How to Frame an Exterior Door Block Wall

Exterior doors must be installed correctly to provide ample protection from weather conditions and intruders. When workers install a door in a cement block wall, they do not simply attach the door to the blocks. Instead, they provide the door with enough support through the use of header and trimmer boards. If you plan to cut a rough opening in a cement block wall for an exterior door, then consider the header and trimmer boards when you mark the rough opening's dimensions on the wall.

Tape measure
2-by-6-inch, 2-by-8-inch or 2-by-10-inch board
Level
Circular saw
4-by-8-foot, 1/2-inch thick plywood
Deck screws
Drill
Phillips driving bit
2-by-4-inch boards
Scrap wood
Hammer
Hammer drill
Masonry bit
2-inch long concrete screws

Instructions

- 1
  Measure the rough opening's width to determine the size of board necessary for the header. An opening 4 feet wide requires the use of a board that is 2 inches thick and 6 inches wide. A 5-foot-wide opening requires a 2-by-8-inch board, and a 6-foot-wide opening needs a 2-by-10-inch board. Whichever size of board is necessary, it needs to be long enough to span the rough opening's width twice.
- 2
  Transfer the rough opening's width to the board you selected for the header, marking the width twice on the board. Mark the width twice with straight lines across the board, using a level as a straight edge. Cut the board along the two lines with a circular saw so you have two boards, each the width of the rough opening.
- 3
  Lay one of the boards that you cut on a 1/2-inch thick piece of 4-by-8-foot plywood. Line up one of that board's corners with one of the plywood's corners. Trace around the board's two edges that are not in the corner. Set the board aside. Use the circular saw to cut the plywood along the lines you drew.
- 4
  Lay down one of the boards you cut. Place the cut plywood on top of it, and lay the second cut board on top of the plywood. Use a drill and a Phillips driving bit to drive deck screws through the three boards to hold the boards together. Position the deck screws in pairs about 4 inches apart. The boards that are sandwiched together form the header.
- 5
  Lift the header into place in the rough opening, and ask a friend to hold it in place. Measure from the header's bottom edge to the floor. Transfer that measurement to two 2-by-4-inch boards. Draw a line straight across each board, and cut them along the lines using the circular saw. These two boards are the trimmers.
- 6
  Position one trimmer on the rough opening's left side, with the bottom edge in the corner where the floor meets the rough opening. Set a scrap piece of wood flat against the trimmer near the top. Hit the scrap wood with a hammer until the trimmer is tight against the rough opening's side. Use the level to ensure the trimmer is flush, adjusting the trimmer if necessary. Repeat this step with the second trimmer board on the rough opening's right side.
- 7
  Drill pilot holes through the trimmer boards and into the concrete block wall using a hammer drill and masonry bit that is slightly smaller in diameter than the concrete screws you will use. Position the pilot holes about 6 to 8 inches apart.
- 8
  Drive a 2-inch long concrete screw through each pilot hole by using the drill and Phillips driving bit.

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