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Young House Love » Home Improvement » That’s My Jamb (aka: How To Hang A Door)

| By John Petersik | September 2, 2014 | 142 Comments

That’s My Jamb (aka: How To Hang A Door)

Hope you guys had an awesome Labor Day. We split time between family and house projects which is pretty much our sweet spot. This week is going to be especially hairy thanks to having book stuff nearly every day, but we did manage to eke out a few things to share and hope to be back to normal next week (might not be as on top of comments until then either).

But back to my jamb. Or should I say my jambs? They don’t have casings yet, the leftover doorknobs will be upgraded to these backplated-versions, and one door still needs to be painted like whoa – but boy does it feel good to have two doors hanging on this side of the hallway. And because a bunch of you requested the full play-by-play, here’s how we added jambs and hung both doors – complete with details on carving out a spot for hinges and a doorknob.

Diagram Of Unpainted Door Hung In DIY Jamb With To Do List Captions

Until last week, things have looked like this. The door-less laundry room wasn’t a big deal, since it actually made working in there easier. But the plastic drop cloth closing off the storage room was less than pretty and less than convenient.

Framed Door Openings To Laundry Room And Bonus Room Without Doors

Installing these two puppies gave me a whole new respect for doors. They’re a relatively complex operation, at least considering how much I took them for granted.

After Photo Of Two Doors Hung To Laundry Room And Bonus Room

On top of the hardware (hinges, dooknob, strike plate) the doorway itself was made up of three separate trim pieces. All of which we’d be installing.

Color Coded Diagram Of Part Of Door Frame | Casing | Jamb | Stop

We debated purchasing a pre-hung door for the laundry room (one that comes already placed in a jamb, which saves you from having to carve out spots for the hinges and knob) but we had trouble finding one that matched the style we wanted for the storage room door, plus it was hard to beat the price on the slab (aka: not pre-hung) version. And since the laundry room door was an existing door that we’re reusing (it used to lead to the storage room), I’d be stuck making a jamb for that one anyway. So we decided to attempt making a jamb for that already-owned door first and if all went well (or at least okay) we’d proceed with hanging the other door from scratch too.

Well, not totally from scratch since Home Depot sells these $19 jamb kits for doors up to 36″ wide (ours are 32″).

DIY Door Jamb Kit Purchased From Home Depot

Besides coming in three pre-cut pieces (two sides, one top) the nice thing about the kit is that the two side pieces already have a rabbet joint cut on one end so that the top piece can sit nicely across the two. Ours needed a slight trim to fit into the framed doorway, so I was just careful to cut it off the non-rabbeted end.

Door Jamb Diagram With Rabbet Joint Labeled

We propped up the door on the ground using some scrap wood so I could construct my jamb with gravity on my side. I leaned the side pieces in place, but couldn’t place the top piece until it was cut down a little bit.

Paneled Door Loosely Fit In Layout Of DIY Door Jamb On Garage Floor

I measured the width from jamb-edge to jamb-edge, but had to account for both the fact that it was sitting in the rabbet joints (so it’d need to be a little shorter than my measurement) and that I wanted to give it about 1/8″ of breathing room around the door too.

Tape Measuring Door For Jamb Length On Top Of Door

Once that was cut, I started the process of mortising/routing out the spots for the hinges on the jamb – since they need to be recessed into the wood to work. Since they were already attached to our door, I marked where the hinges should go on the jamb based on their door placement.

Marking Hinge Locations On DIY Door  Jamb

Once I had marked where on the jamb each one should go, I used a spare hinge to trace out the shape that needed to be routed out.

Tracing Location Of Hinge On Door Jamb DIY

I purchased a compact router for $99 at Home Depot (it’s called a Rigid 1-1/2 HP Compact Router) and an $18 bit meant for work like this. I had done some of this work by hand before and it wasn’t super fast or super precise, so I decided it’d be worth the investment this time around.

Routing Out Hinge Location On DIY Door Jamb

Before taking my new router for a spin on the jamb, I practiced on a scrap board first. My freehand attempts weren’t great, so I started clamping some other wood scraps as sort of a guide. You can see how that worked out for me on the routed hinge spot on the far left of the board below. Muuuch cleaner.

Creating A Template For Router When Creating Locations For Door Hinges

When the time came to make my official first cut on the jamb, it came out awesome (if I do say so myself).

