Installing Problem-free Pre-hung Doors 

MUY buena calidad, el texto imagenes. ru-vid.comUgkxbnOKZBE4evMO5V2vroHeCjq6d_MV6wJO Un manuel muy completo y trabajado. Resulta muy práctico. Para principiantes y profesionales. Lo recomiendo

One of the best carpenter's and teachers of carpentry of all times. He's right up there with Norm Abram .

By far the best instruction I've found on u-tube! I've verified it on my exterior door several times as I took it out and replaced, then had to return the new door and put the old back in, and then repeated the whole thing once more. Finally gave up on new badly pre-hung doors, refinished the old one and made a new jamb. Thanks to this good man, for the first time in my life I have a well-functioning exterior door.

Wow! You can always spot a true Master. This is hands down the best video on how to systematically install a pre-hung door. Don't even waste your time looking at the others. I love his systematic method and how he explains the reasoning for each fastener and the importance of the order of installation. Just finished installing mine and it went in perfect. As a mechanical engineer, i can appreciate this guys logical approach. I'm definitely subscribed.

Mr Katz, you probably get tired of hearing this, but you are amazing at your craft. Have watched this video over a dozen times, and made detailed notes that I take to the job site each day. Your teaching has greatly enriched my job. 55 year old trim apprentice here. Been hanging doors for about a year. Everything works well as long as the doors are of good quality (manufactured correctly), the rough openings are fairly plumb, etc… The. I got a batch of poorly made doors…. Jamb and door were exactly the same size, most hinges screws stripped, top reveal was 3/8 inches, and most doors jamb bound. What a mess for an apprentice like me. Thanks to your RU-vid videos (Setting Prehung, Doors and Bending Hinges), allowed me to make it through the install. Have purchased your books on doors as well. Called the door company reported the errors in the doors. They reported back a three week turnaround on new doors. We wound up having the company send us the individual head and legs, we cut them to the correct size, assembled the jambs, and hung the doors. These were solid core split jamb doors. With the doors being so very heavy, your videos were a true lifesaver. We had to really tweak the jambs following your technique to achieve a truly excellent job. Thank you very much Mr Katz again for you excellence and for honoring your craft to help folks like me.

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you for making this video. I was having trouble hanging my exterior side door. I remember watching this video a few years ago. I didn't follow your process. After 2 days of a poorly working door. I carefully watched this video, and followed your process exactly and got a perfect fitting door! Thanks so much. 😀😀😀😀

Thank you Gary Katz! I installed my first pre-hung interior door this weekend. To be completely honest, I installed it twice: incorrectly Saturday and had to take it all down (sticking), then watched your vid Sunday morning and followed your instructions, *it worked great*! Made me very happy. Now I go downstairs just to stand there opening and closing my wife's new sewing-room door. :)

these are some high quality techniques. I'm a professional door guy, and I've been setting doors like this for ages. I gotta say it is great to see someone teaching the proper way to install a door. I know plenty of installers that don't even know of some of these details. The process isn't set in stone. Just need to know what is happening with the opening. If you get it down you can set a door in 5 minutes. if you neglect a detail it can easily quadruple the time or more.

Love this man. You could tell he’s a good guy. It comes across in his instruction.

This is hands down the best door hanging video on RU-vid. It even reminded to keep in mind to keep Centred so the finish trim is equal spacing between adjacent walls. But it didn’t refer to problems trimming it resulting from the jamb being out of flush with the drywall.

I came across this video yesterday after spending hours trying to get a bedroom door installed,,,,OMG,,,what a knowledgeable carpenter,,,,thanks,,it went extremely well following these instructions.

I recently returned a door to home depot because I thought it was defective. After watching this video I purchased the same door and hung it properly, thanks to you.

I used this tutorial to replace 7 pre-hung, solid core doors in my house. They all went in perfectly in under 30 minutes per door. I am by no means a carpenter and had attempted hanging a door after watching other videos and messed around for hours with little success. THANK YOU! I recommend this video series to all my DIY friends .

I watched this 3 times yesterday and took copious notes. Installed my new exterior door in about an hour and it opens and closes perfectly !! Thank you so much for making such an outstanding video tutorial. Also, this afternoon I used your "pinch the hinges" technique for the first time on one of my neighbors doors. It worked like a champ !!

What a fantastic video. I’ve been warned many times that fitting a door is very difficult. I just finished hanging my first ever door and it was a breeze thanks to this video. Great work, many thanks!

