How to Enclose a Door Opening

In the course of remodeling an interior, it's sometimes necessary to move the location of a doorway. An unused doorway can simply be blocked off with furniture, but you can achieve a more permanent look, particularly if you are certain you will never need the doorway again, by removing it completely and finishing the wall over it. To enclose a door opening, you essentially build a miniature wall where the door was and connect it to the surrounding wall.

Finish nail
Crowbar
Claw hammer
Tape measure
2-by-4-inch lumber
Circular saw
Nails, 3 inches long
Drywall
Utility knife
Screws, 1 1/2 inches long
Spackle
Drywall tape
Drywaller's knife
Primer
Finish paint
Paint roller
Paintbrush

Instructions

- 1
  Remove the door from the door frame by popping the pins out of the hinges and taking the door off. To pop out the pins, place a finish nail in the bottom of the hinge barrel and tap it up into the barrel with a hammer.
- 2
  Pry off the doorway face trim from both sides of the wall using a claw hammer or small crowbar.
- 3
  Remove the threshold from the door opening by prying upward on it using a claw hammer or small crowbar.
- 4
  Remove the door frame by prying it away from the interior face of the rough opening using a claw hammer or small crowbar.
- 5
  Measure the width and height of the rough opening.
- 6
  Cut two pieces of 2-by-4-inch lumber to a length that matches the width of the rough opening.
- 7
  Cut three studs from the 2-by-4-inch lumber to a length that equals the height of the rough opening minus 3 inches.
- 8
  Nail together the 5 pieces of wood that you cut in steps 6 and 7 to create a frame that is equal to the width and height of the rough opening. Nail through the face of the short pieces into the ends of the longer pieces, placing one longer piece at each end of the shorter pieces and one in the middle.
- 9
  Place the frame into the rough opening and secure it by nailing through the frame and into the inside face of the rough opening.
- 10
  Cut two pieces of drywall to the dimensions of the rough opening, and attach them to both sides of the frame that you built by screwing them into the frame with 1 1/2-inch-long drywall screws. Place a screw every 12 vertical inches along each of the studs.
- 11
  Apply spackle to the holes made by the screws and to the joint between the drywall that you installed in the existing wall. Apply drywall tape over the joints, and cover the tape with a thin layer of spackle, feathering it out to make it as smooth as possible. Allow the spackle to dry for 24 hours.
- 12
  Sand the spackle so that it is smooth and even with the surface of the wall.
- 13
  Paint any bare drywall and spackle with primer. Allow the primer to dry.
- 14
  Paint over the entire area with two coats of finish paint to match the room.

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