DIY Template Clamped To Door Jamb To Route Door Hinge Location

With both spots for the hinges cut, I could nail my three jamb pieces together. I used a 2″ nail through the side pieces into the top.

Nailing Together DIY Door Jamb From Top Of Rabbet Joint With Nail Gun

Here’s the jamb that Sherry and I pushed loosely in place within the framed door to the laundry room. You can see that we started the process of hanging this door before we did any of the backsplash (took us a while longer to tackle the glass one).

First Door Jamb Dry Fit Into Opening To Laundry Room

The next part is the most persnickety: getting every side of the jamb level and plumb. We did our best, adding shims – especially under the hinges – to help us adjust things where needed. Once we were satisfied, I nailed the jamb into the door frame on all sides.

Checking For Level And Nailing In DIY Door Jamb Kit Into Laundry Room Using Shims

I lost Sherry to Teddy at that point, but thanks to some shims under the door I could hang it myself by screwing the hinge into the jamb. Here was the moment of truth.

Hanging Door In DIY Jamb Using Screwdriver To Attach Door Hinges

The moment was a bit of a whomp whomp because it didn’t work. Sad trombone. It was a little tight on the top corner.

Testing Fit Of Door In Laundry Room Jamb

I checked all my levels again, and it turns out that the top corner had slipped out of plumb when we turned our attention to the bottom. So I shoved a couple more shims in there to correct it and things were back in working order. Now that the door closed well, I could attach the strike plate (where the door latches), and nail in the stop molding around the jamb.

Nailing In Door Stop Trim Into DIY Jamb Kit Construction With Nail Gun

I was pretty darn happy with how it turned out, though it was definitely not speedy.

Laundry Room Door Hung Using DIY Door Jamb Kit | Bonus Room Opening Still Incomplete

A little while later (we finished up the backsplash and the counter in between these two doors) it was time to wrestle this puppy into place (the glass isn’t frosted, it’s just covered in protective plastic).

Unfinished 15 Pane Wood Door In Plastic Wrap For Bonus Room Entrance

Since the door didn’t have any hinges, I’d have to route out spots for them on both the door and the jamb this time. And since it’s a heavier door, I was adding three hinges. Instead of carefully clamping scrap wood each time around to guide my cut, I decided to make a template out of my practice board. Here’s where I marked where I needed to cut (using my jigsaw).

Creating Template For Routing Hinge Spot Into Door Using Scrap Wood

Here’s my wooden guide in action on the door, as I routed out the spot for the first hinge.

Using DIY Template To Route Hinge Locations Into Side Of Unfinished Door

Once I had the three hinge mortises made on the door, I propped it up and loosely held the jamb pieces in place so I could mark the hinge placement on the side jamb piece. I also put some shims up top to ensure that I didn’t run into the same problem we had last time (having a tight fit up top).

Dry Fitting DIY Jamb Kit Around Glass Paneled Door Using Shims As Spacers

With the hinges traced out on the jamb and my wooden template at hand, it was pretty quick work to route out the spots on the jamb.

Door Jamb Piece With Two Hinge Locations Routed Out

I’ll fast forward a bit, since the process was the same from here the second time around – we nailed together the jamb pieces, brought them into the space, and then leveled, shimmed, and nailed everything in place. With Sherry’s help I got the door hung much faster this second time around… and it worked great! We were relieved. There were high fives and a fair amount of bad moon-walking.

15 Pane Glass Unfinished Wood Door Hung At Entrance To Bonus Room In DIY Door Jamb

Our dancing was cut short because this door still needed a knob. I bought this $19 kit to help drill the holes for the doorknob precisely. It wasn’t the sturdiest thing in the world, but it was worth the money just to have some instructions to follow – and the right size drill bits handy.

Ryobi Door Lock Installation Kit For Creating Handleset Location In Door

Basically, it clips onto the door, using the strike plate as the guide for where it should go (of course, I had to add the strike plate first).

Ryobi Door Lockset Kit Clamped To Unfinished Door To Mark Location Of Knob And Strikeplate

Then using one of two cross bore bits (depending on the one your knob requires) you drill a big honkin’ hole through the door, per the instructions.

