How to install an interior door without a threshold and with a threshold: DIY installation steps

Are you about to install a new door in your room and you doubt that you can handle the job? No special professional training is required here.It is enough to know how to use a hacksaw, chisel, have a level, hammer, and screwdriver on hand. And we will tell you how to do the work in our article - we will look at how to install an interior door, we will provide a detailed description of each step.

Illustrations and diagrams will complement the overall picture. After watching the door frame installation videos, you can get to work with confidence.

Stages of installing an interior door

Before you begin assembling the frame and installing the interior door, you need to check whether all the materials and necessary tools are at hand.

You also need to take care not to damage the surface of the door set and floor covering. To do this, it is necessary to lay corrugated cardboard or a laminate base on the floor before starting work.

Stage #1 - preparing tools and materials

Prepare the tools you may need during the installation process.

The required set includes:

• level,
• roulette,
• hammer,
• screwdriver or screwdrivers,
• drill,
• wood hacksaw,
• chisel,
• pencil.

As a rule, all consumables necessary for installation (screws, anchor bolts, nails, loops), come complete with the finished door.If they are not included in the set, then you should take care of purchasing them in advance, just like the handle with a lock and platbands.

An example of installing a door frame in an opening: if the frame is mounted without a door and threshold, then its width at the bottom is fixed with a rail or spacer bar

You may need extensions if there is a difference in the wall thickness of the doorway or if the opening is too wide.

Also prepare several wedges for spacers, polyurethane foam, several pieces of thin cardboard or fiberboard to fix the gaps.

Stage #2 - measuring the doorway

First you need to decide which way the door will open. It is installed so that the canvas goes inside the room. An exception is the door to the bathroom, bathroom due to the small space and the likelihood of accidental blocking. Where the hinges will be placed depends on where the door opens.

By the way, if you are planning to install a door in the kitchen, then before purchasing the desired model, we recommend that you familiarize yourself with the regulations kitchen door requirements.

In order to buy a door of the right size and then install it correctly, you need to accurately measure the doorway. It must be taken into account that it must be at a distance of at least 120 mm from the corner. This is necessary in order to then cover the junction of the box and the wall with a platband, leaving space for the corner of the plinth and its plug. If the part of the wall from the corner to the doorway is smaller, then it needs to be built up with timber or boards.

Standard door leaf sizes:

• height – 2000 mm,
• width – 900, 800, 700, 600 mm.

To determine the required size, you need to add two thicknesses of the side element of the frame to the width of the door leaf (this is approximately 100 mm) and still have a small gap of 20 -30 mm.That is, if the opening is wider than one meter, then it needs to be increased.

The diagram shows the main parameters of the door frame and door, the optimal width of the gaps, the location of the hinges, and shows the fixation points of the screws

If the opening is narrower than the box, then you will need to reduce the thickness of the vertical post. This should be done on the wrong side where you plan to place the hinges, since the load on it is greater. In any case, the thickness of the vertical post of the box should not be reduced by more than one and a half centimeters. The vertical height of the opening should be 2000 mm + 60 mm.

Using a level, you need to check the horizontal surface of the floor. Two points are marked in the opening on both sides and measurements are taken to the floor level. A difference of more than 3 mm is undesirable. Based on these measurements, the frame posts will be trimmed.

It’s worth considering one more point: if the door was purchased in advance and the openings fit perfectly, then no problems will arise. If the openings are narrow, they will have to be widened. This is a very dusty job, you need to measure the openings in advance and, if necessary, do all the dirty work until the finishing is completed.

Stage #3 - installation of locking hardware

Interior doors are often equipped with a handle with a latch lock. It can be rotary or push-button, but for installation this is not of fundamental importance.

