In order to properly install French door, it is essential to understand the proper way to measure the opening for the French doors. Measuring the opening for the French doors is a complex tasks as there are many different measurement to take into account within the opening for the doorway, such as the wall, the floor heights, and the door frame. A size chart for French door units will help you to understand the different dimensions that the doors will have before you begin constructing the frame for the doorway.
One of the most common mistake when installing French doors is to assume that the size of the French doorknob is the same than the size of the opening in the doorway. The size of the door unit will always be smaller than the opening in the doorway to allow for the installation of the frame. For example, an French door unit that is labeled as being sixty inches in width may actualy measure fifty-nine and a half inches.
How to Measure a French Door Opening
In this case, the opening in the doorway must be approximately two inches wider than the width of the door unit. For the height of the doors, the same logic applies, except that there will need to be more room for the threshold and the finishes for the floor in the doorway. The height of the French doors is another important measurement for the doorway.
The height of the doorway will determine how the French doors will align with the ceiling in the house. Eighty inches is a common height for French doors in residential home because eighty-inch French doors will align with ceilings that are eight feet high. In homes that have ceilings that are nine feet or ten feet in height, taller French doors are often selected.
With taller French doors comes the need for a larger header for the doorway that is constructed above the French doors. A size chart will help you to determine the different openings for the doors to properly prepare the doorway for installation of the French doors. Another decision that you must make before installing the French doors is whether the French doors will be used as interior doors or exterior doors.
Interior doors will often be used to divide the rooms within the house and allow light to pass through those rooms. Exterior doors will be used for the outside wall of the home. Because these doors have different requirement, it is important to understand the difference between interior and exterior French doors.
Interior French doors do not require weatherstripping to seal the doorway. Exterior French doors will have insulated glass to allow for temperature control within the home and will require a threshold to shed water off the doorway as well as hardware that will lock at multiple point to secure the doors. Additionally, the materials for the doors will also differ.
For example, wood will need to be finished periodically to prevent the doors from warping, while fiberglass and steel options are more resistent to these elements. Steel is an affordable material for the doors that you will install but could potentially dent. Additionally, steel may condense in cold climate.
The last final selection for the French doors are the glass options for the doors. A full lite option will allow the most light into the room. A half lite option will allow the doors to be private for the occupants of the doorway while still allowing for the passage of daylight into the room.
These options will not impact the dimensions of the doors but will impact the way the doors will feel when installed. Another component for the French doors is the hardware for the doors. Hardware will include an active leaf to hold the main lock for the doors and the inactive leaf that the flush bolt secures.
The astragal will sit between the two leaves for the French doors and will seal the doorway to allow for better weatherstripping and sound control. For exterior doors, multi-point lock will be used to increase the security for the doors. In this instance, the threshold will need to be selected based off the use of the area that will feature these doors.
For interior doors, the threshold can be flush with the floor in the doorway. For exterior doors, the threshold will need to be higher to prevent water from entering the doorway. Additionally, if the doors dont properly seal, there will be a loss of comfort and energy in the home.
A size chart for French doors is beneficial because it will allow you to see the dimensions of the doors as well as the other component of the doorway. This will allow you to avoid any conflicts in the doorway when constructing the doors. Additionally, using the size chart will allow you to order the proper French door unit so that you wouldnt of had to discover any conflicts while installing the doors.