Drilling Round Hole Through Door Ryobi Knob Template Kit Guide

Then you use the other bit to bore through where the latch will go.

Boring Hole Through Side Of Door Using Knob Template Kit

If all goes well, you end up with something that looks like this.

Finished Holes Created In Door Using Door Knob Template Kit From Ryobi

The part it didn’t cover – and maybe this is just specific to the knobs we own – was routing out a spot on the end for the latch to recess into. I used my router freehand, so it didn’t come out perfectly but it does the trick just fine (we can smooth things out with caulk or wood putty before we prime/paint).

Oil Rubbed Bronze Door Knob Set Into Newly Created Holes In Unfinished Door

The victory was that it was hung, it closed securely, it stayed open when you opened it (some doors that aren’t hung level slowly close themselves when open), and it looked pretty – even in its unpainted film-covered state.

Two Finished Doors Hung Into Openings Using DIY Jamb Kit

Since the wood floor was a little short of extending all the way to the door, I nailed in a couple of extra hardwood pieces to create a little horizontal threshold. We actually really like how it looks, so we hope it works with whatever flooring we end up with in the storage room. I do wish I had extended the wood flooring just an inch further into the laundry room so the tile didn’t peek through (d’oh) but I’ve been comforted by noting how many other thresholds/floor changes don’t align perfectly with the doors that I never really noticed before this project – so maybe nobody else will notice either? Until I pointed it out on the internet.

View Of Flooring Under Two Doors With Hardwood Threshold And Tile

We plan to paint it when we spray all of the molding, and obviously the casings and such will go in when we do the rest of the room. We also ordered two more door knobs with the decorative back plates that we need, so they’ll match the other rooms off of this hallway.

Diagram Of Unpainted Door Hung In DIY Jamb With To Do List Captions

We did tons of laundry last week for the first time since the laundry room door went up and it was AWESOME to be able to close the door. It really does make the laundry substantially quieter. But what we’re really loving is not having to wrestle that plastic drop cloth every time we go into the storage room. Life is good when the drop cloths come down.

It’s pretty exciting to stare down the barrel of close-to-done when it comes to this little addition of ours (if you can call the laundry room that, since it used to be unfinished space). On one hand it feels like it has taken us a while to get this far, and on the other hand it’s pretty amazing that this room wasn’t even drywalled a month ago – especially since our first and second houses’ kitchen renovations took us over four months each (and those were already finished rooms to start with). In the words of Dory: just keep swimming.

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Comments

  1. Avatar for Stacey CStacey C says

    September 2, 2014 at 8:46 am

    Looks great! You have the patience of a saint! Looks like it has come so far so fast – congratulations!

    Reply
  2. Avatar for DianeDiane says

    September 2, 2014 at 8:49 am

    More Burger!

    Reply
  3. Avatar for shaunashauna says

    September 2, 2014 at 8:54 am

    This is a really great project, such smart space planning!

    You could get one of those threshold transition pieces to cover the seam of the wood floor.and tile. You might have to shave a little height off the bottom of the door to make it fit but it would elimate that little annoyance everytime you looked at it.

    Reply
  4. Avatar for AllisonAllison says

    September 2, 2014 at 8:55 am

    You both are so talented! We have to hire someone to replace our doors with pre-hung because our beautiful freshly painted door does not close so well with our 1963 door frame :(

    Reply
  5. Avatar for KeriKeri says

    September 2, 2014 at 8:57 am

    I am so excited for you guys! Great job!

    Reply
  6. Avatar for Anele @ Success Along the WeighAnele @ Success Along the Weigh says

    September 2, 2014 at 9:05 am

    Wow…I’m in awe. I called Jeld Wenn when the urge for new doors struck because I think I would end up a twitching heap if I tried. So I bow to you, sir.

    Now to quote Midnight Starr…’play another slow jamb, this time make it sweet.’

    Reply
    • Avatar for YoungHouseLoveYoungHouseLove says

      September 2, 2014 at 11:54 am

      Picture me swaying softly while gazing at the door.

      xo
      s

  7. Avatar for Sarah H.Sarah H. says

    September 2, 2014 at 9:15 am

    Awesome! Next time you are hanging doors try separating the hinge when it’s time to hang the door. You can attach the jamb side without having to wrangle the whole door whilst keeping things straight :)

    Did that make any sense?

