How to Go About Boarding Up a Door

Boarding up a door is one method of protecting vacant investment properties from the elements. While it won’t prevent all damage, it can avoid some of the issues caused by severe storms.

Boarding up windows and doors can also deter trespassers and vandals as well as squatters. However, it can be expensive and time-consuming to set up plywood boards over the openings on a house.

Measure the Door

The first thing you’ll require is a tape measure. You might also want to keep a chair or ladder on hand for when you need to get a better look at the top of the frame. If you must use these tools, make sure to wear gloves and goggles.

Start by measuring the door’s width. This can be done by running the tape measure horizontally across the door. Be sure to eliminate any extra door parts like a door sweep and door sweep, from the measurement. Then, measure the height by measuring from the floor to the sill or the lintel. It is important to measure in multiple locations, especially when measuring older doors as they may not have the perfect rectangular shape. If the measurements vary then use the largest figure.

After you’ve taken the width and height measurements then you’ll have to figure out what size boarding you need for the frame. Ideally it should be 2” greater than the door’s width and 1 inch thicker than the door. 2” higher. This will allow you enough space to shim both the door and frame in place.

It’s a great idea to take off the trim or casing around the jambs of the door in order to observe the studs. This will allow you to take measurements of the exact gap between the frame’s studs and the edge.

After you’ve removed your trim, you can determine the width of the frame of the door by running the tape across the entire frame in three places and using the smallest measurement to determine the width of your door. You should also take a measurement of the height of the frame from top to bottom on both sides and use the shortest measurement as the height of your door.

If you’re having difficulty with the measurements, get a professional to your home and do the measurement. They’ll be able give you the exact kind of door and size you need and the best way to prepare the frame to accommodate the door you want to buy.

Plywood can be cut into pieces

A door frame is usually made of a series of studs or boards that create an open space around the door. A typical door is secured by two hinges that are fixed to the studs. This means that if you need to finish the door, it’s essential to take the hinges from the door for a night. Placing plywood into the door’s opening is a simple method to board doors and stop insects from getting into your home. It’s easy to do this without the need to nail or screw the plywood onto the frame of the door.

Plywood is easy to work with, inexpensive and looks beautiful once completed. It is the ideal material to use as a temporary solution to a problem in which you have to take down the door you have in place to refinish it or put in the new one. It can be used to secure the opening of a space being renovated, like a basement or construction site.

Start by measuring the width of the door opening and its height. Make notes using a utility blade and a metal straight edge like a drywall or a metal square. Then, snap a chalkline across each line to indicate where to cut. Utilize a circular blade to cut the plywood into the required size.

It is important to shield your eyes and ears when cutting plywood. Wear earplugs or goggles that are protective if possible. It is also essential to use a sharp blade with many teeth, that will allow you to cut quickly and with little tear-out. To reduce the chances of tearing out pieces of wood from the edges of your cut using a small piece of wood as template to guide the blade and hold it at a distance of just a hair’s width away from the marked line while cutting.

An effective way to hold the plywood in place without gluing it to the studs is to attach braces that are short at each end. Place one of the braces on the inside of the door and the other on the outside. Install boarding up and burglary repairs Repair My Windows And Doors in each hole and then tighten with an open-end ratchet.

Fasten the Plywood

It’s time to attach the frame to the panel once you have the plywood sheet cut to the right size and the holes for the rails and stiles of the door frame have been predrilled. This is a simple project that doesn’t require any advanced carpentry skills, as long as you use the right tools and follow the right procedures.

Set up a table in the entrance with two sawhorses on each end and framing lumber 2x4s. Use the marks made during the measurement process to guide you while cutting the plywood. Mark the lines using a utility knife and a drywall square or another metal straight edge. This will serve as a guide for the saw blade and prevent splintering of the plywood when cutting it.

Wear eye protection and cut along the scored lines with a circular saw or table saw equipped with a fine-tooth blade. Then sand the edges of the plywood panel using 120-grit sandpaper. This will smooth the panels and remove any burrs from the saw cuts. After sanding, apply a wood sealer and let it dry according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

Install the hinges on the frame of the door. If you’re using a hinge with a T-hinge drill holes on the outside edge of your door to allow for the straps of the hinges. Then, screw the hinge’s outside edge to the frame using the screwdriver. Repeat the process on the inside of the door for all of the hinges remaining, being cautious not to tighten too much on any of them or the hinge could shift.

If you have only a single hinged outside door, you can make it easier to close by fishing wire through the loops on the outside hinges. Bend a small piece of tie wire in half and place it through the two holes on the outside of the door. Then connect the wires to tighten them and lock the door.

Install the Plywood

Place the plywood in the opening of the door using the measurements that you made. Shim the header of the frame (top) and the sill. Use a level to ensure that there’s no slop between the sill and the header. If it’s not perfect then put a second shim in the place where you need it and repeat the process until you get the sill and the header to be in a straight line.

Once the plywood has been put in place, secure it with the stainless-steel hinge bolts and wingnuts. Use a screwgun with a hex head attachment to avoid removing the screws’ heads.

While you’re there, if your house was built with studs running the height of your doorway make holes for hanger bolts in the plywood and into each framing stud. This is a far easier task than drilling the hole with the aid of a drywall saw.

After installing the plywood determine the width and height of the door opening. If necessary, cut the bottom of the plywood to fit the dimensions of your door frame. Cut two pieces of framing lumber as braces that are positioned across the upper and lower sides of your door. Cut along the lines that are marked on your plywood with circular blades with teeth that are finely tipped. Wear eye protection. Splinters can be removed from cuts by using a sanding device.

Once you’ve got the braces in place attach each one to the plywood using a pair of 2-inch finishing nails. Counter sink all nail heads once you’re done. Seal the braces and the plywood with a high-quality wood sealer such as this wipe-on polyurethane from Minwax.

If the door is still too large for your doorway, you could add an ornamental molding to fill in the gap between the door and jamb or resize the opening. However, in most instances, it’s cheaper and simpler to just find a new door. This will also take away any issues you may have experienced with the original door if it was damaged and could no fit for the opening.