How to Go About boarding up a doorway boarding up houses a Door

Protecting vacant investment properties against the elements is possible by putting boarding up doorway a door with a board. While it may not be able to prevent all damage, it can reduce certain problems caused by severe storms.

The idea of boarding up doors and windows can also deter trespassers, vandals, and squatters. Placing plywood boards over doors and windows can be costly and time-consuming.

Measure the Door

The first thing you'll need is tape measure. It is also advisable to keep a chair or ladder on hand in case you need to get a better look at the top of the frame. If you have to use these tools, make sure to wear gloves and goggles.

Once you have the measuring instrument, start by taking the door width measurement. This can be done by running the tape measure horizontally across the door. Be sure to take out all other parts of the door, for instance the sweep, when measuring. Then, measure the height by measuring from the floor to the current sill plate or lintel. It is essential to measure in multiple locations, especially when measuring doors that are older as they might not be an exact rectangular shape. If the measurements vary take the largest number.

After you've recorded the width and height measurements then you'll have to determine what size board you'll need for the frame. It should be at a minimum 2'' wider and 1 inch taller than the door. 2'' higher. This will allow you enough space to shim the door and frame in place.

It's a great idea remove the trim or casing around the jambs of your door to see the studs. This will let you determine the exact distance between the studs of the frame and the edge.

After you have removed the trim, measure the width of your door frame using the tape measure. Measure the frame at three different locations and then use the most compact measurement. Also, you should measure the frame's height from top to bottom, on both sides. Use the shortest measurement to determine the width of your door.

If you're having trouble with these measurements it's best at this point to consult an expert and ask them to come to your home to take the measurements for you. They'll be able to tell you exactly what kind of door and size you need and how to prepare the frame to accommodate the door you want to buy.

Plywood can be cut into pieces

A door frame is typically composed of studs or thin boards that create an open space around the door. Two hinges are connected to the studs and keep a typical door in position. If you wish to finish the door, you'll need to remove it from its hinges overnight. Placing plywood into the door's opening is a great way to board doors and stop insects from getting into your home. It's easy to do this without having to nail or screw the plywood onto the frame of the door.

Plywood is easy to work with, cheap and looks beautiful once completed. It is the perfect material to make a temporary solution to a problem in which you need to remove the door you have in place to refinish or install an entirely new one. It can be used to secure the opening of a room that is being renovated, such as a basement or construction site.

For a wall constructed of plywood begin by measuring the width and height of the door opening. Draw the measurements on the plywood with an utility knife and a drywall square or another metal straight edge. Next, snap a chalk line across the lines you have marked to mark the areas you want to cut. Then you can use circular saws to cut out the plywood to size.

When cutting the plywood, it is essential to protect your eyes and Boarding up doors ears. Wear earplugs or goggles that are protective whenever possible. It is also important to use a sharp blade with many teeth, which will permit you to cut quickly and without any tear-out. To minimize the chance of cutting pieces of wood from the edges of the cut using a small piece of wood as an example to guide the blade and hold it only a hair's length away from the mark while cutting.

Attaching a pair or short braces to each end is a good way to secure the plywood in place, without putting screws into the studs. Put one of the braces on the side of the door, and the one on the outside. Then, insert two 1-1/2-inch deck screws in each of the holes, and tighten them with an open-end wrench.

Fix the Plywood

It's time to join the panel to the frame after you have the wood sheet cut to the proper size and the holes for the rails and stiles of the door frame have been predrilled. This is a relatively straightforward project that does not require a lot of carpentry expertise, as long as you follow the correct procedures and use the proper tools.

Start by setting 24 hour emergency boarding up a worktable near the doorway. There are two sawhorses and 2-by-4 framing lumber at each end of the table. Lay the entire sheet of plywood flat on top the sawhorses using the marks left by the measurement process to guide you to cut. Utilize a utility knife and a metal straight edge to score the lines. This will serve as a guideline for the saw blade and prevent splintering when you cut the plywood.

Put on eye protection and cut along the scored lines with a circular saw or table saw fitted with a fine-tooth blade. Sand the edges of the panel using 120-grit paper to smooth it out and eliminate any burrs. After sanding the plywood panels then apply a wood sealer and let it dry according to the instructions of the manufacturer.

Install the hinges onto the frame of your door. If you're using T hinges, make holes in the outside of the door for the strap parts of the hinges. Then, you can screw the hinge's outside edge to the frame with the screwdriver. Repeat the procedure for every hinge on the inside of your door. Be careful not to tighten them too much, or the door could move.

If you have a single T-hinged outside door, you can make the latch easier to close by fishing a wire through the loops of the exterior hinges. Bend a piece of tie wire in half, and put it through the two holes on the exterior of the door, then twist the wires to pull them tight and fix the door.

Install the Plywood

Place the plywood into the door's opening using the measurements that you made. Move the header (top) of the frame and the sill (bottom). Use a level and make sure that there is no slop between the sill and header. If it's not quite right you can put another shim in the place where you need it and repeat the process until you get the sill and header to be in a straight line.

Once the plywood is in place, secure it with the stainless steel hinge bolts and wingscrews. It is a good idea to make use of a screw gun with an attachment for a hex-head to prevent stripping the head of the screws.

If you live in a house with studs that run along the length of your doorway, you could drill hanger bolts into each of the framing members. This is much simpler than using a drywall cutter to make the hole.

After you have installed the plywood, determine the width and height of the door opening. If needed, trim the bottom of the plywood to fit the size of the door frame. Cut two pieces of 1-by-6 framing lumber to form braces that attach across the upper and lower edges of your door. Wear eye protection and cut along the lines that are marked on the plywood with a circular saw equipped with a fine-toothed knife. Splinters can be removed from the cuts using a sanding tool.

After you have placed the braces, use two pairs of 2-inch finishing nail to attach each brace to the plywood. After you're done counter-sink the heads of all nails. Seal the braces with a good wood sealing product, such as the wipe-on polyurethane from Minwax.

If the door is too big for the doorway, you can add a piece of decorative molding to fill in the space between the door and jamb or you can resize the opening. However, in many situations, it's more affordable and simpler to just get the right door. This also eliminates any headaches that you might have faced with the door you originally purchased if it was damaged and didn't longer fit the opening.