    Reply
    • Avatar for YoungHouseLoveYoungHouseLove says

      September 2, 2014 at 9:21 am

      Smart! We sort of did that, but rather than separate the hinge – we just hadn’t screwed them into the jamb side yet. I can’t imagine trying to wrangle the whole door! :)

      -John

  8. Avatar for OliviaOlivia says

    September 2, 2014 at 9:19 am

    Love the Dory reference. Lol.
    And great job on the doors!

    Reply
  9. Avatar for Scaldino Basement SolutionsScaldino Basement Solutions says

    September 2, 2014 at 9:28 am

    Looks like you guys are doing a great job so far. I don’t think I’d have the patience for a project like that. Way to go!

    Reply
  10. Avatar for MaryBethMaryBeth says

    September 2, 2014 at 9:32 am

    Is your storage room heated/cooled? If not, you may want to consider weather stripping for the bottom of the glass door.

    Reply
    • Avatar for YoungHouseLoveYoungHouseLove says

      September 2, 2014 at 9:34 am

      Thanks MaryBeth!

      xo
      s

    • Avatar for KellyKelly says

      September 2, 2014 at 4:36 pm

      If you’re ok with a temporary solution there are DIY tutorials online for window draft stoppers like this one: http://www.thelittlehouseinthecityblog.com/2011/02/how-to-make-diy-draft-stopper.html

      It might not work out if that door gets a lot of use, but figured it was worth mentioning.

    • Avatar for YoungHouseLoveYoungHouseLove says

      September 2, 2014 at 5:51 pm

      Thanks Kelly!

      xo
      s

  11. Avatar for TheresaTheresa says

    September 2, 2014 at 9:46 am

    When it came time to replace all doors in our home we went with pre-hung doors. That was a big enough job. Perhaps camera angle, but the door knobs don’t appear to be placed at the same height.

    Reply
    • Avatar for YoungHouseLoveYoungHouseLove says

      September 2, 2014 at 10:14 am

      They’re both 37″ to the center of the knob from the ground, so it must just be the angle.

      -John

  12. Avatar for ErinErin says

    September 2, 2014 at 9:49 am

    I concur; doors are surprisingly complex! I replaced a door over the summer and found the hinge kit I’d invested in to be quite useful. Like your door knob kit, it clamped in place and cost around $20. It was a time saver and gave me some peace of mind since my routing skills are sub par.

    Reply
  13. Avatar for VeronicaVeronica says

    September 2, 2014 at 9:54 am

    Not going to lie… with the pictures of the new door I am dying to see the long hallway shot with the new doors in place. So neat to watch a vision come to life.

    Reply
  14. Avatar for LaurenLauren says

    September 2, 2014 at 9:58 am

    For a split second I thought you had painting the casing, jam, and stop those delightful Easter pastels. It would have been a bold choice ;)

    Also, this post made me want jam. That’s all.

    Reply
    • Avatar for YoungHouseLoveYoungHouseLove says

      September 2, 2014 at 11:53 am

      So funny!

      xo
      s

  15. Avatar for TheresaTheresa says

    September 2, 2014 at 10:09 am

    Looks great. Door is a four-letter word in our house. They always take more time and effort than we think… but you did get another new tool so it was worth the effort.

    Reply
  16. Avatar for ReenieReenie says

    September 2, 2014 at 10:19 am

    Great job!! :)

    Reply
  17. Avatar for patrickpatrick says

    September 2, 2014 at 10:22 am

    whats the chance you buy that Jam Kit again? With all the customization you did with your own router & installing the handle yourself, I prefer getting stock Poplar and creating your own stop. It is more time consuming, but the result is much sturdier. just my thoughts. :-) looks great! Time to move again?

    Reply
    • Avatar for YoungHouseLoveYoungHouseLove says

      September 2, 2014 at 10:31 am

      So cool that you’ve created your own jamb & stop with poplar! Do you paint it or leave it raw? As for moving, neverrr! Well, at least not for a few decades ;)

      xo
      s

  18. Avatar for SunnySunny says

    September 2, 2014 at 10:26 am

    Great work! I’m curious if you considered hanging a barn door for the laundry room to avoid the swinging door taking up space in a small room?