You can install the fittings at the end of the door installation process. It’s more convenient to do this while the door is on the floor: it’s easier to do all the work while holding the door vertically on the side

Let's look at the steps of inserting a lock step by step:

1. From the lower end of the door we measure a distance of 1000 mm and make a mark.
2. We put down the size of half the front plate of the lock and mark the lower and upper points.
3. Having measured the width of the door, subtract the width of the front plate of the lock and divide the remainder in half. It is this value that you need to step back from the edge of the door leaf so that the lock is exactly in the center.
4. Place the lock face down again and drill holes for the screws. We screw in the screws, but not all the way. You need to temporarily secure the lock tightly so that you can trace it with a pencil with a firm hand, and then make a circular cut with a stationery knife.
5. You can also use a pencil to mark the top and bottom of the lock faceplate on both surfaces of the blade.
6. We remove the screws and the lock. Carefully remove the veneer or laminated layer.
7. We make marks for the width of the lock, placing it on its side.
8. We measure its thickness and mark a rectangle on the end of the door that matches the size of the invisible part of the lock.
9. To make a recess for the lock, use a medium-sized drill to drill holes in a checkerboard pattern.

When making a recess, you need to try not to protrude beyond the border that we marked under the lock. Using a chisel and hammer, we remove all the excess. We try on the lock periodically.

After the hole for the lock has been selected, the excess under the front panel is removed. It should be flush with the surface of the end

To make a hole for the handle:

• We apply the lock to the side surface of the canvas, correlating its position with the marks already made earlier.
• We mark the position of the handle on both sides of the canvas, and check the accuracy of the mark with a tape measure.
• We put a piece of MDF or a wedge into the niche under the lock and make holes on each of the two sides with a drill of a suitable size, you can also take a “feather” drill.

Next, all that remains is to insert and secure the lock. We do not install the handle at this stage.The hole for the lock tongue can be made on the porch after installing the box in the opening.

Stage #4 - assembling the door frame

Consider the option of assembling the frame and installing a door without a threshold. Doors and door frames made of wood or MDF are supplied to the retail chain already adjusted to size.

To properly mount the door and frame, the vertical posts need to be cut. Their length should be approximately 15±2 mm greater than the length of the door leaf. To assemble the box, the parts need to be laid out in a U-shape, with the flaps facing up. The upper part, 20 mm shorter than the opening, is placed on top of the racks. If the crossbar exceeds the width of the opening, then the excess can be cut off after the box is assembled.

The door must be placed in the frame, leaving a gap of 3 mm on the side of the lock and hinges, respectively. Gaps can be fixed with pieces of thin cardboard.

The connection of the vertical elements of the box with the horizontal top crossbar (lintel) can be done in two ways.

A more complex, but aesthetic option for fastening the corner of the box, which requires experience: the ends are cut at an angle of 45°. For accuracy you need to use a miter box

The connection is secured with self-tapping screws 60 - 80 mm with an anti-corrosion anodized coating. You need to drill holes for them first. For this operation, you need to take a drill with a diameter that is ¼ smaller than the diameter of the fastener. This rule must always be observed when using screws during door installation.

The holes are made not to the full length and perpendicular to the oblique cut, that is, the angle of entry of the screw into the surface of the stand should be 45 °.

Since the connection will then be almost completely hidden by the platband, it is easier to make it end-to-end. Some craftsmen attach the top bar between the racks.

It is recommended to fasten the top crossbar end-to-end over the posts: if there is an error with the dimensions, this is not as critical as if the bar is located between the posts

On the top bar under the side bars you need to make two cuts from the edges. Step back from the edge by a size equal to the thickness in the wide part of the box elements and draw a line.

According to the mark, you need to remove the thickened part of the beam, making it at the same level as the thin one. Do the same with the second side, removing excess thickness at the junction with the stand

Next, the lintel must be attached to the vertical posts with self-tapping screws, two on each side. But before that, it’s worth checking all the measurements again.

The distance along the inner surface of the lintel crossbar from the hinge to the hinge post should be equal to the door width +6 mm for two gaps on the sides. To fix the bottom of a door frame without a threshold, a strip is nailed in those places where the platband will subsequently close the holes left by the nails.

Stage #5 - inserting door hinges

Before attaching the block to the doorway, you need to insert the hinges and install the lock and hinges on the door. There are models of loops that, when closed, are nested inside each other. In this form, their thickness is 3 mm, that is, the size of our gap between the door and the frame. No recess is made for such models.

