Attaching a door frame to a wall: errors and their causes, tips, methods, instructions according to GOST

Attaching the door frame to the wall is an important task. Its reliable performance should not be neglected. It should be done as well and efficiently as possible.

Please note that if you install the door correctly, you will forget about many problems. It will open and close freely. The effect will last not for a couple of months, but for several years.

The most important thing is the correct adjustment of the gaps that are located between the door frame and the leaf itself. They should be the same both on top and on the side.

You may say: “What’s the big deal if the box bends a couple of millimeters? It will be completely unnoticeable!” Yes, we agree with you. The appearance will not deteriorate. But after a while the door will stop closing. And if he doesn’t stop, then it will be very difficult to do so. That is why fastenings must be made at the highest level.

Neglecting our advice means subsequently changing the entire unit. And this is both troublesome and expensive. And in general – it’s not necessary.

Why jambs bend: all the reasons

You know that door frames are made of wood. And, as you know, wood perfectly absorbs moisture. Of course, the outside of the jambs is varnished. And this, in theory, should protect the material from water. But the fact is that the varnish perfectly allows moisture to pass through.

The result is the following diagram. By absorbing moisture, the tree increases in size. And when it gives it away, its size decreases. The process is natural - but unpleasant.

Installation of jambs

Since wood has a non-uniform structure, it both increases and decreases non-uniformly. As a result, the jambs bend.

This is the main, only and main cause of the problem. How to solve it? Yes Easy! The jambs should be properly secured. Then they will remain in their place in any case, even when exposed to external factors.

Required Tools

For self-installation you will need a certain set of tools:

screwdriver;
hammer;
nail puller;
nails (including furniture nails);
milling cutter;
slats;
chisel;
level;
bars;
polyurethane foam.

In each individual case, this set may change. It all depends on the type of door, size and purpose. For example, to install frames under sliding door systems, only foam is now used.

How to securely fasten a jamb? Tips for everyone

Experts offer a number of tips:

first step: insert the frame into the opening. It must be made of metal. And then foam it;
Mechanical fastening of the jamb must be done at five points. If you neglect at least one of them, then the door will subsequently become difficult to close. Or other, not the best consequences will arise;
if the door is double-leaf, then it should be secured at six points;
if flexible plates are inserted into the opening, they should grip the wall.

Measurements

The quality of further work depends on the thoroughness of the measurements. The door opening, even after finishing, may have deviations from the vertical and horizontal, and the frame will have to be adjusted in height and width. To save yourself from unnecessary work, measurements should be made as follows:

Using a tape measure, measure the width of the opening at a height of 10-15 cm from the floor and repeat the measurements at a height of about 20 cm from the top of the opening. If a difference is found in two measurements, then the smaller value should be taken as the width.
In the same way, measure the height of the door: at a distance of 10-20 cm from the side walls of the opening. Take the smaller value as the height.

When purchasing ready-made doors, it may turn out that there is no model that exactly matches the size of the opening or that the door you like is not large enough. In this case, additional elements will be required that will help narrow the opening a little.

Errors that prevent you from performing high-quality fastening

There are errors that lead to poor fastening. Take them into account and try not to do:

You cannot attach the block only to polyurethane foam because it is unreliable. Foam is an elastic substance and cannot prevent bending;
foam itself can be a problem. This may cause bending. Everything is very simple - if it lies unevenly somewhere, this provides a bend.

Even professional installers often attach blocks to three points, and not to five, as we advise. This is bad because then the entire lower part of the jamb will be loose, which is why the fasteners bend. So listen to us and don't make mistakes.

Double doors often lack fastenings between the hinges. This is a mistake that should not be made. Be sure to add another fastener between the loops.

The flexible plate must be fixed to two walls. If it is attached only on one side, nothing good will come of it. There is no reliability with such a door. Not only will the jamb bend, it can also turn like a screw.

Door frame material

MDF wood
The box serves not only as a frame for the door leaf, but also as a load-bearing base. The strength of the entire structure and its durability depend on the quality of the material and installation of the product. The choice of material depends on the purpose of the door and the material of the leaf itself. Metal-plastic and metal doors are usually supplied fully equipped, so we will consider only those cases when the door frame has to be manufactured independently. As a rule, in this case we are talking about two types of material: wood and MDF.

Natural wood has different densities and is graded into soft and hard. The cheapest and most popular product is pine, but when it comes to installing entrance doors, you should focus on a harder and more expensive type of wood, for example, oak. It will ensure durability, strength and reliability of the structure.
MDF is used exclusively for interior doors. If you are going to assemble a box from this material, you should treat all cut edges with nitro varnish to ensure protection from moisture.