    Reply
    • Avatar for YoungHouseLoveYoungHouseLove says

      September 2, 2014 at 10:36 am

      We definitely considered that but opted to keep the laundry door the same as the other 5 doors in that upstairs hallway so it felt like it had always been there. That way the glass door at the end of the hall can be the star without competing with a barn door next to it.

      xo
      s

  19. Avatar for TanyaTanya says

    September 2, 2014 at 10:27 am

    I have a random question… Where will you store your ironing board? Also are there any outlets in the laundry room?

    Reply
    • Avatar for YoungHouseLoveYoungHouseLove says

      September 2, 2014 at 10:34 am

      Our last post (just scroll one back to see that) shouts out the extra pair of outlets we added on the side wall. As soon as the trim is complete we can bring in all those functional items for the other walls, like the ironing board (we’re going to wall mount that). Can’t wait to bring in other things – like a drying rack and a laundry sorter – so it feels like a real laundry room!

      xo
      s

  20. Avatar for Rosie SRosie S says

    September 2, 2014 at 10:33 am

    Having recently completed a similar project, I know how hard it is to hang a door. But it CAN be done and beautifully, as you have shown! Also, I am still in awe of the threshold perfection! :)

    Reply
    • Avatar for YoungHouseLoveYoungHouseLove says

      September 2, 2014 at 11:52 am

      Thanks Rosie!

      -John

  21. Avatar for OliviaOlivia says

    September 2, 2014 at 10:33 am

    Jamb on it.

    Reply
  22. Avatar for kristinkristin says

    September 2, 2014 at 10:34 am

    I love this so much! I was really obsessed with your idea of a frosted door from the get go and haven’t been able to get it out of my head. My boyfriend is a contractor and they put clear glass doors on a built in bar of a house he just flipped. It got me thinking … can you frost glass yourself after the fact? I think that would be cool. And also I like to try to DIY everything. :)

    Reply
    • Avatar for YoungHouseLoveYoungHouseLove says

      September 2, 2014 at 10:37 am

      Yes, you can spray it or use frosting film! That way it’s removable so you can go back to glass if you want to later. That’s what made us go for glass instead of a permanently frosted door.

      xo
      s

  23. Avatar for KelseyKelsey says

    September 2, 2014 at 10:39 am

    Wow! These turned out great. I pulled off all our doors to paint them when we moved to our house in November – and wow it was tough to get them back on and level (by myself). I can’t imagine the patience needed to place the jambs too. Great work!

    Reply
    • Avatar for YoungHouseLoveYoungHouseLove says

      September 2, 2014 at 11:50 am

      Thanks Kelsey!

      -John

  24. Avatar for Kate BencaKate Benca says

    September 2, 2014 at 10:43 am

    Just in case you need to do another door, or for those who are planning on putting in a new door, if you go to an actual door shop (local contractors will know where to go), it’s just as cheap to buy a pre-hung door as it is to go to Home Depot and buy all the parts to hang it yourself. (The solid door you installed would have cost about $60 here in CA.) My husband sells windows and doors, so I’m always hearing him laugh at how “diy’ers” go to Home Depot when they could go through him and get the stuff he sells (windows, doors, trim, skylights, etc.) at 1/2 the price.

    So…if you have a contractor friend, ask him/her where they get their materials. If you don’t need it TODAY it could end up saving you a TON of $.

    Reply
    • Avatar for YoungHouseLoveYoungHouseLove says

      September 2, 2014 at 11:26 am

      Great tip!

      xo
      s

  25. Avatar for Angie KAngie K says

    September 2, 2014 at 10:51 am

    It looks amazing, what a crazy change of pace to have a house big enough to add your own configurations to unfinished spaces!

    I had a thought for the floor transition. I wonder if you could put a strip of 1/4 round molding along the bottom of the door to match the rest of the casing? Or something along those lines? It might be less obvious than the contrasting floor transition. Or, it could look more obvious…who knows!

