Large gap between door frame and jamb

fstr · 01-03-2013, 07:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pro handyman

sounds to me like there isn't a proper header there. What I would do is remove drywall above door frame and see what the header is on a second story the headers need to be at least 2x10's with half inch plywood sandwiched in the middle.

I checked and you are right - there is only a 2x4 header

fstr · 01-03-2013, 07:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by funfool

It really does depend on your skills and tool you have.
It is easy for me to sit here and say I would pull the frame and re-install it correctly.
And is still the best advice.
But if you do not have a sawzall, air compressor, finish guns, etc ...
Maybe it would only open a can of worms. Maybe the door works fine as is and just concerned about the drywall cracking?

A professional drywaller will bridge the door frame with drywall and will prevent cracks from the edge of the door frame going up the side of the header. Will be no drywall seam in that area.

Your issue really sounds like a poor drywall job then a bad door .. or both

Would be better to make a post in drywall then carpentry for the cracking and proper ways to fix it.

Skills and tools is not my issue, time on the otherhand is not my friend. Every single project I have undertaken in this house has opened a new can of worms that needs solving.
Good point about the drywall seam - I forgot about that. I did check last night and there are no seams around the door frame header area (sides and top). The problem is with the frame, not drywall.

Windows on Wash · 01-03-2013, 08:05 AM

Doesn't sound to me like the wall was load bearing.

Any pictures?

fstr · 01-03-2013, 08:34 AM

This is the only wall across the width of the house (28ft) at one end of the house.
First 3 photos shows the gap and the fourth the drywall on the opposite side.

It is not clear from the 1st photo but the gap is not even around the jamb. At the bottom right the gap is minor.
The second photo shows the top left corner and the crack in the drywall. I spackled over it. The crack that is still visible is where it was behind the casing before I removed it.
Third photo shows the way they nailed it up. Also clear here is that the opening was finished (drywalled), so the door was a later addition. The wood in the back of the gap is the casing on the opposite wall

fstr · 01-03-2013, 09:15 AM

Quick floor plan to show the location of the wall and door. Joists run like the lines on the page

rualesbuilding · 01-04-2013, 05:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fstr

I am re-doing the master bedroom (molding and paint) and I removed the casings around a door leading from the MB to a kind-of sitting room off the MB. It seems previously it was just a finished opening between the rooms and a door was later installed in the opening.
Problem is, the gap between the opening and the jamb is rather large: ~2" on the hinge side and ~1.5" on the other side. And about 2" above.
Keep in mind the old opening also had 1/2" drywall. That makes up to 2.5" between the studs and the jamb!
The person that installed the door used 3 small wood blocks on the 2"-gap side as nailers. But the blocks are nailed to the frame and are not wide enough and the jamb does not touch the blocks.

The wall the door is in is a load bearing wall and a few of the doors on the upstairs level (including this door) have "tweaked" enough to cause cracks/creases in the drywall. The house is 30 years old and through all the repairs I have done in the year since we moved in I know everything was done at or below minimum code when the house was built.

What are my options? Should I just install new casings and pretend I did not see anything?

Remove Large gap between door frame and jamb

1. Fix massive gaps by adding a wood filler section on the sting of the door. shut the door and live the gap between the door and therefore the upright. A 1/16-inch gap is usually needed to permit the door to swing freely. confirm however massive the gap is, then cypher 1/16 in.. this is often the space by that you may got to extend the sting of the door.

2. take away the door from the gap. Use a hammer and pierce to get rid of the hinge pins, then carry the door out of the frame. Set it on a combine of sawhorses as you're employed.

3. Cut the sting of the door (the opposite of the hinge edge with a sawing machine to show contemporary wood. Set your move 1/8 in.. The contemporary wood are easier to bind to the new filler edge.

4. Apply wood glue to the sting of the filler piece and stick it to the sting of the door. Clamp the 2 items along, then drill 2 long decking nails into the sting of the door to hitch the sections along.

5. enable the glue to dry nightlong, then sand the joints wherever the filler meets the door. Clean away sanding mud and repaint the door to revive its look. Rehang the door by sound the hinge pins into place.

I hope I have been helpful.

Duckweather · 01-05-2013, 03:57 PM

You do have one other possibility for such cracks, settling of the floor underneath due to lack of support / deflection of the joists. If the section of the floor is sagged, check with a straight edge or chalk line, it can cause diagonal cracks starting in the corner of any opening. This problem may transfer to the floor above since you have the weight of another floor. Even a non bearing wall will eventually have weight on it, (the live load of furniture etc.), and if one sags the one above can. Check below first floor for undersized joists, support columns with to great a distance between. Most houses 30 years old would not pass some of todays codes.

jagans · 01-05-2013, 06:37 PM

What is so hard about taking a door and jamb out, and adding a couple of trimmers? Like the other guy said, cut off the Finish nails with a hacksaw blade in a sawsall, pull out the jamb and door, install a seriously plumb trimmer on the hinge side, and rehang the door. Doesn't take an engineer to hang a door.

Like the others, I assume proper header.