Possible options for fixing doors in the opening. How to properly assemble a frame for an interior door on your own How to put a door frame

A properly installed door frame provides 90% success in the whole business.

Before you put the door frame, you need to carefully study the basics of this delicate work.

Tools and materials

Tools necessary for work: tape measure, pencil, hammer, square, construction knife, perforator, drill, screwdriver.

Depending on its design, you can use the following tools and materials:

wood saw;
a hacksaw with a small tooth;
miter box;
chisel;
screwdriver;
perforator;
drill;
drill;
construction knife;
roulette;
square;
bubble level;
pencil;
a hammer;
nail puller;
direct suspensions;
self-tapping screws;
dowels;
anchors;
nails;
mounting foam;
glue for MDF;
wedges;
wooden bars;
door frame;
wood putty;
additional elements;
ruberoid;
building mix.

Preparatory work

If the door frame is installed in place of the old one, the latter must first be dismantled. The easiest way to do this is to simply cut the side and top planks in half and pull out the resulting pieces with a nail puller. Sometimes it is necessary to cut the fixing nails and anchors around the perimeter. If there are embedded parts in the opening, it is better to leave them. Subsequently, it will be easier to install a new box on mortgages.

In most cases, an interior door frame can be purchased as a universal kit. You have to assemble and adjust it to the desired size yourself. The box set necessarily includes side and top strips, a threshold or bottom strip for interior doors - a rarity, but may be present. The vestibule can be integral with the slats or be laid on. The box itself is either wooden or MDF. The strips included in the kit are designed for use as part of a block with a door leaf 2 m high and 60-90 cm wide.

You can accurately mark the planks before cutting as follows. The detachable porch is installed in the side strips, which are laid out with the front surface up approximately along the width of the opening. The canvas is placed on the porches between the slats. The top bar is put in place. With a solid porch, it can be applied with the upper side to the canvas, this will not affect the measurements. A uniform gap of 2-3 mm is set along the perimeter of the canvas, for this you can use cardboard scraps, tile corners, or just by eye. We note the location of the canopies on the side bar and canvas.

The hinges are cut before the box is installed in the opening, or better before it is assembled. This makes work more convenient. The bar is laid out on a horizontal surface, the contour of the loop is outlined, excess material is removed with the help of a chisel. It is generally accepted that the canopies are located at a distance of 20 cm from the upper and lower surfaces of the door leaf. For lightweight canvases, amplifiers are made in these places.

The places for cutting the planks are carefully marked with a pencil. For a door with a threshold, the gap to it from the bottom of the leaf is assumed to be 2.5 mm. For a door without a threshold, the clearance under the door is made from 1 to 1.5 cm. On the upper and lower strips with a solid rebate, marks are made opposite the edges of the rebate on the side strips. This will allow you to cut off the extra protruding ledge at the top and bottom to match the corners of the box.

We cut all the strips to the desired size with a hacksaw. A miter box will help cut the elements evenly. On the upper and lower slats, using a hacksaw and a chisel, we remove the extra porch along the serifs. Again we lay out the box on the floor and put the canvas into it with the installation of the necessary gaps. We fix all corners with two self-tapping wood screws 75 mm long with a countersunk head. For self-tapping screws, pre-drill holes of a suitable diameter. If you screw in the screws without drilling, you can split the ends of the slats.

When the width of the opening allows, it is better to reinforce the MDF box on the sides with additional bars. So the structure will become more rigid. Before trying to insert the door frame into the opening, we fasten 3 straight hangers along its outer side surfaces: 2 at the edges and 1 in the middle. A strip of roofing material is nailed to the lower end of the structure with a threshold.

Door frame installation

We install the box in the opening. It should enter freely and not rest anywhere. Everything that interferes must be knocked down. For the option with a threshold, a strobe in the floor may be required. During installation, it is filled with a mortar or a polymer building mixture.

