| Guide to Cutting out Internal Doorway |
So you need to cut out a doorway in an existing solid wall as a DIY
home improvement project. Before you can get started here is a guide
to help you please read same carefully.
The purpose of this guide is aimed at informing, educating DIY-ers who
are looking for guidance on home improvement projects. In addition the
guide will provide you with information on materials and building
methods. Another intended benefit is to serve as a briefing document,
to enable you to prepare and develop a formal plan if required.
Step 1
First you have to make sure of what's inside the wall that you want to
cut the doorway into. Is there any plumbing or central heating
pipe-work, or may be electrical wiring? Of course, any electrical
switches or plug sockets on that wall will be quiet visible and alert
you that there are electrical cables in that wall. Bear in mind that,
electrical wiring may also run around a room parallel with the floor,
so always be careful when you first start cutting into the wall. Start
of this processes very carefully; the last thing you want is to cut
straight through an electrical cable or water pipe.
Step 2
Next step is to check, if the wall is load-bearing or not. It's a
completely different process entirely when you are dealing with load
bearing structure, as you'll have to support the space above when you
remove the structure below. This involves working out what is going on
with the direction of the floor load. Once you completely happy that
and you've supported the load above, you can start cutting the opening
in the wall using the correct power tools for the job. Remember this
type of cutting away raises a lot of dust, so make sure to cover up
everything. Seal off all the doorways, and use dust sheets to protect
the floor area. Always have a vacuum cleaner ready and at different
stages of the project use same to suck up all the dust as you proceed.
This process will certainly help to provide a dust management strategy
for the entire project.
Step 3
The height of the door opening needs to allow for, the door height
plus the thickness of the lintel. So if the door opening height for
instance, is (6'6") you're have to add on the thickness of the lintel
and this is now the size opening you will need to cut. If the width of
the door for instance, 30", then you want to cut the opening in the
wall 32" two inches bigger than the door size. This allows you 1"
either side of the door to allow you room if the opening you have cut
is not exactly plumb, you now have the have room for shimming the
doorjamb plumb before trimming it. Having completed all this, you can
now slide your frame into the wall opening, and start to plumb and fix
your frame.
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