DIY Shed Door

The Rough Opening

• A door's rough opening is the entryway established during the shed's framing process. It consists of two vertical supports called jack studs and one horizontal support called a header. To frame the rough opening, mark the area where the door will go. Use a temporary spreader, or 2-by-4-foot piece of lumber, to act as a placeholder for the door as you raise the wall. After the wall has been erected, measure the opening, stud to stud. Use this measurement to cut a pair of 2-by-6-foot studs for the header. It helps to place a piece of half-inch plywood between the 2-by-6s so the header matches the thickness of the wall.

  Install the header, then cut and fit jack studs for each side of the entryway. Set each jack stud tight against the regular studs, then nail straight into the wall base. Continue upward, driving nails every foot for stability. Add cripple supports, or 2-by-4-foot pieces, to the space between the header and the top plate. Cripple supports are not necessary for structural support, but they provide a nailing surface to which you can attach the sheathing. Apply sheathing to the entire door wall. Then cut the door opening out of the sheathing. The wood cut from the sheathing serves as the door facing.

Building the Door

• Construct the door at ground level the same way you would make a wall frame. Make a 2-by-4-foot frame to fit the door opening. Cut two horizontal rails measuring 36 inches and two vertical slats measuring 83 inches in length. Lay out the slats and rails in a rectangle. Nail the pieces together on center so the frame depth is 1½ inches all around. Cut the siding to size, then glue and screw it to the frame. Use clamps to hold the frame together while the adhesive dries. To finish, screw or nail primed and painted 1-by-4-foot trim to the door face. The trim is called casing. It covers the seams in the sheathing and the corners.

Installing the Door

• Set the door in the opening. Have a helper hold the door in position while you mark the location of the hinges on the door and the shed wall. Typically, the hinges are mounted 6 inches from the top and bottom. This door will be heavy, so it will require a third hinge in the middle for strength. Fasten the hinges to the door. Then hang the door on the frame.