    Also, only a tiny bit related, I recently purchased a Zing Air (computerized die cutter) and I’m totally in love with it (like crazy in love). You could do some fun designs on the glass window with vinyl that would be totally removable if you had a die cutter. And…knowing your mad design skills and love of all things craft related, I bet you would fall as in love with the Zing as I have! It will even cut thin metal/plastic and balsa wood! It’s not cheap, but I thought I’d throw it out there because I know you two would love it! (I don’t represent whatever company makes the Zing, fyi)

    Reply
    • Avatar for YoungHouseLoveYoungHouseLove says

      September 2, 2014 at 11:27 am

      That sounds awesome Angie!

      xo
      s

  26. Avatar for EmilyEmily says

    September 2, 2014 at 10:51 am

    Looks great and the thing you didn’t mention this time around is how much light comes through! I love it.

    Reply
    • Avatar for YoungHouseLoveYoungHouseLove says

      September 2, 2014 at 11:22 am

      It’s A WHOLE NEW WORLD! Even in the middle of the night I see light coming down that side of the hall thanks to the moon!

      xo
      s

    • Avatar for LeahLeah says

      September 2, 2014 at 12:06 pm

      I know I’ve mentioned this before, but if you want even more light, go for a solar tube! You can get it installed, but I’m pretty sure you could install it yourself. I had some in the house I grew up in, and I was always amazed at how little we needed to use the electric lights. I totally recommend them to everyone I know who lives in a house (someday for me . . . sigh).

    • Avatar for YoungHouseLoveYoungHouseLove says

      September 2, 2014 at 12:25 pm

      I’d love one or two of those down the line in the laundry room!

      xo
      s

    • Avatar for LeahLeah says

      September 2, 2014 at 1:19 pm

      One would be enough to light the whole space pretty well. Ours was in my bathroom, and I rarely needed to turn the light on in there. Even during the night, the moon gave enough glow to see by.

    • Avatar for YoungHouseLoveYoungHouseLove says

      September 2, 2014 at 1:21 pm

      So cool!

      xo
      s

  27. Avatar for terresaterresa says

    September 2, 2014 at 10:53 am

    Love the bunnies!!! :)

    Reply
  28. Avatar for Cat @ MaryMarthaMamaCat @ MaryMarthaMama says

    September 2, 2014 at 11:02 am

    Haha, its so funny that you mentioned Dory. I was totally channeling her this weekend while painting the millions of railings on our deck… “just keep painting, just keep painting…”

    Reply
  29. Avatar for Cathy C.Cathy C. says

    September 2, 2014 at 11:24 am

    Since the attic isn’t conditioned air, any ideas on how you will keep air from leaking around the door until you do finish it?

    Reply
    • Avatar for YoungHouseLoveYoungHouseLove says

      September 2, 2014 at 11:28 am

      Weatherstripping should do the trick (that’s how the previous door to the attic was set up and it was around 40 degrees warmer (or colder) whenever we walked in.

      xo
      s

  30. Avatar for BreeBree says

    September 2, 2014 at 11:34 am

    Have you considered staining the door? Could be very pretty!

    Reply
    • Avatar for YoungHouseLoveYoungHouseLove says

      September 2, 2014 at 11:40 am

      We considered that but we love a white glass door and with all the wood on the floor we think we’re happy with that mix. We eventually we want to add white french doors leading into the office downstairs (and already have a white glass door that leads from the sunroom into the living room) so we want them all to be the same – like they’ve always been here together.

      xo
      s

  31. Avatar for ChristinaChristina says

    September 2, 2014 at 11:46 am

    I read “persnickety” as “Petersikety”. I thought, “Oh, is that their word for a shortcut?”. Haha!

    Reply
    • Avatar for YoungHouseLoveYoungHouseLove says

      September 2, 2014 at 11:49 am

      Ha!

      xo
      s

  32. Avatar for Lee AnnLee Ann says

    September 2, 2014 at 11:48 am

    Wow! Impressed! Doors and hinges are a pain; I’m always agonizing that we’ve routed out the wrong side of the door for the hinges, etc. So far, so good. Makes me think of that statement: “Measure twice; cut once.” And that always makes me think of a dear old metalsmith I knew long ago. His favorite motto was: “Cut to fit; beat to size; paint to hide!” LOL!