Because of your helpful video, I was able to successfully install my new door in a reconstructed area of my house. I came across your video many years ago answering knew I would eventually wish I had it. I am so glad I saved it in my favorites! We have several windows to now replace. Wish me luck.😊

That was one of the best how to videos I've seen. Very well explained and demonstrated. Great work.

I spent ten years fighting door installs I had learn how to do from seasoned “carpenters “ . Then I transitioned to your method after figuring out where the important points and order are. Been doing the way you showed for fifteen years now happily.

Wow, you have no idea how much I appreciate this! I was putting in a new bathroom door in a framed opening that is staggered about 1 1/2" from one side to the other. It kept binding and sitting proud no matter what I did. Then I watched your video. The system you use *works*! It is so logical, simple and deals with every kind of issue one might encounter. It solved all my problems. Thanks so much!

Hung hollow core doors about 9 of them and went fairly smoothly but tried to hang a solid core door and took me forever! Great info on shim above the bottom hinge to open up the gap and the #5 screw in the hinge to fix the gap there especially on heavy doors! I had no idea on how to fix that and it drove me crazy. I just got lucky and figure it out somehow and not sure what the heck I did! But this video explains it all on how to do it systematically and to save a lot of time! Thank you so much!

Thank you, thank you, thank you. I have searched high and low for info on exactly how to install a door and nothing had exactly what a novice needed to know...until this video. I appreciate it!

I wish my brother had been able to teach me half as good as this when I started working for him. Mr. Katz, you are a great teacher.

This is one of the very best training videos out there. Excellent process to hang doors. Saves a lot of fustration. Thank you very much

Hello Katz, when i started the video I thought holy crap! However by staying with it and paying attention it was very clear how easy and how full proof the system really was. Thanks for taking time to teach. Stay well and healthy, Shalom!!

Watched several videos before hanging 10 pre-hung doors. Unfortunately, this one was not one of them. This video (and his other longer video) is the very best. Gary does a great job explaining in detail exactly what to do and why. I would have saved a ton of time and frustration.

I had a problem with doors springing back open no matter where I screwed or nailed, whether it was plumb or not as well as with the door jamb resting on the floor or suspended in the air. The upper jam was level and it even sprung back at the last 2 inches. After making a tighter opening, shimming at the very top and installing with the door still in the frame it still bounced. Once I installed the screws in the order that Katz explains it changed everything. I did have to shim the door at various screw points but leveling the bottom hinge is what did the trick. I've never had such a smooth door. I remember thinking to myself when installing the door that if this method work i'd put this feedback out there. If you found this comment, odds are you are struggling with the same problem and there is no guides out there like this one. Amazing video and craftsman.

Just used this method for the first time with some solid core doors and it made a huge difference. The tip about shimming above the bottom hinge to relieve the pressure below it is the step where I've gone wrong in the past. Biggest problem I had was the manufacturers inability to consistently mortise the hinges at the proper depth.

I've been installing doors and windows for about 4 years now and man am I glad I found this. It is going to take me from a really good installer to a great installer. Thanks

This is the best and easiest door install system that I have ever used. Thanks for sharing your knowledge.

I’m not the smartest light in a tree, but this video is BRILLIANT!!! To hang two exterior doors, I purposely bought small sheets of ply to make a bucket full of said shims in three depths, and WHAT. A. GAME. CHANGER! Even on an extremely “settled” 110 year old home in Chicago, those were life savers! I also purposely took extra time to make sure everything was right, so I didn’t finish in anywhere near a record time (for now), but I was absolutely thrilled at the ease of it. I very much look forward to using this technique next week when I install seven interior pre-hung doors, and two exterior pre-hung doors on a job! THANK YOU!!!

I always come back to this. I'm a DYI guy, and I've hung 4 doors, all better than the contractors I run into. Thanks so much!

So awesome. Killing a job right now using it. I needed a process. I owe so much to RU-vid tradesmen. Thank you guys... Tired of learning from my mistakes.

I wish all videos were as well delivered and informative as this one. Thank you.

Outstanding tutorial. I've been a carpenter for 18 years and I never gave it enough thought to be so systematic. I tried your approach today and it was so much faster and smoother. Thanks!

This is one of the best videos that teaches you how to hang a door the right way

I've hung about 50 doors. Thanks to you, i'll be saving a ton of time and frustration for the next few hundred :) . Thank you for this video! Great work!