To begin with, the side of the box, on which there will be sheds, is set according to the level in 2 planes and in alignment with the wall. This side can immediately be fixed to the opening with direct suspensions. Approximately the upper bar is set to the horizon. It is checked that it does not touch anything, it is even better to have a small gap for subsequent adjustment.

It is quite difficult to accurately set the top bar and the reciprocal side rack in terms of level.

Fine adjustment is carried out with the curtain hung. Otherwise, there is a high probability that the door will not evenly approach the porch over the entire plane.

The canvas is placed on the canopies, the upper and side counterparts are set with the required clearance around the perimeter and along the narthex. This is done with wedges. 3 reciprocal direct suspensions are screwed.

For models made of MDF with a removable rebate, the box is rigidly fixed to the opening with anchors or long self-tapping screws through the groove for the rebate. In wooden planks, you can hide the location of the fasteners with the help of wood putty that matches the color. MDF versions with a solid rebate can be fixed through the box only in 3 places: under the canopies and the striker of the lock latch. But such fasteners are too close to the edge of the wall and can lead to chips. Therefore, it is better to limit yourself to mounting on direct suspensions and mounting foam.

Before filling the gap with foam, the ends of the opening should be slightly moistened with water. It is desirable to fill in such a way that the foam does not crawl out of the plane of the wall. Cutting it leaves the pores open and reduces the strength and durability of the filling.

So that the foam does not squeeze the opening, it must be wedged. You can simply leave the canvas in the opening, and put cardboard scraps in the gaps. If the door opens into the room, this will not work. You will have to use scraps of wooden bars and wedged them in the opening.

After a day, the foam will harden. The removable porch is fixed with glue. For reliability, you can add small carnations with bitten off hats. It remains to draw an opening and embed fittings. When you want to have a platband on both sides of the opening, and the width of the box is less than the thickness of the wall, additional trims are used.

A properly installed door frame provides 90% success in installing the door frame as a whole.

Diagram of a door frame in a wall opening.

Before you put the door frame, you need to carefully study the basics of this delicate work.

Tools and materials

Tools necessary for work: tape measure, pencil, hammer, square, construction knife, perforator, drill, screwdriver.

Depending on its design, you can install the door frame using the following tools and materials:

wood saw;
a hacksaw with a small tooth;
miter box;
chisel;
screwdriver;
perforator;
drill;
drill;
construction knife;
roulette;
square;
bubble level;
pencil;
a hammer;
nail puller;
direct suspensions;
self-tapping screws;
dowels;
anchors;
nails;
mounting foam;
glue for MDF;
wedges;
wooden bars;
door frame;
wood putty;
additional elements;
ruberoid;
building mix.

Preparatory work

Cross section of door frames of different types.

Scheme of installation of door hinges.

Door frame installation

Door frame installation diagram.

It is quite difficult to accurately set the top bar and the reciprocal side rack in terms of level.

Fine adjustment is carried out with the curtain hung. Otherwise, there is a high probability that the door will not evenly approach the porch over the entire plane.

Saving on repairs is not always good, but if there is a person with hands and brains, he will cope with any task on his own. When buying a door block in the supplier's kit, the box is attached unassembled. In order to learn how to correctly and accurately assemble and install the door frame of an interior door with your own hands, you need to familiarize yourself with the video, which is accompanied by instructions.

Not all apartments renovate from scratch. Often they simply replace the old door with a new one. In this case, it is necessary to dismantle - remove the old door block, and prepare the opening for the installation of a new one. Usually, the procedure is performed without preserving the old canvas and door frame, so it is carried out by rough breaking them out. But accuracy does not hurt if the owner does not want to re-finish the walls and corners of the doorway.

First, remove the door panel. The door can be removed from the card hinges by lifting it, and the universal ones must be unscrewed from one side.

Remove the cashing, screwed with self-tapping screws (unscrew with a screwdriver or screwdriver). If the cash is nailed, pry it off with a wide chisel and remove the nails with pliers.

Determine the location of its attachment to the opening. Usually fastened in the recess for loops.