For another type of hinge, you need to make a recess on the surface of the door and frame. First, we cut them into the doors, for which you need to measure 200 mm from the top edge, attach the hinge to the side end with a cylinder close to the edge of the corner, mark the holes with a pencil and drill.

You can put a hinge on the door, drill one hole, secure it with a screw, and then make others.This way the loop will not move, and the screws will fit more accurately. But you don't need to screw them all the way in just yet.

We carefully outline the loop with a pencil and then also cut along the contour with a stationery knife. If it is a door made of MDF, then we try to go through the laminate film or veneer. Remove the loop and carefully remove this layer. If somewhere it was cut badly, then we go through the pencil mark again with a knife.

The holes must be made with a drill of a smaller diameter than that of the screw hinges offered with the kit. If you take a drill of the same diameter, then the door may then fly off its hinges, since the screws will not hold well

Next, use a chisel to apply notches 3 mm deep - this is the thickness of the hinge panel. Notches are made along the length of the loop, the width between them should be narrower than the chisel. We use the tool to make a selection. It should be carried out carefully and carefully so as not to damage the surrounding coating. By carefully striking the chisel with a mallet or hammer, we separate layer by layer.

Removal of layers with thin shavings should be done only along the length of the door or counter. You need to be especially careful in the corners. During the process, you need to place the loop on the notch to check the accuracy.

This process is repeated at the bottom of the door, also retreating 200 mm from the edge of the end. When we outline the hinge with a pencil, we need to put marks on the door leaf so that we can then transfer them to the side of the frame. If hinges with one-sided insertion are used, then marks should be made on the ends of the cylinder. After that, attach the second part of the loop without choosing a place for the groove.

We unscrew the not fully tightened rack, remove it and apply it to the door, not forgetting that its upper inner part should be 3 mm longer than the door - the width of the upper gap.We transfer the hinge marks to the supporting post. First, we drill a hole and fasten one screw, check the accuracy of the measurements, then fasten the entire hinge completely. There is no need to make a recess for overhead hinges on the side post. We repeat the same with the second.

For flag-type hinges, you also need to prepare a place for fastening. We fix the hinges on the counter and the door.

A visual diagram of the process of step-by-step assembly of the box. Shows how to properly cut on the top bar. But first the cut line is cut with a knife

Before installation in the doorway, we reassemble the frame, tightening the screws to the end, not forgetting to set the gap clamps.

Stage #6 - installation of the frame and door in the opening

Way fixation with anchors and foam

Sometimes, for greater reliability, especially if the door is heavy and made of solid wood, the frame is first secured without the door using anchors. They are placed under the lock strike plate and in places where they will later be closed with hinges.

First you need to mark where the anchors will enter the wall opening and make holes there. Then the box is inserted and secured with anchors, without tightening them completely. Level the box using a long rule. Adjust with wedges. You need to carefully check the adjustment in the corners.

Tighten the anchors all the way. Then the door is inserted, gap clamps are placed between it and the lintel and vertical posts. If only a box without a door is installed in the opening, then you need to put 3-4 spacers in it, placing cardboard or fabric under them so as not to damage the surface of the racks.

The process of filling the gaps between the door frame and the wall opening with foam: the gap between the opening and the door frame, which according to the rules should be within 15-20 mm, is foamed 2/3 with a continuous contour

Foam fixation option

To keep the entire structure tightly in the opening, good quality polyurethane foam is sufficient. In this case, we first reassemble the box, securing the screws until they stop. Don't forget to insert cardboard between the canvas and the box to maintain distance gaps.

We insert the box together with the door into the opening. Using wedges we push it out from the upper plane of the opening and from the sides. At the top, it is important to install two wedges directly above the racks. We check and level all vertical and horizontal planes using a level.

