What Is a Prehung Door?
- A prehung door is simply a door frame with molding. The door is already hung (hence the term prehung) inside of the frame. The door includes everything you need to install the door. Both sides of the molding are typically installed already. The jambs or door casing are also preinstalled.
- A prehung door makes building faster, plain and simple. The builders only need to slide the door into the frame, level it and then secure it to the frame with nails and caulking. Instead of spending all afternoon crafting hinge recesses and cutting the jambs, carpenters spend about an hour outfitting each doorway with a new door.
- The custom size of the door allows for installation in all homes built to fit standard doors. These doors free up a lot of time for the builders. They also allow any homeowner the ability to install his own doors. Since the door is ready to install, it requires less carpentry skill to put one in. If you are handy with a level and nail gun, the installation is relatively easy, when compared to installation of a custom door.
- It is easy to spot a prehung door before it is installed. The prehung door comes packaged in cardboard and plastic with all the necessary parts included. After the installation, identification is not as easy. In fact, there are few ways to tell the difference. When the doors are installed, the jambs, hings and molding all look the same. That is yet another advantage of these doors.
- When you install a prehung door, take careful note of the variances in the surrounding door frame. Some frames are not perfectly plumb. If the prehung door is not installed perfectly flush, the door will swing too low or too high. Or, it may not close at all. The jambs of the prehung door must be adjusted to fit the frame. Use a level and hand saw to adjust the jambs. Carpenters also install shims in frames that are slightly off plumb. Install them between the door frame and jambs before nailing the door in place.