Build Interior Door Frame

This is the actual thickness of a 2x4.

Build interior door frame.

I usually do these lamination clamp ups in a vacuum press. When complete you should have a door frame without a bottom piece. Install a cripple stud between the header and the top plate halfway between the king studs. Cut the door header.

The builder s choice wood pocket door frame is the builder s choice wood pocket door frame is constructed from solid hemlock and is conveniently pre assembled for easy installation. The benefit of these doors is that they are cheap stable and easy to paint. But they can be done with regular clamps too provided you have enough. Interior doors are usually 1 3 8 thick.

To make a door start by getting a 4 foot by 8 foot sheet of plywood that s 1 2 inch thick. Cut the header to fit between the king studs. This yields a stronger more stable door frame which has less tendency to warp or distort over time. To make it easier to remove the bottom plate under the door cut most of the way through it in the correct places with a circular saw.

Use two or three 1 1 2 inch screws to fasten the head jamb to each side jamb depending on how wide the jamb material is. You will need to add 1 2 of plywood between the 2x4 s to get the right wall thickness of 3 1 2. Build the wall with a bottom plate running across the doorway. Next use a circular saw to cut out the plywood and sand the wood so the faces and edges are smooth and level.

The unfinished natural wood frame can be installed to either side of the door opening. To make the door header the top of the door frame cut two 2x4s to the same length as the width of the original opening and nail them securely together. Most interior doors today are made from a material called masonite which is a kind of wood fiberboard that is steam cooked and pressure molded onto a thin wood frame to create a slab door that has an appearance of a door with rails stiles and panels. Make a header by fitting two 2 x 8s around a 1 2 inch piece of plywood.

Install the door inside the jamb frame by assembling the hinges. Then you can cut the bottom plate out after the wall is installed. This domestically produced pocket door frame includes the track installation hardware and instructions. Place the head jamb over the top ends of the side jambs.