Cut off all the mounting foam with which the door frame was sealed. Removed with a sharp knife.

Advice. When sealing the door frame with plaster, arm yourself with a chisel: lightly tap it with a hammer to remove all excess.

Remove the whole box from the doorway. Lay on a horizontal plane and disassemble it. If the preservation of the canvas and box is not necessary, then they can be removed with a hammer, an ax and a nail crowbar. There is no special algorithm of actions here - break with all your might. This way will bring a lot of pleasure.

Choosing an interior door block

When choosing a door block, it is worth considering:

Opening method. The most popular are swing doors. With a lack of space, sliding compartment doors are used. They are mounted in a special way and open along the guide rails, sliding into a special recess in the wall. Folding (in the form of an accordion) and stable (representing 2 halves of the canvas, swinging open in both directions) are much less commonly used. They are matched to the appropriate design of the room.

Noise isolation. This quality is affected not only by the canvas, but also by the frame of the interior door, as well as cashiers.

Canvas weight. This factor depends solely on the material from which the door is made. The heavier it is, the better the fittings should be.

Execution material. Doors are made from solid wood, MDF and chipboard. Products made of solid wood are considered the highest quality, the downside is the weight of such a door.

Advice. When choosing an interior door unit, consult the seller about its fire safety class. So, the door will protect you not only from noise, but also from fire.

Marking and measurements

Before assembling the door frame, it is necessary to make several accurate measurements and mark up the materials. The door block is installed after the floors are ready and the walls are finished.

Measurements are taken according to the height, width and thickness of the doorway. Indications should be indicated with an accuracy of 0.01 cm. If the measurement is inaccurate, a do-it-yourself door may not fit snugly, or creak when opened / closed.

Of course, there are certain standards for door frames:

kitchen - 60 x 200 cm;

living rooms - 70-80 x 200 cm;

bathroom - 60 x 190-195 cm.

But taking into account the old buildings, the violation of the geometry of the opening and the difference in the thickness of the walls, it is better to play it safe and measure everything again. This will guarantee the correct operation of the door unit as a whole.

To take measurements, you must have the following tools at hand:

yardstick;

pencil or marker;

square;

Go to measurement:

Measure the height and width of the opening. To determine the correct horizontal, the width is measured by the floor level.

Determine the dimensions of the door leaf. To do this, it is necessary to subtract the width of the door frame beam, multiplied by 2, from the width of the opening, and round the result to a hundred. For example, if the measurement of the opening showed 90 cm, and the width of the box beam was 25 mm, then the dimensions of the canvas are calculated using a simple formula (900 - 25 * 2 = 850). On the basis of which the canvas should be 80 cm. The height is determined in a similar way.

Separately measure the openings in the bathroom and bathroom. Here, due to the nut, which prevents water from flowing out, the height is much less.

Calculate the depth of the door block. To do this, measure the thickness of the wall.

Before installing the door frame, it is also necessary to check the level of the floor. It is important that the floor is level. This measurement is made using the building level. The difference between the racks of the door frame should not exceed 2 mm.

Door frame assembly diagram

On sale the door unit is found in the assembled state or in parts. In the first case, the canvas is matched to the block, and all parameters are adjusted by the manufacturer. If the acquired door does not fit into the opening, then it is expanded. In the second case, you can purchase parts of the door frame and the leaf separately and fit the block to the doorway.

To assemble the door frame you will need:

self-tapping screws;
screwdriver or screwdriver;

hacksaw with a blade for wood and metal;

pencil or marker.

So, let's start assembling the door frame.

On a flat horizontal surface (floor or large table) we spread the material that will serve as protection against scratches during assembly.

We lay out 2 vertical bars, a disassembled box. They have a vestibule - special grooves that fix the canvas.

We put the door leaf into the porch, leaving a gap of 2-3 mm.

We align the racks of the box and apply the top bar.

Mark the length of the top of the box and cut off the excess. It’s worth cutting strictly in size, but if you missed a little, it doesn’t matter, the trim will hide small flaws.

