A prehung door is a door that come with a door jamb and hinges attached to it. Since a prehung door is already made and assembled, you need to make sure that the measurements of the prehung door matches the measurements of the wall where the door is to be installed. A prehung door size chart will allow you to understand the size of each component of the prehung door, such as the slab, the frame, and a rough opening.
By using a prehung door size chart, you can order a prehung door that will fit the rough opening by knowing each of the measurements that are required. A door slab is the flat piece of the prehung door that you walk through. The door frame hold the door slab.
How to Measure for a Prehung Door
A rough opening is the opening in the wall between the studs. On the size chart, the measurements for the door slab are more smaller than the measurements for the door frame, and the measurements for the door frame are smaller than the rough opening measurements. For instance, if the door slab is 30 inches, the door frame will be 32 inches in measurements, and the rough opening will have to be 34 inches in measurements.
There must be extra space in the rough opening to allow for the door frame to be shimmed to make sure it is plumb and level in the opening. The thickness of the wall has to be considered when ordering a prehung door. The door jamb of the prehung door must be thick enough to cover the entire thickness of the wall.
For instance, if the studs in the wall is 2×4 in size, a 4-9/16-inch door jamb is required. If the studs in the wall are 2×6 in size, a 6-9/16-inch door jamb is required. The door jamb must be the correct size; if it is too narrow, it will not touch the wall, and if it is too wide, it will not fit into the wall.
Another consideration when ordering a prehung door is the swing direction. The swing direction of the door is the direction in which the door open and on which side the door’s hinges are located. You can determine the swing direction by standing on the side of the door on which it will open, and looking at the door to determine on which side its hinges are.
The four swing directions for prehung doors are left-hand inswing, right-hand inswing, left-hand outswing, and right-hand outswing. The swing direction must be ordered correctly because once the prehung door is assembled, you cant move the hinges. The core type of the prehung door can affect the weight of the prehung door and its cost.
If the prehung door has a hollow core door, the center of the door will be hollow or empty. These types of doors is generally lightweight and inexpensive. If the prehung door has a solid core door, the center of the door will be solid and heavy; these types of doors are heavier and cost more money than hollow core doors.
Solid core prehung doors may have three hinge instead of two due to there weight. Using three hinges for a prehung door that is heavy ensures that the door is well support. Finaly, you need to take careful measurements of the rough opening before you order the prehung door.
You need to measure the width of the rough opening at three different point, and you need to measure the height of the opening on both sides of the rough opening. The depth of the wall also needs to be measured to ensure that you order the prehung door with the correct size of door jamb. By following the measurements on the prehung door size chart, you can ensure that the prehung door that you order will fit into the rough opening.
Using the prehung door size chart allows you to make sure that the door slab, the door frame, and the rough opening in the wall all work together correct.