There must be space between the opening and the box: a gap of 5 - 30 mm is allowed from the end of the wall to the box. This gap is filled with polyurethane foam. In this case, it is better to move from bottom to top. Large cavities do not need to be filled completely, as the foam will increase in volume. During the process of foam hardening, the door should be closed, and spacer cardboard should be placed between the frame and the door to maintain gaps.

If you do not know how to use polyurethane foam well, then the surface near the foaming area can be covered with masking tape. To ensure that the foam dries well, it is better to postpone other manipulations until the next day, when you can fix the lock strike plate and make a hole for the lock tongue.

Stage #7 - installation of the lock handle and response panel

When the structure is tightly fixed, you can make a hole for the lock latch and secure the response panel. This is done in the same way as installing a lock.In this case, you do not need to be particularly precise when drilling a hole for the latch in the rack.

To install the lock strike plate, holes for screws were drilled on the vertical post of the box and a recess was made for the latch using a chisel

Next, you need to secure the handle to the door, first on one side, then on the other.

To attach the handle, use a thin drill to drill holes for self-tapping screws at pre-designated points.

The handle is installed in accordance with the instructions included with the specific model.

Stage #8 - installation of platbands

To hide the junction of the box with the wall, platbands are installed.

You need to take careful measurements. First, we apply the strip where there are hinges and measure the distance that will be visible from the platband to the border of the rack. Let's assume that it is 4 mm, which means you need to mark 4 mm along the entire perimeter and draw a line.

We take measurements for the trim and cut them using a miter box at an angle of 45° to fit the opening. First we attach the top trim, then the vertical ones.

You can attach the platbands using liquid nails, but then you will need to support the parts with a lath. It’s better to do this with carnations, matching them by color.

If the thickness of the wall is much greater than the thickness of the frame, then we install the door, aligning it along one wall where the hinges go. Platbands are mounted on this side.

On the other side of the door, extensions are installed at the end (slats of the same color as the door frame). The ends of the wall and the top part need to be measured and the door strips (extensions) must be cut according to the measurements obtained, taking into account that their edge will extend beyond the border of the wall by 1 mm and to enter the groove of the stand you need to add 2-3 mm. The cut edge should face the box.

The additional elements are leveled using wedges and secured in several places with a small amount of polyurethane foam. Excess foam can turn out the extensions

After securing the door strips, trims are installed around the opening.

Installation of door and frame with threshold

An interior door with a threshold is usually installed at the entrance to the toilet and bathroom. The steps for installing a door frame with a threshold are almost the same as for the option without a threshold.

In addition to two vertical posts and a horizontal top crossbar, you need to prepare a horizontal beam for the threshold. Its dimensions are equal to the width of the canvas, plus twice 3 mm for gaps, plus two thicknesses of the box beam.

When preparing the threshold, like the lintel, for connection with the racks, the excess thickness of the timber is sawed off

Assembling the box occurs in the same way as described earlier, only the threshold is attached at the bottom with two self-tapping screws on each side. It should be noted that the threshold is always attached to the posts at an angle of 90°. It is secured to the floor with self-tapping screws or liquid nails.

If there are height differences between the room and the corridor at the floor level or the border between different floor coverings is visible, then this joint must be closed with a special threshold. They come in different configurations and differ in color. Attached to the floor with screws or silicone.

The other day you installed an interior door with a lock, and it accidentally slammed, leaving your beloved pet alone in the room? Do not rush to call the Ministry of Emergency Situations, try to cope with the problem on your own. We invite you to check out the best ways to open doors without a key.

Conclusions and useful video on the topic

Video instructions on how to assemble a box with a threshold and install a door:

Tips from professional craftsmen for installing the frame and installing it separately from the door:

The recommendations and step-by-step guide given in the article will help you correctly, and avoid mistakes, assemble the door frame, install the fittings and mount the door structure into the opening.

In this matter, it is important to be accurate in measurements and calculations, slowly and carefully carry out each stage of work, then the door will serve properly for many years.

Do you have experience installing a door with or without a threshold? Share it with other visitors to our site - tell us about the difficulties you encountered in the process. The feedback form is located below. Also here you can add original photos of a self-installed door, ask questions to our experts and other site visitors.