Screw the top rail to the uprights with self-tapping screws or carefully nail it.

Measure the doorway again and cut off the excess.

The doors to the bathrooms are equipped with a threshold. Measure another short threshold beam in the same way as the top rail.

The door frame is ready for installation.

Hardware installation

After you managed to assemble the door frame, you need to install hinges on it. They will look more aesthetically pleasing, hinges screwed at the same height at each of the doors.

Without removing the door block from the horizontal surface, after assembling it, attach the fittings to the intended place and circle the dotted line with a sharp pencil. Remove the door leaf and use a chisel to cut out a piece of wood with a depth corresponding to the thickness of the canopy card. Attach the fittings and pierce the twisting points with an awl. Screw the awnings with self-tapping screws. Part of it with a flag, on which the loop will be hung, is mounted on the rack, and the loop on the door leaf.

You can also screw the hardware onto the door frame after it is installed, but you will have to do this while holding the door leaf in the air. One cannot do this operation for sure.

Installing the interior door frame in the opening

After all the preparatory steps for installing the door frame in the opening have been completed, you can proceed with the installation. In order for the U-shaped structure not to “drive”, it is necessary to install auxiliary strips (struts) on it, two are enough - from the bottom and in the middle of the rack.

In order to check the correct geometry of the frame, you must use a plumb line or level. A plumb line is easy to construct using twine and a bolt, tying it to a hat.

After placing the structure in the indicated place, check the verticality of the racks again. Do not be too lazy to do this, in case of unevenness, the door will not close. This procedure is carried out on both sides of each rack.

The box is mounted with anchor bolts. They will fix the door block and prevent its deformation. To do this, it is necessary to drill 3 through holes in the racks directly into the opening, and then tighten the bolts.

The gaps between the door frame and the opening are eliminated with foam. In order not to stain the front side of the structure, it is necessary to glue it with masking tape. Fill the voids with foam carefully, taking into account the fact that when it hardens, it increases the volume by 30-40%. In order to prevent the box from moving, it is necessary to install wooden spacers. After the foam dries, they are removed.

Final stage

The final stage is the installation of platbands on the door frame. They give the door block an aesthetic appearance and hide minor installation flaws.

First of all, the length of the clypeus is determined. To do this, you can use the size table, or determine it yourself by measuring the length and width of the structure at the extreme point of the box. To join the architraves, it is necessary to make a side cut at an angle of 45 °. You can use a miter box (a special device that allows you to cut wood products according to the given angle parameters) or a jigsaw, having previously measured the required angle with a protractor.

Further, each of the side trim is nailed to the box with two nails (bottom and middle). The upper horizontal platband is measured and sawed with an angle of 45 °. After that, all 3 strips are finally nailed.

Advice. In order for the nails not to peek out of the lining of the casing, they must be drowned. Cut out with a drill, with a diameter corresponding to the size of the nail head, a recess of 1-1.5 mm.

When cutting the bars of the door frame, use a hacksaw or a jigsaw. Their small teeth will not allow you to chip.

When installing a solid wood leaf, use 3 sheds. So the heavy door will last longer, and the hinges will not sag. A third loop is cut in the middle of the door frame or shifted up.

Doors for the kitchen and living rooms should be 1-2 cm from the floor level. This is done to ensure ventilation. Also, small ventilation grilles are cut into the kitchen door so that when the gas leaks, it does not concentrate in one room.

If the room has thick walls, and this was not taken into account when choosing a door, then it turns out that the width of the box is less than the width of the opening. To correct such a defect, an addition is used. Bars or boards that completely block the bare wall.

At the final installation of the door frame, in order for the foam to set better, it is necessary to wet the surface with a spray gun.

Now you are definitely ready to install the door frame for the interior door. The proposed video describes in more detail some of the stages of this difficult process.

How to install an interior door: video

Interroom doors today are the integral attribute of each interior. A variety of models allows you to make your room not only practical, but also original. But this feature largely depends on the correct installation of the door frame of the interior door. Therefore, before starting such an operation, you should familiarize yourself with the main nuances of this procedure.