Myu boys dog ran into their front door glass window. No cuts but I now have to replace it. This video is an engineer's method for hanging a door. After watching 5 videos I'm confident it will be finished right with this excellent methoiude!! I've never hung a door before but am quite confident it will be correct here in Georgia where nothing is square on a house. Thanks, Much !!

Just wanted to say thank you!! I decided to trim my own basement since I have done lots of little projects in the past and knew I could do it but I have never hung a prehung door. Your video was great and since I had two double closet doors next to each other I was really glad that you included the first part of your video. The two sets were almost 3/4 of an inch different in height - concrete floor. All four sets of doors in the basement are spot on. Thank you.

This is how a true craftsman who knows a little something about architecture and design, and cares about his work, does things.

This is a true craftsman. Exactly what I wanted to know. Thank you for teaching us the correct method.

Every single door in my house is set incorrectly including exterior. This is the most helpful video I've found. I also used the other guy from this channel to make my own rafters for another project.

best video of all time to set doors... thank you.. im working on a 68 year old house and i got about 75% of those steps right when i did the exterior doors.. 7 years ago... redoing it now after leveling it.. thank you so much

WOW! I am speechless of how this accurate this explanation is. THANK YOU SO MUCH, for sharing this.

Wow thanks for that tip to fix the bottom gap on the hinge side. I was trying to figure out how to make the gap bigger. All i can say is you just blew me away. Showed me something i use forever now thanks

GoodMorning, I'm Mark Smith massaging from the Bahamas....I enjoy your carpentry shows, it' teaches me a lot of saving time in my profession..keek up the good works an I'll keep watching

Thanks Gary! I have all of your videos, your articles and thisiscarpentry.com are a gift

just hung my first door after watching this video. A second pair of hands for a beginner would go a long way but I pulled it off. I was working with a cutout that wasn't 100% plum but I'd say I did a better job than the guy that installed the previous door. Easy subscription for me. Thanks!

Great video and great delivery of the much needed information. I too installed my first pre-hung interior door this past weekend, and I too found myself having a myriad of issues. I had the door hung correctly within 30 mins after watching your video, thank you.

I've been doing a similar block method for years, and to add to this, when the framed opening is twisted (trimmers are not parallel and twisted over time in a remodel) cut the block to 1 1/2"-2" wide to minimize surface area of block pushing door jamb out of plumb and helping minimize amount of shimming to compensate for the twist of the trimmer. Always good to check out what others are doing to try and learn a better way.

You sir, are the Chuck Norris of door fitting!

Your the man!..thanks for sharing the knowledge this is probably the most helpful to the point video on door installation on YT.

I wish I saw this years ago! Makes perfect sense once you see it. I’ve always struggled with stacks of shims for bad openings. I had an opening an inch out of plumb today so was looking for a better way. This was def it! Easy least. Thank you!

I still don’t know what I’m doing but one piece of your advice made all of the difference. The wood that my door jamb was to go on was not straight. I planed it down, put my jamb in, then the door, and voila. My next door should go smoother.

That was worth the 18 minutes. I may even watch it again, it was that valuable.

is this Mathew McConaughey's new role?? one of the best and most detailed skilled how to videos ever by the waY!

Best video on hanging doors I've ever seen. Great process! Thank you for sharing.

Perfect method and instruction! This is a simple process that works every time. This method is by far the best of any I have used or seen for that matter. It takes him some time to explain what and why he is doing it a particular way, but the actual install is simple. This link to this video should be included with every door sold.

great video! we spent an hour trying to figure out a door prior to watching this and within 20 minutes after viewing the door was hung!

Probably the best video I have ever seen on the subject!

Thanks for an extremely interesting and functional video. I've been installing doors all wrong and expending needless energy. Always seems that jobs can be made easier if you're willing to watch and learn. Thanks for all mentoring, skills and experience.

great video, very informative. trick for the bottom hinge side gap was a big help. dont find many videos like this. simple and easy to understand. thanks

This video saved my bacon, thank you for creating such great instructional content!

this might be the best door hanging video on all of you tube.

