How to Go About Boarding Up a Door The protection of vacant investment properties from the elements is possible by putting up a door with a board. While it may not stop all destruction, it can help avoid some of the issues caused by severe storms. The boarding of doors and windows will also deter trespassers and vandals. Placing plywood boards over doors and windows could be time-consuming and costly. Take a measurement of the door The first thing you'll require is a tape measure. https://www.repairmywindowsanddoors.co.uk/oldham-emergency-boarding-up-near-me/ might want to keep a chair or ladder close to hand in case you need to see more clearly the top of the frame. Wear gloves and goggles if you have to use these tools. Once you have the measuring tool, begin by taking the door's width measurement. You can do this by running an x-ray measure horizontally across the door. Be sure to remove all additional parts of the door, for instance a sweep, when measuring. Then, measure the height by measuring from the floor to the sill plate or the lintel. It is crucial to measure in multiple locations, especially when measuring older doors as they may not have a perfect rectangular shape. If the measurements are different, use the largest figure. After you've taken the width and height measurements and you'll need to figure out what size board you'll need for the frame. It should be at minimum 2 inches wider and 1'' higher than the door. 2'' higher. This will allow enough space to shim both the frame and frame in place. It's a good idea to remove the casing or trim around the jambs of your door to observe the studs. This will let you take measurements of the exact gap between the frame's studs and the edge. After you've removed the trim, you can then measure the size of the frame of the door by running the tape measure across the entire frame in three locations and using the smallest measurement as the width of your door. Also, you should measure the frame's height from top to bottom on both sides. Make use of the shortest measurement to determine the width of your door. If you're having issues with the measurements, consult a professional to come to your home and do the measurement. They'll be able to give you the exact type and size of door you need and the best way to prepare the frame to accommodate a new door. Cut the Plywood A door frame is generally composed of a series of thin boards or studs which create a hollow space around the door. The typical door is held in place by two hinges attached to these studs. This means that if you need to refinish the door, it's necessary to remove the hinges off the door for a night. To keep insects out of your home and to secure the door's opening, a simple method for boarding the door is to put plywood in the opening. This is easy to do without the need to screw or nail the plywood to the frame of the door. Plywood is a breeze to work with, inexpensive and looks stunning when finished. This makes it the ideal material to provide a temporary solution to an issue that requires the removal of an existing door and finishing or installing a new one. It is also a great option to secure the opening of a room that is being renovated, such as an unfinished basement or construction site. Start by measuring the width of the door opening and its height. Note the measurements on the plywood using the help of a utility knife, a drywall square or another metal straight edge. Then, draw an outline of chalk across the lines you have marked to indicate where you'll need to cut. Then you can use circular saws to cut the plywood into a size. It is important to protect both your ears and eyes while cutting plywood. If you can wear safety goggles and earplugs when working. In addition, it is crucial to use a knife with a lot of teeth that will cut quickly and with less tear-out. To avoid cutting pieces of wood from the edges of the cut blade, use a small piece of wood as an example to guide the blade and hold it only a hair's length away from the line when cutting. Attaching a pair or short braces to each end is a great method to hold the plywood in place, without screwing it into studs. Set one brace on the inside and the other outside of the door. Then, insert the deck screws into each of the holes and tighten them using an open-end wrench. Secure the Plywood When you have a piece of plywood cut to the right size and with the holes for the door frame's rails and stiles already drilled and ready to attach the panel to the frame. It is a fairly easy project that doesn't require a lot of carpentry expertise, as long as you follow the right procedures and use the right tools. Begin by setting up a worktable near the doorway with two sawhorses and a 2-by-4 frame lumber at each end of the table. Utilize the marks you made during the measurement process to guide you while cutting the plywood. Cut the lines using a utility knife and a drywall square or another metal straight edge. This will act as a guide for the saw blade and also prevent splintering of plywood when cutting it. Wear eye protection and cut along the scored lines using a circular or table saw fitted 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 coat of wood sealer to the plywood panels and let dry as directed by the manufacturer. Install the hinges onto the door frame. If you're using T hinges, make holes in the outside of the door for the strap parts of the hinges. Then, put the hinge's outside on its spot and attach it onto the frame using a screw gun. Repeat the same procedure on the inside of the door for all of the hinges remaining, but be careful not to overtighten one of them or the door will shift. If you have an outside hinged door with only one T you can make it easier to close and lock with a chain latch by fishing a piece of wire through the loops of the hinges on the outside. Bend a small piece of tie wire in half, and put it through the two holes on the outside of the door. You can then twist the wires together to pull them tightly and lock the door. Install the Plywood With the measurements you made, place the plywood in the door opening. Change the frame's header (top) and the sill. Use a level and ensure that there's no slop between the header and sill. If it's not perfect then put a second shim in the place where needed and continue this procedure until you've got the sill and header to be plumb. Once the plywood has been put in place, secure it using the stainless-steel hinge bolts and wingscrews. It's a good idea to utilize a screw gun that has an hex-head attachment so that you keep the head from being stripped of the screws. If you live in a house with studs running along your doorway, you can drill hanger bolts into each framing member. This is a lot easier than using a drywall saw to make the hole. After installing the plywood determine the width and height of the door opening. If necessary, trim your bottom plywood to fit the height of the door frame. Cut two pieces of framing lumber 1 by 6 to form braces for the upper and lower edges. Put on eye protection and cut along the lines marked on the plywood with a circular saw equipped with a fine-toothed blade. Splinters can be removed from the cuts by using a sanding device. After you've put in the braces, use two pairs of finishing nails that measure 2 inches to join each brace to the plywood. Counter sink all the nail heads once you're done. Make sure to seal the braces and the plywood with a high-quality wood sealer, like this wipe on polyurethane from Minwax. If the door is too big You can either put in decorative molding to fill the space between your door and jamb, or you can reduce the size of your opening. In most cases it's cheaper and easier to simply buy an entirely new door. It also removes any problems you might have encountered with your door's original model in the event that it was damaged or no longer fitted the opening.