Door types

Interior doors are structures that play only a decorative role, so the strength parameters are not so important here. Manufacturers try to make their products as comfortable and beautiful as possible. The main criterion for the classification of interior paintings is the material from which they are made. Depending on this, there are several types of doors:

Fiberboard. The basis is wooden bars, to which thin wood boards are attached. To protect the surface of the material, it is laminated and coated with several layers of varnish. This type of product is the cheapest, but also short-lived. Often they are complemented by a box with a threshold. Experts do not recommend installing these doors in the bathroom or in the kitchen, where there is poor ventilation.

MDF. Cloths are much more expensive than fiberboard products. The products are characterized by an optimal price-quality ratio. Therefore, many buyers prefer MDF doors. The material resists moisture well, and also has high sound insulation rates.
Natural tree. Solid wood doors are unique and beautiful products that are perfect for any interior. The substance is very well processed, which allows you to give it a different shape. Therefore, such doors are very often decorated with carvings, which makes them even more beautiful.

They are complemented by a telescopic or simple box, which allows you to mount the platbands more efficiently. Door leafs are made from various tree species, among which the most popular are pine, oak, ash, maple, mahogany and many others.

There are many other classifications of interior doors that take into account their technical parameters and design features. They can be single or double-leaf, and the surface itself can be smooth or complemented by curly cutouts and glass inserts.

What will be needed?

Installation of interior doors involves not only a careful approach, but also the use of high-quality auxiliary tools. To perform such tasks, you will need the following standard set of products:

Saw. It should be sharp and have small teeth, which will prevent the appearance of chips on the surface of the box.
Drill and a set of drills. The type of tool depends on the material of the wall to which the frame will be attached. It is important that the drills can drill holes in brick, concrete, etc. In some cases, you may need a hammer drill and several drills.
Screwdriver and nozzles for a certain type of fasteners.
Tape measure and pencil for marking.

Level.
Fasteners. In most cases, you will need some wood screws, as well as wall plugs. Sometimes you can use special anchors.
Mounting foam.
Expanding elements. They are needed to fix the box in the opening. Often wooden wedges are used for this. Therefore, you need to stock up on wood, from which it will later be possible to form several similar products.

This list is not universal, as it depends on the type of door frame and how it is installed.

Installation subtleties

Installing the door frame of an interior door is a complex procedure that requires certain skills and patience. You need to start by preparing a working tool, as well as choosing a mounting method. In most cases installation is carried out using anchors, which securely fix the frame.

How to assemble?

The procedure for installing the box begins with its assembly. This design can be of several types. Today, U-shaped frames are increasingly used, which exclude the presence of a threshold. But there are also rectangular structures that are also used quite often.

Factory models are often already prepared for assembly, as they are pre-finished to give a beautiful look. If you decide to build a box of wooden beams yourself, then it must be thoroughly dried and polished.

Assembling the box involves performing several sequential operations:

Initially, you need to lay out the bars on a flat horizontal surface. Often, a floor is used for this, which is covered with paper or film to prevent damage to the door leaf.
The assembly of the box begins with measurements. It is important that the width of the opening is slightly larger than the door leaf itself.
When all the data is known, the elements of the box should be connected into a single structure. They can be connected in several basic ways. The simplest is the connection at 90 degrees. To do this, the upper bar from the ends is cut at a given angle.

It is important that the cut surface is smooth and without distortions. After that, the vertical support is attached to the transverse bar and screwed.

These elements can also be connected at an angle of 45 degrees. To do this, a corner is cut off on each bar. After docking both structures, they should also form 90 degrees. Please note that even the smallest deviations should not be allowed, since the operation of the entire system depends on this.
When you have fitted all the bars, you can connect them together. To do this, use nails or screws. It is advisable to drive 2 fasteners in each docking side. It is important that after assembly the box is held as firmly as possible, and the elements do not move relative to each other. If you plan to organize a threshold, then it is attached to the supports like a top bar. It is also important to connect this part as evenly as possible.

