From: patter@dasher.uucp (24224-guthrie)
Subject: Re: Installing new front door
Reply-To: patter@dasher.cc.bellcore.com
Organization: Bellcore, Livingston, NJ
Distribution: usa
Date: Thu, 13 Aug 92 14:50:15 GMT

In article <1992Aug12.175433.14770@ll.mit.edu> killoran@ll.mit.edu (Mike Killoran) writes:

>	My idea is to pull out the old door and any outside molding 
>that is soft, and replace the old door with a new pre-hung steel one.
>Then I will install new molding to replace what was damaged.  I was
>even thinking of using some pressure treated wood for this (is that
>OK?).

I believe that you can't find paint that will stick to PT lumber, but
my info is several years old. If I'm wrong, I'd like to know what paints
will work, since I'd like to put up and paint some PT railing.

>	In order to buy a new door, I have to measure the old one
>(no kidding huh?), and this is where I'm having trouble.  At
>Home Depot (a lumber-yard type place) they told me all they have
>are doors with 4-9/16 or 6-9/16 inch jambs.  They say there are no
>other sizes, it just depends on if your house is built with 2x4's
>or 2x6's.  My jamb seems to measure 5-1/4 inches!  I am reasonably
>sure this is correct, because the previous owners put on an addition
>and tore out the side door (which is laying in the basement) and this
>door's jamb is 5-1/4.
>	So what's the deal?  What are my walls built with to give
>this odd jamb size?

Let's look at 2x4 walls -
Normally you'd have a 3.5" stud, with 1/2" sheet rock, 3/8" sheathing,
and 3/8" siding. Total 4.75". Where things get crazy here is with the
last 3 items. They could have used 3/8" or 5/8" sheet rock. They could
have used 1/2" sheathing and/or siding. They could have used 5/8" siding.
Do you have vinyl or aluminum siding? That's a whole different ball game.

My guess is that either someone's added a second layer of siding or you
have 5/8" rock and siding and 1/2" sheathing, giving you the "odd" size
(which isn't really odd).

>...................  By the way, I talked to another lumber yard
>(Summerville Lumber) and they said to just measure the jamb, and
>they would order it.  I want to make sure I'm doing this right 
>though.  I am sure I'm measuring the right place (just the width 
>of the jamb, no molding included) because I can get at an exterior
>door in the new addition and I measured it's jamb as 6-9/16 and the
>walls are 2x6's.

Go with the lumber company. You *could* add strips of wood to the HD
jamb to bring it up to size, but it's not worth the extra work (especially
if you don't have a table saw).

>	If anyone has replaced an exterior door and has some
>helpful hints on the installation, let me know -- I'll summarize
>if there's interest about this.

I've put in several, but I don't remember anything unusual about them.
They go in like interior doors, only heavier.

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                    | I pity the man who don't drink, 'cause when he
George Patterson -  | gets up in the morning, that's as good as he's
                    | going to feel the whole day.
                    |                             Joe E. Brown
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