Thank you Thank you Thank you for your video with this method. First time installing pre hung door or any door for that matter. Is older house so set my line and went off it. The method of installing the fasteners is perfect. We have a perfectly working door that opens and closes with no problems and does not swing on its own. Thank you very much

After watching a few other similar videos and finding out what I needed to know, I got thirsty and decided to go grab a cold beer and just left youtube playing in the background. My previously watched video was nearing its end and when it did, autoplay chose this video to be next. Just 1 more way that beer has positively influenced and changed my life forever because while drinking it, something this dude said caught my attention and started to interest me. I ended up watching the entire video and I'm so grateful I did. This dude is the Einstein of installing doors. A few weeks ago, I discovered there was a mouse in my house. I put out several traps and even some sticky pads but never caught it. He ate the peanut butter off the trap without setting it off and I even witnessed him running around the sticky pad. So a few days ago I saw him running along the wall and I said its now or never. I grabbed my 12 gauge shotgun and blew his little ass away, so I thought. That little rascal kept on running and I had accidently shot a hole through my door. I planned on replacing just the door itself and decided to watch a few youtube videos about it before I did. That's when I accidently came across this video and for some reason, I felt compelled to install a pre hung door. This dude made the installation process so much easier than the way I originally would had done it and he pointed out some very valuable steps to take and mistakes to avoid. While ripping out the old frame, I noticed a small hole at the bottom beside the carpet. It just so happened to be the front door of the mouse. So to make a long story short, without beer, I wouldn't have accidently watched this video and without watching this video, I wouldn't have ripped out the old door frame and without ripping out the old frame, I wouldn't have found the mouse door and if I hadn't of found that mouse door, my house would probably be full of bullet holes and if at this time the electrical wires haven't shorted out or the house collapsed on me, I would more than likely die from frostbite when winter gets here this winter. New pre hung door at Lowes: $79 Watching this video on RU-vid: $1 Getting the desire to chug a cold beer that subsequently led to various other things & ultimately saving my life: Priceless

Most underrated video on youtube!

I’m sitting here smiling at this guy’s passion. Awesome stuff.

It's nice to see a thorough, professional method. If you have customers willing to pay for it, even better.

I can't believe how lucky I am to have seen this video first. I have never done this job before, so a couple of times more, a few notes and I should be ready. Thanks!!!

Having the steps well determined it’s easy to remember A great teacher 🙏

i appreciate you showing us how to hang a pre-hung door in at least 18 minutes with no trim or door stop!this is a true pre-hung door!! the real pre-hung door! Installed with casing and door stop in less than 10 minutes!!Why dont you have a look!!

This is just awesome, thanks for taking the time Dr Katz

Definitely worth subscribing to!!!! A carpenter's Masterpiece with every video!!! THANK YOU

This video was perfect for me. I'm hanging just one door and can take all the time I need. Thanks so much!

Excellent video! We tried to install door for days and were finally able to after watching this video. Thank you! You made it quick and easy.

Feel like I'm going to need to watch this a few times to pick up on all the nifty tricks you've shared. Thanks!

The 5th long screw through the hinge made all the difference for me! Almost as if it twisted the jam just enough to to pull away the top opposite corner from hitting.

just found your channel and watched this vid... instant subscriber!!!

I cannot say enough good things about this video. must have watched it ten times. and watched as i hung my first door yesterday. many thanks

Great explanation. You would be surprised how many so called finish carpenters just don't have a clue on hanging a pre-hung door in a rough opening, (the right way). I should make this video a mandatory watch for my guys. Vinny

Amazing!! Thank you Gary. This system takes all the mystery out of what can be a tedious, hit & miss job.

This was great! ---If you are a kid in high school and thinking of going into the trades, and you are good in math, thinking and applying mathematics like this will make you successful, and probably wealthy.

If anyone wants a copy/paste note for this: shoot level control line across jamb, mark on jamb Measure down from control line to determine how out of level floor is At this point, find the measurement that will align the doors with windows/exterior doors! From this level line, measure to top of ID jamb so you know what height to set all doors at Find level on floor, shim the ground as needed so you don’t have to hold level above head and can set the door on the shim to have it level at header Check RO for plumb- shoot shims where needed but make sure door is centered in RO, especially in a hallway so there’s an equal distance from each side of casing to wall. Make sure new RO is about 1/8’ larger than OD of jamb Cut 3-1/2” x 3-1/2” plywood shims Mark hinge locations on level so I know where to not put shims-never behind hinges Leave stopper screw in door till set in the RO Shim the head jamb to stay put, flush with wall The System for bagging screws: Fastener #1 goes at very TOP of jamb on hinge side ** make sure flush wit wall first ** Fastener #2 goes opposite side at op of jamb --- two 15g nails (at top, both sides of stop) or a screw---- ** before setting #3 need to remove cross leg- close door in jamb and make sure its flush with jamb FROM BOTTOM TO TOP OF JAMB. If top strike side of door is proud, kick bottom hinge side out**** Fastener #3 in hinge side bottom below hinge at bottom of jamb Fastener #4 at bottom of strike side Fastener #5 corrects the hinge gap above top hinge- goes through top hinge hole closest to the stop Last thing to correct is hinge gap at bottom hinge which is almost always too tight -put shim just above bottom hinge to adjust Now shim hinge side of door, then strike side *around latch*