After assembling the box, you should start attaching the hinges. To do this, the frame is laid on the floor and leveled. After that, grooves for the hinges are cut out on one of the sides on the vertical stand. Experts recommend placing them at a distance of 20 cm from the upper and lower edges. Grooves are formed using a chisel or milling cutter.
When the hinges are attached, place the door leaf inside the box and mark their locations on it. To do this, the product is aligned with the frame, and then loops are applied and places are marked.

The grooves on the door are cut in the same way as on the box.

How to install correctly?

Do-it-yourself installation of a door frame involves several sequential operations:

Before installing the product, you need to measure the structure and the doorway. It is important that the structure fits into the hole, which should be slightly larger than it.
After that, you need to carefully lift and insert the box into the opening. It is necessary to install the structure on a flat surface to avoid distortions. The ends of the product must coincide with one of the sides of the wall. This is important if the wireframe width is less than this value.
It is important that the box stands exactly in all planes. Therefore, you need to align it and fix it in this position. For this, wooden spacers are used, which are installed between the frame and the wall.

How to fix?

Mounting the structure is the final stage of the installation of this product. This process consists from several successive stages:

Several mounting holes are drilled in the fixed box. In this case, a wood drill is used, which only the frame passes through.
To form holes in the wall for the dowel, use a long concrete drill. With it, marks are made through previously drilled holes on the surface of vertical supports. Please note that the diameter of the drill should not be larger than the hole in the tree, as then you will not be able to fix the system with a self-tapping screw.
At this stage, you need to remove the box and drill holes of a larger diameter in the marked places on the wall. They must fit under the plastic dowel or anchor that will be used for this purpose.
When everything is ready, the box is put back into place, leveled and fixed with wedges. If all is well, you can screw the frame to the wall with self-tapping screws in several places. In this case, it is important to constantly monitor the position of the box relative to various planes.
The procedure ends with filling the slots with mounting foam and hanging the doors on the hinges.

Replacement methods

Very often, interior doors are installed in place of already worn-out systems. This, in turn, involves the dismantling of the old box. To replace the old design, you can use several methods:

Dismantling with the destruction of the frame. This approach involves removing the old box using brute force. Both crowbars and saws are used here, which divide it into several separate parts. After that, they are already installing a new system.
Disassembly of the structure with the preservation of the frame. If the doors are still in good condition and can be used elsewhere, carefully remove the box. To do this, sequentially remove all screws or other fasteners. Then the foam is removed, which fixes the product additionally. This will allow you to easily remove the box later, while maintaining its integrity.

This step-by-step guide is not universal, as the replacement of the box takes place taking into account specific design features.

If the door clings to the threshold

Wooden doors are prone to warping. Even if you installed the structure and checked the correctness of its course, this does not mean that it will always be so. Very often the canvas begins to cling to the threshold.

Installing an MDF door frame is often seen as an alternative to installing a real wood product. In principle, both of these options have a right to exist: both wood and a composite based on pressed fiber do their job quite well, so MDF is quite suitable for most designs.

However, the installation technology of such boxes has its own characteristics, and in the article I will talk about them, based not only on the opinions of experts, but also on my own experience.

What is this design?

Product Features

The door frame is a profile structure that is installed in the opening and serves as the basis for fastening door hinges, lock strikers and other elements. The main function of the frame is to keep the shape of the door so that the door leaf can move freely, so it is very important that the product has sufficient rigidity and stability.

Important!
Sometimes there are also frameless doors - designs in which the hinges are recessed directly into the opening with the help of pins.
However, such a solution is implemented only in conditions of a shortage of free space, for example, when arranging toilets and bathrooms in standard apartments.

The standard material for the manufacture of boxes is a wooden beam, but recently it has been increasingly replaced by MDF panels or composite options.