    Reply
    • Avatar for YoungHouseLoveYoungHouseLove says

      September 2, 2014 at 11:49 am

      So funny!

      xo
      s

  33. Avatar for RachelRachel says

    September 2, 2014 at 11:51 am

    You two are amazing! I can’t believe you have built a whole room! And such a magnificent looking one at that. You really inspire me to get stuff done (on a much smaller scale). Thank you

    Reply
    • Avatar for YoungHouseLoveYoungHouseLove says

      September 2, 2014 at 11:55 am

      Thanks Rachel! We definitely couldn’t have done it without the help of the framer, plumber, and electrician! And Lesley who came up with the idea to reconfigure stuff to gain that added light in the hall. We bow to her brilliance!

      xo
      s

  34. Avatar for My Crappy HouseMy Crappy House says

    September 2, 2014 at 11:59 am

    I give you a lot of credit on this one. I’ve hung a few prehung doors and it sucks a lot. Hanging one from scratch… that’s a real accomplishment.

    And I have a tip. I can’t take credit for it, but I can’t recall where I heard it. (Somewhere online.) If your door is swinging closed (as one of mine was), you pull out the top hinge pin and give it a whack with a hammer bending it slightly. Put the pin back and no more swinging closed. (And no, it doesn’t affect the door operation at all – still works perfectly.) If your door is swinging open, you take out the bottom pin and do the same thing. It’s a little ghetto, but it works.

    Reply
  35. Avatar for JackieJackie says

    September 2, 2014 at 12:20 pm

    Wow it is truly inspiring that this room didn’t even exist not too long ago!!! Do you guys spray your baseboards too? Last week I hand painted all my baseboards, and they don’t look as neat as I wanted. Great job , you guys rock!!

    Reply
    • Avatar for YoungHouseLoveYoungHouseLove says

      September 2, 2014 at 12:28 pm

      We still need to add baseboards to certain areas (in the laundry room, around these doors) so we’re planning to spray that when we tackle our wood door. Hope it turns out smooth!

      xo
      s

  36. Avatar for MiliMili says

    September 2, 2014 at 12:24 pm

    Really like your new laundary room! Is there a reason why you didn’t put a sink (to deal with stains which might need extra attention) in the new setup.

    Reply
    • Avatar for YoungHouseLoveYoungHouseLove says

      September 2, 2014 at 12:27 pm

      Thanks Mili! We debated adding a sink but it would have been pretty small so we opted to skip it. Thankfully we have a sink down the hall and our washer allows us to soak things (it’s a top loader so it doesn’t drain whenever you open the top, so it’s easier to add things).

      xo
      s

  37. Avatar for JessikaJessika says

    September 2, 2014 at 12:41 pm

    This is no joke. Hanging doors is NOT EASY. I made a temporary partition in our giant upstairs room, and I had two spare french doors (long story ), so I hunt those on the partition so make it look prettier. OY. NOT easy. Looks like it should be easy. BUT IT’S NOT. Right angles and opening space and recessed hinges and and and. I feel you– this is not an easy project.

    Reply
  38. Avatar for TiffanyTiffany says

    September 2, 2014 at 12:59 pm

    Doors look great….but something totally off subject today. Did you see Lowe’s new vine “Fix in 6?” they put out? It says “Put a Fan on the Deck to keep the mosquitos away without bug spray”!!

    So for all of the YHL doubters….you have Lowe’s backing you on that one ;)

    Reply
    • Avatar for YoungHouseLoveYoungHouseLove says

      September 2, 2014 at 1:22 pm

      So funny! It really works!

      xo
      s

  39. Avatar for Ana SilvaAna Silva says

    September 2, 2014 at 1:33 pm

    You never cease to amaze me.

    Reply
  40. Avatar for Christy NiebaumChristy Niebaum says

    September 2, 2014 at 1:38 pm

    Doors and framing are one of the most tedious projects, don’t you think? We replaced all of our cheap, builder grade doors with nice, white six-paneled doors a few years ago. Talk about a beast of a project! And my husband (a civil engineer) complained about how poorly the doorjambs were installed when the house was built. Really messes with the way some of the doors hang. We weren’t able to get our latches to fit nicely into the recess either, but were able to fill with wood putty and they look ok now. Although, three years later, I really wish we had used caulk instead of wood putty because I think caulk stays cleaner looking. Seems like the wood putty get smudged and dirty.

    Reply
    • Avatar for YoungHouseLoveYoungHouseLove says

      September 2, 2014 at 1:40 pm

      So good to know! Thanks for that tip Christy!

      xo
      s

  41. Avatar for CindyCindy says

    September 2, 2014 at 1:47 pm

    Having the tile show under the laundry door would drive me crazy after all the hard work I had done. It’s the only doorway in your upstairs that shows. Is there a way to score the tile and remove it to put wood there? It would seem way more finished.

