see it would be a crime to cover it up, so we decided to try it, working on the basis if we didn't like the result we could always paint it.  Difficult to do it the other way round.  I used the same Osmo oil on the softwood as on the oak and I think this is what has made it look so good.  Having experimented with polyurethane varnish, I don't think it would have worked nearly as well.

 

Yes all our joinery is pinned.  Unfortunately, filling all the pin holes (I'll be mixing linseed putty to colour match) is a job I still have to do...

[Crofter]

Osmo oil seems to get a good write up.

 

I've got exposed beams which are just dressed pine from the BM, so I'll probably go with oil there as well.

 

I have to say that thanks to this thread I am leaning towards doing the doors myself as I now know what mistakes I made last time, and thanks to all the advice on here I'll be able to do a much better job in future.

[Jeremy Harris]

I used Osmo oil, very impressed with it, it seems to give a nice tough finish, too.  Pity it isn't a bit cheaper, but overall I think it's probably worth it.

[Stones]

5 minutes ago, JSHarris said:

I used Osmo oil, very impressed with it, it seems to give a nice tough finish, too.  Pity it isn't a bit cheaper, but overall I think it's probably worth it.

 

Compared to the varnish I was looking at and tested, Osmo was a lot lot easier to use, and only needed two rather than 3 coats applied, so overall I found the cost premium reasonable / justifiable in terms of my budget and the time I was willing to spend on the task.

[Nickfromwales]

And oil is sooooo much easier to retrospectively re-finish ( tart back up ) with. 

[Stones]

Absolutely, I pre-oiled all of our facings.  When fitted, there was inevitably some orbital sanding at mitre joints to get a smooth finish.  Two very quick successive applications of oil on a lint free cloth was all that was required to re-finish.

[CC45]

We used osmo on some oak outside. Pleased with it.

[Crofter]

After a bit of thought and a lot of Google image searches, I've decided I'll go for white linings/arcs/skirts after all. It can actually look pretty smart and is going to keep me on budget.

What are the pros and cons of timber vs mdf for this? I'm imaging that with MDF you avoid issues of cracks, twists, knots etc.

[Construction Channel]

I prefer real wood for the linings as it is nicer to work with and holds the hinge better ( at least I feel it does). Everything else I would use MDF as long as you are painting it. No raised grain. No cupping. No knots showing through. It's pre primed. Only disadvantage is it's technically easier to damage on the corners but realistically once the house is actually being lived in no one is going to notice the external corners on your skirting. ?

[Declan52]

I went with softwood door frames and MDF skirting and architrave and both painted white with solid oak doors. MDF is obviously much much cheaper, easier to paint as it comes pre primed, won't twist , no knots and easy to fill any nail holes. Only disadvantage I found with MDF is that the off cuts don't burn well in my stove.

[Tennentslager]

I've just bought the quick fit door set from B&Q. Think it's a Jenweld product, £72 for door and frame.

I'll post some pics in a few days.

So far made up the new stud wall and fitted the pre-made door liner. Next is hanging the door...wish me luck.

[Nickfromwales]

Don't get camera shy .