Making A Door Frame In Concrete Block Wall

These doors come in a solid frame that must be fit into a rough opening.

Making a door frame in concrete block wall.

The beam will distribute the weight of the wall s load to either side of the door opening. Hollow metal frames are typically used in masonry walls. These blocks are durable and easy to install but can be difficult to modify or remove. Most frequently this base material will be concrete brick or block and will require the use of special concrete fasteners door frames may range from solid wood to hollow steel.

The frame should be sized to butt against the block on either side and should have a jamb depth equal to the wall thickness. The depth and size of the foundation will vary depending on the size of the concrete block wall and the weight it must support but a typical freestanding wall requires a foundation that is about twice as wide as the wall itself and which extends about 1 foot down below the frost line. By the end of this section your frame will be secure against the concrete wall and ready for insulation and drywall. To install a door in a concrete block wall you ll need to first create an opening for the door.

Remove the middle screw from each hinge with a regular drill and drill a pilot hole for longer 4 inch masonry screws that go through the frame and shims into the concrete wall. If your rough opening is made of cinder blocks it will be easiest to find a pre hung door that is smaller than your rough opening rather than trying to enlarge your door opening. When placing a door in an opening these doors must be fastened to the base material that is present in this location. Concrete blocks are often used to build basement and foundation walls in the home though they can also be used in other locations as well.

5 x research source you will need to add 1 2 of plywood between the 2x4 s to get the right wall thickness of 3 1 2. Use the hammer drill to make the hole and then a regular drill to insert the screw. In my case i secured the bottom of the frame to the baseplate one side of the frame directly to the concrete block and the other side and the top to the existing wall frame using spacers. 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.