They are characterized by the following structure:

The product is based on strips of pressed cellulose fiber impregnated with an adhesive composition.. This material is characterized by high density and significant uniformity, which provides the necessary strength and density.
In the production of blanks for door frames, the strips are profiled, i.e. they are given the shape necessary for a snug fit of the door leaf.
A decorative coating is applied to the surface of the material, which not only provides the product with an attractive appearance, but also protects the base from contact with moisture.

To date, the market presents door frames with various types of coatings:

decorative material	Peculiarities
Melamine paper	MDF with paper coating belongs to the economy segment. In the production of profiled parts, they are pasted over with thick paper with a printed pattern (sometimes with a texture), and then covered with several layers of protective varnish. Despite varnishing, paper-coated products are not durable: when rubbed, the paper layer quickly loses strength, and when wet, it swells and gradually degrades.
PVC film	Products laminated with PVC film occupy about 70% of the entire market. They are characterized by an attractive appearance combined with good performance: the film used for decoration is moisture resistant and retains the brightness of the shade for a long time.
Veneer	Natural wood veneer is the most expensive, but at the same time the most beautiful coating. Outwardly, such products are almost indistinguishable from those made of solid wood, but they do not last so long. The thing is that even high-quality glued veneer can peel off with regular moisture and temperature changes.

It is also worth noting that in addition to door frames made only from MDF, there are also prefabricated options: they are based on a wooden beam, on which a stamped profile part is attached.

I have used such parts several times and I must admit that they are quite technologically advanced, and the composite structure really strikes a balance between lightness and mechanical strength.

Advantages and disadvantages

The installation of an MDF door frame provides us with a number of advantages:

The material is somewhat lighter than natural wood, therefore it is easier to work with it, and it has less load on the supporting structures.

The homogeneous structure ensures that there are no delaminations and cracks, while the fasteners hold very well in the MDF.
The use of various technologies makes it possible to imitate expensive wood species at minimal cost: for example, the price of a veneered, and even more so laminated version for oak or wenge will be much lower than that of a solid wood product.

This solution also has disadvantages:

Cheap MDF panels swell with prolonged contact with moisture, which can lead to a change in the geometry of the doorway.
If you make a mistake and choose a door frame that is too thin, then a heavy canvas can provoke its deformation.
As I noted above, the decorative coating can peel off from the base, so you need to use the product carefully enough.

Advice!
Unlike MDF products, boxes made of natural wood are quite easy to restore: the array can always be sanded, restoring its original beauty.
Well, almost original.

Finally, the downside is the more complex assembly of the MDF door frame: the assembly of parts using mechanical fasteners must be carried out with preliminary drilling, then both nails and self-tapping screws will not cause cracking of thin panels.

And yet, an extensive range of such parts and their affordable cost take their toll: even premium doors can be equipped with MDF boxes, so we should figure out how to mount them correctly.

Mounting technology

Tools and materials

The technology for mounting MDF door frames is quite simple so that even a novice master can implement the project with his own hands.

To work, we need the following tools:

saw on MDF (hacksaw, reciprocating or circular saw);
perforator;
drill;
screwdriver;
level;
plumb;
roulette;
a hammer;

In addition to the blanks for the door frame themselves, other materials will also be needed:

anchor dowels with metal or plastic sleeves;
self-tapping screws;
wooden bars for the manufacture of wedges;
self-expanding polyurethane foam.

In addition, cement mortar may be required to restore the geometry of the opening itself, but this must be determined on site.

Box assembly

To make the design stable enough, we need to mount the . How to properly assemble an MDF door frame - I will tell you in this section.

The main requirement for the box in which the canvas will be located is rectangularity. That is why we need to perform all operations on a perfectly flat, stable surface - for example, on a floor covered with a tarpaulin or non-woven material.

We work in this way:

We lay the door leaf on the floor.
On the sides of the door we place blanks for the vertical racks of the box.
We cut the blanks in height, leaving a gap of 2-3 mm in the upper part and 2-3 mm below the threshold.