Gary. One other thing I do before I start installing like you do with the level is to check the plumb of the wall on each side of the door opening to make sure they both bubble the same. They don't need to be perfectly plumb but you want them to be the same so the bottom plates are in alignment. I find this important when going out to look at job so I know what I'm up against before giving the home owner a price (CYA). You might mention when hanging interior doors to raise them up 3/8" where there is carpet.. Our carpet installers love it as they can tuck the carpeting under the jamb and casing. This also save us time cutting off the bottom of the doors later when they use thick padding/carpeting. Other areas with laminate flooring & padding come out very close on head height. Thicker wood floors we let the installer trim off the jamb a little with their jamb saw or oscillating multi tool. Never had a problem. If you haven't had a chance to try air wedges (winbag) you will find them to be very handy especially when working by yourself. Exterior doors I only install name brand doors from real lumberyards. They cost a little more but you get what you pay for. An example of our local big box store (starts with Me) changed their sills. What used to be a true adjustable sill now is a spring loaded. It puts a lot of force on the rubber seal on the door bottom and is hard to close and you would swear it is locked when trying to open it. My name brand doors work like a refrigerator door (2 fingers to close). Real sweet. Less time installing and no callbacks. Thicker steel, better primer coat, better jambs, and ball bearing hinges are standard. Add in the great service and knowledgeable staff it is no comparison. Enjoy.

EVERY contractor who wants to work on a house and call himself/herself a professional, should listen to this guy! This is professional! I cannot tell you how often I cringe seeing "professionals" do service work on my clients houses. They were trained by ignorant contractors and are just repeating bad mistakes. This guy has a system and has the results consumers want. Please contractors, learn from this guy or other similar professionals.

Best video I've ever seen on hanging a prehung door!

Spot on with no shims behind hinges for serious. I am a door installer and I like it all.

I wanted to get to the meat of the matter, so I got a little impatient. Contrarily, I watched the entire video and am glad I did. I like your thoroughness and precision. I hung my first "heavy" door with door jam. Squared everything, leveled everything, only to find that the person(s) who framed the wall was/were not precise. Right side of the wall is 3/4" in from the left side, where the door jam with hinges gets installed. So, the video was great. Like the idea of shimming at the top first to position the frame, to as least have a starting point. Going to still have to mud like crazy to bring the right side, top out to meet the door jam. This is a renovation, so wall had been painted and textured years ago. This is not going to be fun. I suppose that's why they call this work. Some projects go better, easier than others. Most do not. Sometimes I'm happily surprised. Thanks!

6:41 "Framers like to do that just in case the walls are out of plum (they're never really sure you know)" Nice one Gary.

Wonderful video! Thank you very much for all those extra little tips and not just being another 3 min video of putting in a pre hung door on a flat gymnasium floor.

Great video very well taught wish i would have found this 6 doors ago but never too late I have a few doors to do for a buddy and this helps alot, I did get better but this is great coming from someone who dose this all the time and has the tricks down, I will keep watching your videos always love learning about carpentry. Thanks!

Great explanation of how to hang an interior door. I did it thanks to your presentation👍🏼

A real treasure of a YT vid! Thank you for putting it together.

since I watched this video hanging doors became lot more easy.......thanks Gary

Man brilliant idea on the plywood 3"x3" shims!

Best advice ever. You rock. Thank you for teaching us.

Struggled hanging my own doors for years. Have a project coming up soon and can't wait to try this method. Awesome instructional!

Thank you. I followed precisely your instructions and it went really well. Not too complicated at all.

I just excepted that that narrow gap below the bottom hinge was just how it was going to be. Thanks for teaching me something new!

Great job and the best explanation on how to install a door.