Is this a project a single mom can tackle successfully, or should I hire a professional? What are the hardest parts of the job so I can decide if I want to do this? The existing walls are just 2 x 4s covered with regular drywall. Maggie L. I feel it's very possible for you to do this job entirely by yourself. The hardest part of the job, in my opinion, is just the technical aspect of hanging the door. But recently I taped a series of step-by-step videos showing exactly how to do that.
Believe me, no one part of the job is that hard, it's just that there are many steps you have to take from the start to the finish. You can see the "bones" of the wall that was created to transform an open archway into a wall with a door. The good news is there's no structural work involved. Any beams that span over the archway between the two rooms have already been installed.
All you need to do is fill the opening with wood studs, create the rough opening for your new door, add the drywall to cover the wall studs, install the new door and trim, and then paint. If your existing opening has been wrapped with drywall, there's probably metal cornerbead at the corners. It's best if you remove this hidden metal from the corners. You do this with a simple metal pry bar. Remove the small piece of drywall that's been nailed to the face of each wall stud on either side of the opening.
You're now ready to rough in the wall studs to close up the opening. You'll build a wall in the opening just like a normal carpenter would. The wall should have a bottom and top plate. These are simply 2x4s that lie flat on the floor and across the top of the opening. The vertical wall studs are nailed to these plates. When you create the rough opening for the doorway, it's best if you have the actual pre-hung door with you at your house.
Take great care to make sure the wall studs you use are as straight as possible. This is very critical at the door opening. Select wall studs here that are perfectly straight. Be sure the rough wall is perfectly plumb. Temporarily screw or nail the top and bottom plate into position as you check the wall for plumb.
Once you feel it's plumb, you then attach strings across the rough door opening going from the four corners of the opening creating the letter X. Please log in with your username or email to continue. No account yet?
Create an account. Edit this Article. We use cookies to make wikiHow great. By using our site, you agree to our cookie policy. Cookie Settings. Learn why people trust wikiHow. Download Article Explore this Article parts. Tips and Warnings. Things You'll Need. Related Articles. Part 1. All rights reserved. This image may not be used by other entities without the express written consent of wikiHow, Inc. Find the dimensions of your doorway to determine the height of your arch. Put the end of the measuring tape at the top of the doorway, and extend it down to the floor to find the height.
Aim to have the top of the arch extend about 4 inches 10 cm down from the frame so people can comfortably walk through it. Avoid extending the arch down too far in your doorway since taller people may not be able to fit through it comfortably.
Try to keep the top of your arch about 78—80 inches — cm from the floor. Mark the top and bottom edges of your arch on a sheet of plywood. Use your measuring tape to mark 4 inches 10 cm in from the short side of the plywood sheet. Then make another mark 10 inches 25 cm down from the first one for the bottom corner of your arch.
Snap a chalk line across the plywood so you have 2 parallel lines. Draw lines from the center of the arch to the bottom corners. Divide the width measurement of the doorway by 2 and measure that distance in from the edge of the plywood. Make a mark on the top line you drew for the middle of your arch.
Use a straightedge or your chalk line to draw a line from the mark you just made down to the ends of the line for the bottom edge of your arch. These lines will help you draw a perfect curve for your arch. Make perpendicular lines extending from the midpoints of the lines you drew. Find the midpoint of one of the lines you just drew and mark it with a pencil.
Place the right angle of a speed square on the mark you made and start drawing a perpendicular line with your pencil. Repeat the process with the line on the other side of the arch to make another perpendicular line.
Use a straightedge or a chalk line to extend the lines down the plywood until they intersect. Double check your measurements to make sure they are accurate before moving on.
That way, you can catch any errors before you make any cuts. Place a nail where the lines intersect and hook your tape measure to it. Find the point where the 2 lines intersect one another and tap a nail into the plywood. The nail acts as a pivot point and will help you draw a curve for the top of your archway. Tape measures have holes in the end so you can easily attach them to a nail. Trace the curve of the arch with the measuring tape and a pencil.
Hold a pencil on the mark next to your tape measure, and move it toward the side of the plywood. Since the tape measure is locked in place, it will draw a curve that stops at the end of the bottom line. Move the tape measure to the other side to finish the other side of the arch.
Be gentle with the tape measure since it may still extend slightly if you pull on it hard enough. Part 2. Use a jigsaw to cut out the side of your archway. Turn on your jigsaw and slowly follow along the line you drew to make a precise cut. Trace the piece you just cut out to make the other side of the arch.
Once you have the first piece of your archway cut out, trace it onto the plywood with a pencil so your pieces are identical. Use your jigsaw to cut the other piece out from the plywood. Clamp the 2 pieces of plywood together if you need to make adjustments to both to ensure that they stay the same.
Leave about 2—3 inches 5. Drive screws into the middle of the board every 3—4 inches 7. Then screw 2 vertical boards that are each 10 inches 25 cm long on the sides of the frame so the short edges are flush with the top board.
Slide the archway you built over the board on the frame and nail it in place. Once your archway is at the correct height, have a helper hold it in place while you drive 3 in 7.
Be sure to wear safety glasses when using a nail gun. Part 3. Nail drywall pieces onto the archway. Cut out 2 pieces of drywall that are 14 inches 36 cm tall and the same width as your door frame using a utility knife. Make sure the new pieces match the thickness of your existing drywall.
Hold one of the pieces against the archway so the top edges are flush with one another and nail it in place every 3—4 inches 7.
Wear safety glasses when you install drywall since the dust could get in your eyes.
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