Four main mounting methods

We have already described the methods of fastening the door frame above. Now let's select them as expected:

on polyurethane foam. You shouldn’t do this - in the end, the door may simply fall out of the opening;
at three points. The most common technique. This is a fast and easy method that is relatively reliable. Suitable for laminated doors and for those passages where there is not much traffic;
at six points. Even GOST recommends this technique. It is considered optimal. The only negative is the plugs because they can ruin the appearance of the door;
using plates. Ideal for expensive doors that you don’t want to spoil with plugs. The plates are attached from the back.

Now let's look at mounting options at six points and using plates in more detail.

Bottom line

High-quality materials and tools allow you to ensure the reliability of the door frame for many years. Do-it-yourself installation is a completely feasible undertaking if you strictly follow the rules.

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Traditional way

The algorithm of actions is as follows:

The first step is to calculate the size. Gap dimensions: top and sides 3 mm, bottom 1 cm;
joints should be cut using a miter saw at 45 degrees;
then the timber that was sawed down must be tightened with self-tapping screws.
On one side you need to insert one self-tapping screw, and on the other - two; Classic door installation method
We mount the box exactly to the wall and vertically;
The box is attached to self-tapping screws, holding three pieces. You cannot spoil the appearance of the door this way;
you need to check with a level so that the box is installed level;
then the canvas should be installed. It is important that it does not open or close on its own;
Next, the gap above and below the door is checked and adjusted if necessary - either tighten the screws or loosen them;
vertical clearances are also checked4
The liners are inserted, and then foaming is done. Inserts are required to ensure that the gaps do not decrease as the foam dries;
You need to spray the entire block with water. Then fill the gaps with foam. It will dry in about forty minutes. Use a knife to remove excess;
Here the door is ready! The main thing is to do it reliably and with your own hands.

Selection of a new door

In order for the installation of the door block to be completed successfully, everything should be carefully thought out in advance, measured, studied and selected. You should inspect the opening that you plan to close with a facade. In old rooms, the openings and walls are not ideal, and this often occurs even in new buildings. Measurements of the opening must be careful and correct on each side.

Unless you are making a custom door with special dimensions, you should choose a ready-made option that will meet certain standards. When taking measurements, you will be able to understand what to do with the doorway, which should not differ much in size from a regular doorway. For example, if the width of the portal is 0.9 meters, then the interior door should be 0.8 meters in size. The remaining cm will remain for the door frame and the technological gap that is required.

Once you determine the size of the product, you should choose the door configuration. You can find three types of kits on the racks in construction markets:

Single canvas
– it will require purchasing an additional door frame (as a rule, it is a wooden beam without decorative finishing), a lock, hinges, extensions and platbands.
A canvas with a box made of a similar material (MDF or solid wood), various trims may be included.
A complete set of door blocks is assembled in production - installation requires only physical strength and an assistant to be able to align the door strictly according to the level.

The choice of product itself will depend on the buyer. The most difficult and time-consuming installation method is purchasing the first version of doors, since you will need to purchase and assemble all the elements of the block yourself. For this reason, it is worth dwelling on this option in detail. Study the instructions below, and then you will be able to install the door without help.

Installation according to GOST: accessible method and important recommendations

We will not argue about how to properly attach the blocks. There are 4 ways to do this, and everyone has the right to choose what they like best. We will just tell you how to work using the most proven techniques. We have already outlined one in detail above.

Now let's talk about something else. So, instructions:

take measurements of the canvas - that is, measure its size both in width and length;
Please note that you cannot blindly trust the dimensions indicated in the documents, because there are often differences between what is stated and what actually is. Small, only two or three millimeters. But it plays a significant role and cannot be ignored;

Door frame installation
the vertical bar should be made wider, exactly 13 mm. But the horizontal one is 6 mm;
Why do you need to make the slats wider? In order for the gaps to ultimately be 3 mm on the sides and one centimeter at the bottom;
Next you need a feather drill. Using it, holes are made at three points symmetrically to each other. The diameter should be 12 mm;
from above you need to drill above the loop, below - below the loop;
the box should be filed down;
Next you need to assemble the box;

Now we'll give you a little advice. If you need to lay the floor covering later, place a pad underneath the jamb that will be equal in thickness to the floor covering. Afterwards you just need to remove the gasket and lay down the flooring. And that's it - no problems.

the next step is to insert the box into the opening. Be sure to use the level! We secure it with good self-tapping screws;
We hang the canvas in place. Checking the gaps. Next you need to adjust the gaps. We have already written about this above, in a different way. This is done by tightening the screws or, conversely, loosening them;
then the second rack is attached. There is no need to install spacers here, which means there is no need to wait for the foam to dry. The door in this case is ready for use immediately after the foam is applied;
We install plastic plugs. They will cover the fastenings;
The last step is to foam the entire box.