Important!
If the presence of a threshold is not provided, then we make a gap from the floor of about 12-13 mm: the gap in the lower part will not only provide ventilation, but also allow us to open the door without catching the floor covering, carpets, etc. with the canvas.

We also cut the upper bar of the box in width, making the side clearance also about 3 mm.

You can do this in three ways:

The first technique is a spike connection. It is the most time-consuming, in addition, it requires the presence of a milling cutter, but on the other hand, the strength of the join increases significantly. Before assembling the MDF door frame, we cut out spikes and depressions at the ends of the parts, allowing you to fit the planks close to each other. We assemble the frame of the future door with glue, further reinforcing the assembly with self-tapping screws passed through.
The second method of installation is docking at an angle. We put the MDF panels to be joined in a miter box and cut them off at 450. We attach the parts to each other, adjust, cutting off thin layers of material with a breadboard knife, and then fasten them with self-tapping screws, screwing them also at an angle. You can also glue the joint, but glue plays an auxiliary role here.

Advice!
As in the case of a tenon joint, it must be remembered that when attaching a vertical and horizontal part, the linear dimensions of the box will be reduced by the thickness of the panel.
Therefore, during the initial adjustment, it is worth laying the necessary margin.

The easiest way is to join the parts at right angles. To do this, we place the horizontal bar at the ends of the vertical racks (if necessary, you can cut out part of the protruding porch), align and fix it with one or two through screws. To avoid cracking the MDF, it is worth drilling several holes with a drill, the diameter of which will be about 2 mm smaller than the diameter of the fastener.

After assembling the box, it is advisable to check the perpendicularity of its parts.

Door hinges

I usually do the operation like this:

First, I determine the place of attachment of the hinges, taking into account the direction of opening the door. To do this, either I apply a canvas with loops already fixed and mark it, or I measure 20 cm from above and below, and draw lines in accordance with the width of the support plates.

Important!
For interior doors, two attachment points are enough, while for an entrance structure, three or even four hinges may be needed.

On the marked lines with a sharp knife I make cuts to a depth of 2-3 mm.
Using a sharp chisel and a carpenter's hammer, I make a selection, the depth of which corresponds to the thickness of the hinge base plate.
I carefully level the bottom of the sample with coarse sandpaper.
I apply the loop to the sample and put marks on the box opposite each mounting hole.
According to the marks, I drill the starting sockets, and then fix the loop with self-tapping screws, twisting them with a screwdriver and “reaching out” with a Phillips screwdriver.

Sometimes doors are completed with non-separable hinges. In this case, the parts are installed on the canvas, and they are attached to the box already at the time of hanging. However, I don’t really like this design, so I prefer the classic version.

Mounting the box in the opening

The installation process itself takes a minimum of time - in any case, compared with the preparatory operations. There are several installation methods, some of which involve the use of special steel hangers.

I do something like this:

I clean the doorway from protruding elements (old fasteners, plaster residues, etc.). If necessary, I carry out its repair using cement mortar.
I insert the assembled box into the opening and align it horizontally, vertically and flat.

Wedging control

I fill the gap with self-expanding foam, trying not to leave any voids.
If necessary, I drill holes under the hinge support strips and under the strike plate of the lock, through which I twist several anchors that rigidly fix the box in the opening.

Important!
If the porch at the box is made in the form of a removable bar, then I drill holes in the groove for the porch in increments of about 40 cm and also fix it.

I hang the doors on the hinges, check if they move freely, and close them until the foam is completely polymerized.

In parallel with the installation of the door frame or after the completion of this operation, it is also possible to install slope strips - the so-called extensions. Together with the platbands, these elements will completely block the mounting gap, masking the fasteners and a layer of heat-insulating material.

Conclusion

Assembling a door frame from MDF, as well as installing it in a doorway, is not so much difficult as labor-intensive processes. The result largely depends on the accuracy of the master and on taking into account all the nuances, so before you take up the saw, you should study the video in this article. If you still have questions after watching, you can ask them in the comments to the material.