    Reply
    • Avatar for YoungHouseLoveYoungHouseLove says

      September 2, 2014 at 2:53 pm

      I bet we could do something like that!

      xo
      s

    • Avatar for LilLil says

      September 3, 2014 at 4:21 pm

      It all looks so pretty and finished…I doubt I would risk messing up the tile!

  42. Avatar for DianaDiana says

    September 2, 2014 at 1:57 pm

    Wow. I hope I never need to hang a door like this. And by “I” I mean my husband.

    Reply
  43. Avatar for haverwenchhaverwench says

    September 2, 2014 at 1:58 pm

    Pump up the Jamb! Pump it up, you’re pumpin’!

    Reply
    • Avatar for YoungHouseLoveYoungHouseLove says

      September 2, 2014 at 2:18 pm

      Best song ever.

      xo
      s

  44. Avatar for CristaCrista says

    September 2, 2014 at 2:02 pm

    Looks great! Any reason why you hung the door to the laundry room with the handle on the right side?

    Reply
  45. Avatar for CristaCrista says

    September 2, 2014 at 2:04 pm

    Oops! I meant the door to the storage room! Sorry! Just curious as to your rhyme or reason behind it.

    Reply
    • Avatar for YoungHouseLoveYoungHouseLove says

      September 2, 2014 at 2:55 pm

      We wanted the door to swing that way for better access to the storage room and so we don’t block a light switch in that vestibule. The door knob on our bedroom door on the other end of the hallway is on the right side too, so it swings open and you step in :)

      xo
      s

  46. Avatar for KarenMKarenM says

    September 2, 2014 at 2:13 pm

    Gosh I love these projects you guys do. We will be moving out of our house within a year but naturally the day after perusing the blog for the first time in a while, I bought Grey paint to cover my (ew) orange bedroom walls, and started ripping up carpet in the spare room to reveal 120 ‘ s hardwood floors! This is getting addicting.

    Reply
  47. Avatar for Noelle @ Noelle Mullins DesignNoelle @ Noelle Mullins Design says

    September 2, 2014 at 2:41 pm

    This is such an amazing solution to the laundry room/bonus room area. Thinking back to the way it was, it seems almost crazy to walk through the laundry room to the bonus room when this solution was available! Love it! Can’t wait to see everything completely finished.

    Reply
  48. Avatar for LL says

    September 2, 2014 at 2:58 pm

    I’m interested to know why there’s tile showing from the laundry room when the laundry room is closed? Transitions always go under the door, so just curious.

    Reply
    • Avatar for YoungHouseLoveYoungHouseLove says

      September 2, 2014 at 4:03 pm

      That’s in the post for ya ;)

      xo
      s

    • Avatar for LL says

      September 2, 2014 at 5:41 pm

      I’d have to fix that … that would drive me crazy!

  49. Avatar for HKHK says

    September 2, 2014 at 3:24 pm

    Hi

    I found the EZ-Hang door hanging kit. Costs $5 for one door. Based on my lack of skillz, I would probably use this type of thing. And a prehung door.

    http://www.ezhangdoor.com/home

    Your doors look awesome. We have a room we need to close in with a door. Even with a kit, I will keep this bookmarked.

    Reply
    • Avatar for YoungHouseLoveYoungHouseLove says

      September 2, 2014 at 4:04 pm

      Thanks for the tip!

      xo
      s

  50. Avatar for HelenHelen says

    September 2, 2014 at 3:35 pm

    You’re doing a great job on your new room and it looks amazing, but as you’re so busy I thought I’d let you know how much I also love the super simple update posts too! I’d love to see a post where you just reorganise your drawer or move some ornaments!

    Reply
    • Avatar for YoungHouseLoveYoungHouseLove says

      September 2, 2014 at 4:04 pm

      Thanks Helen!

      xo
      s

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John and Sherry smiling against pink backgroundHey, we’re John & Sherry. We’ve fixed up 7 homes, written books, designed products, started a podcast, and then downsized & moved to the beach! Here you’ll find over 3,000 DIY projects & home updates. More about us…
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