How To Make A Door Frame For French Doors

Measure from the floor up and add 1 inch for the bottom and 2 inches for the top jamb.

How to make a door frame for french doors.

In this video i make a set of custom frame panel french doors for my shop. Hanging these doors involves a similar process to hanging an entry door. Standard framing for a set of french doors varies only in its framed width compared with standard door framing. Step 2 cut frame.

I love the arts crafts style furniture so i picked some simple doors to practice so one day i can tackle my front door at home. This is the actual thickness of a 2x4. The three point system locks the door to the head jamb and the sill instead of just to each other. This adds up to a total of 51 1 4 inches for the width of the opening.

And for the greatest stability a major requirement for entry doors i decided to make the stiles and rails using stave construction a building method commonly used by exterior door manufacturers rather than solid lumber. Lay the door flat on your work table. So if the doors are 24 inches wide leave a 1 4 inch gap between doors and between each door and the jamb. Add those measurements to the size of both doors and add an additional 1 1 4 inch to obtain the final dimensions.

The key to this project is a new router bit set designed expressly for french doors. Drill holes into each corner of the frame and slide the mullion into place. Measure the cutout centers of the doors and buy glass to fit. Cut the door header.

After you find the width of the frame then calculate the height of the door frame. You will need to add 1 2 of plywood between the 2x4 s to get the right wall thickness of 3 1 2. Just with any other type of door make sure the door is hung plumb inside the door frame so that your doors stay open when desired and close tightly. To make the door header the top of the door frame cut two 2x4s to the same length as the width of the original opening and nail them securely together.

And don t forget that the jamb is usually 1 inch thick with another 1 4 inch space between the frame and the jamb.