That's all! The work is done. Judging by people's reviews, this method is really good, and GOST was not mistaken.

The main signs of a well-installed jamb:

Door frame in place

the lock, fences and other fittings must be carefully and accurately inserted into the canvas. The main thing is that nothing is skewed;
All elements of the door frame must be carefully joined together. You can do the docking yourself, it’s not difficult;
The loop jamb should be made vertical. It is very important! Then the door, no matter how it is opened, will not go down;
The gaps should be the same everywhere, from top to bottom. For a single door, the gaps on the handle side should be slightly smaller than the gaps on the hinge side;
Great attention should be paid to the doorway of the canvas, because it must be precisely and precisely adjusted. When this is done, then with the door closed, not a single gap or gap will be visible on the side of the door handle, regardless of whether there is a seal on that side of the jamb or not.

Assembly options

The task is to connect the individual parts of the kit into a rectangular frame structure. Depending on the presence/absence of a threshold, it takes the form of a closed/open loop. In principle, there is nothing complicated; The main thing is to carry out competent installation. When deciding how to assemble a door frame, you need to consider that this can be done in several ways. Which one is preferable, you will have to determine yourself. In this matter, much depends on practical experience in this field and the tool that is at hand.

Baguette connection

Plus - relative ease of assembly. The technology consists of angular filing (trimming) of the ends of the fastened elements (450). After combining the parts, the final fixation is made with screws (self-tapping screws).

Disadvantage: limited application. It is related to the material of the jamb. For example, it is not recommended to assemble a door frame made of MDF using this method - the edges may become “fragmented”, cracks and chips may appear.

Tenon connection

Plus - reliability. This assembly option ensures the durability of the structure despite the fact that the door is subjected to constant and significant loads. For example, at the entrance to a building, in places of intense movement of people.

The downside is that self-assembly requires not only experience, but also special tools. If they are absent, no, even the most detailed, step-by-step instructions will help.

Right angle

Plus, it is considered the simplest technique to implement independently, and therefore convenient: you don’t need a special tool other than a household one. It is only necessary to cut off a certain part of the quarter (depending on the size of the elements being connected) and fasten the parts according to the dimensions of the opening. Sometimes this is not practiced - the connection is made end-to-end. The result is as expected - the door frame is strong and reliable.

I washed down the box elements at an angle of 45º

To connect individual elements of a box with a round cross-section, their end parts are cut at 45º. To make the same cut, you need to use a special miter saw or miter box.

If you don’t have a special tool, you can use a protractor and a ruler to cut the workpieces to the required angle. Markings are first applied to the end part of the beam with a simple pencil, then the workpiece is cut along the lines.

When connecting two workpieces together, the screws are screwed in at an angle.

Installation

If the work is done without an assistant, it is more convenient to mount the frame without the door leaf and hang the door later. With this method, the frame needs 1-2 spacers, which can be cut from a block or other available material. To prevent the ends of the spacer from damaging the box lamination, wrap them in fabric.

Step-by-step installation of the box is performed as follows:

Raise the frame and install it in the opening. If the door does not have a threshold, then you need to leave a technological gap between the end and the floor. Its size is 1.5-2 mm. You need to place wood chips of this thickness under the edges of the box.
To fix the box, drive small wedges between it and the wall in the upper corners (side and top). Check the structure for verticality and horizontality, and for compliance of the edges with the plane of the wall.
Install a spacer across the opening. Secure the box with wedges next to it.
Drill holes at two points on the sides to secure the door to the wall. Use a hammer drill to make holes in the concrete and drive capsules of dowels or anchors into them. Screw in the fastening screws.
Fill the gaps between the frame and the wall with polyurethane foam. Before this process, it is necessary to cover the frame with wide construction tape, since foam can get on its surface. Fill gaps to ½ of their depth: foam expands greatly. It will take 24 hours to cure. The spacer wedges must be cut or removed.

If the width of the box is 3 cm or more less than the opening, then additional installation will be required before installing it. These are bars of the required thickness, which are secured with dowels to the wall inside the opening. After this, install the frame of interior doors with your own hands according to the above instructions.