Most homeowners prefer to undertake DIY renovation in their homes to save on costs in recent times. They buy relevant materials and do the project by themselves, but in the process, it is normal for a DIYer to encounter relevant questions such as what to install first between a door and floor.
So, do doors go in before flooring? Installing doors before your flooring is advisable. While this is so, some floor installers will remove the already installed doors and install the flooring, but some will be comfortable working with them fixed. Thus, before settling on one of the above options, I will give you finer details, including the pros and cons of every type of installation, to ensure you settle for what works for you.
Finishing your home project can come with many questions, but with the proper knowledge, you will set things straight to avoid repetitive tasks, especially when it comes to your door and floor installations. Removing either of your installations to fit the other can be costly and getting a pattern that works for you will save your time and cut the budget.
Doors can go in before flooring, but in most cases, you will have to remove them when installing your flooring, depending on the fit. Thus, consider installing the floors first and then your floors to avoid double work. However, you should be flexible with this installation order, as it may vary depending on the type of flooring and the door.
To start with, door frames are necessary for any room in your home, as they serve as the barrier between you and the outside environment, preventing the entry of unauthorized persons. Installing a door first ensures no damage to your floor after installation.
Damages could result from scratches or dents from common installation mistakes. Also, with the doors installed, you will have more room to work with, as the doors are out of your way. Installing a door before the floor also leaves you with less to lose, as the installation is easy should you want to remove the doors during the flooring process.
Unfortunately, while you may find installing the doors beforehand convenient, you are likely to modify your frames after flooring, as this will affect the height of your door. As such, you will do the extra work of removing the doors, something you could avoid if you followed a different installation order.
Installing your flooring before the door poses several advantages. First, you will have more room to work with as the doors are out of your way. This way, you can ensure correct installation by lining your tiles appropriately, as the doors will not dictate how you lay them.
Secondly, given that the doors can shift out of line when you install flooring beforehand, you need not worry that your tiles will get damaged, and you will have an easy time installing your flooring as such barriers are nonexistent.
This will also save you the cost of replacing damaged tiles by reducing waste. With the floor installed first, you do not need to worry about cutting the jamb for the flooring to fit around the frame.
Despite the above benefits, you should be careful with installing doors after flooring, as floor damage may occur during door installation. Dropping a door onto your flooring can easily damage the floor or door frame, and you should handle each with care to avoid unnecessary expenses. Thus, whether you choose to install the door before or after the floor, both options have pros and cons, and it is up to you to select what works for you.
Should There Be a Gap Between Door and Floor?
Spacing your door and floor correctly is important to ensure it opens and closes properly. Failure to install your door at the right height will cause costly problems in the future. This explains why prehung doors are a top recommendation to save up on mistakes from wrong installations.
There should be a gap at the bottom of your door should be two inches for unfinished floors and ½ to ¾ inches over finished floors, depending on your type of flooring. This gap should be almost nonexistent for the exterior door to prevent the entry of outside elements such as rain, wind, snow, and bugs.
When installing an interior door, you should focus on ensuring that the door opens without scraping the floor. As such, this gap should be ideal to allow a seamless swing of your door. This gap should be greater only if you are dealing with an uneven floor.
For the exterior floors, the gap should be airtight. Unlike interior doors, the exterior door will not directly contact the floor but the sill. Since you will fasten the sill tightly to the floor, you should not have any gaps. However, if your exterior door does not have a sill, consider a small gap enough to prevent scraping when you open or close the door.
Given the above recommendations on the necessary gap between the door and floor, you should understand why you need these gaps to ensure you do not settle for less. For the interior doors, you need this gap to make it easy for you to open or close the door.
The gap also serves as an air path for your heating system. This is especially in homes with a central heat and air conditioning system. Without this gap, there will be no airflow, affecting your HVAC system balance, hence the overall comfort in your home. Poor air circulation could also affect your furnace efficiency, spiking up your bills significantly.
Luckily, an excess gap under your door is fixable. Among the things you can do is call the installers back and request them to make the height adjustment. This is especially true if you notice this problem shortly after installation.
If you have a warranty agreement or the installers are open to this, they will agree to adjust. You should point out the gap size that you want between your doors and floor and double-check after they finish the adjustment.
If your arrangement with your installers does not make it possible for them to come back and adjust the door for you, or if you are a novice DIYer, you can adjust the gap by tightening the hinges and checking for any differences.
If the big gap is still present, remove the screws and adjust the alignment. With the latter option, you will need to replace the old screws with new and larger screws to reinforce the door and prevent it from shifting.
Alternatively, you can get rid of the old weatherstripping and install a new one. Before installing new weatherstripping, wipe down your door frame with alcohol to remove residual products. This alcohol will also aid in the adherence to the new weatherstripping. You should follow the manufacturer’s instructions during this installation.
Start by measuring the door, then mark and cut its sweep to length. Next, drill the pilot holes, loosely attach the sweep at the door bottom then tighten the screws to secure the door. When choosing door sweeps, consider rubber seals or bristle sweeps.
The bristle sweeps feature a brush tip, while the rubber seal mics a rubber curtain without bristles. The rubber curtain is more effective at keeping pests at bay. You can also install door stoppers which serve as the door sweeps in covering the gap and keeping out the cold or hot air.,
Lastly, if the gap under your door is too small and the door is rubbing against your flooring material, your final option will be to cut the door along the bottom. However, this should be the last resort if the above alternatives do not work. If you are not a novice in this, you should call a professional installer to do the job for you.
What Goes First Tile or Doors?
Tiles are expensive yet fragile, and poor installation can be costly. Knowing whether to install them first or not around your doors is ideal to ensure your door fits properly and prevent wastage.
It is advisable to start installing your tiles in the room before the door. However, you can install the door frame, leaving a small space between the frame and the top of the tile. This is because some tiles such as ceramic are difficult to cut at odd angles compared to wood. With such a layout, you can easily butt the tile to the door frame. Installing the tile before the doors is also useful in ensuring your jambs sit well on the floor.
During installation, ensure you cut your door short enough so that you do not struggle to get it in lest you crack your tiles. While you should install the tile first, you may also choose to install your door frame first, in which case, you should use a spare tile as a guide in keeping the door casing’s bottom high enough to allow you to slip a tile later. You should be generous with your spacing as you will slide a thin layer of mortar underneath in the actual installation.
Does Flooring Go Under Door Jamb?
When installing new flooring, you will trim it around the bottom of the door jambs, and this process can be challenging if you have never done it before. However, a closer look at it will reveal its simplicity, and I will help you know how to go about it as a DIYer.
Whether flooring goes under the door jamb or not is dependent on the room layout. In some instances, the carpet or floorboard may be beneath the door jamb, and, in this case, the jamb requires trimming to accommodate it.
On the other hand, a contractor may install flooring around the jamb for an easy and fast installation. None of the above methods is better than the other. The difference lies in the installer, door jamb size, and flooring type.
If you prefer to install your flooring under the door jamb, you can do so with a few steps. Start by placing a portion of your floor’s underlayment beside the door jamb. Next, place a portion of your flooring upside down on the underlayment next to the door jamb. While doing this, press up the underlayment and flooring against the jamb.
To ensure an easy cut, put the jamb saw on your flooring and the saw blades against your door jamb. Next, grasp your saw handle and slide the blades in a back and forth motion against the jamb.
This slow action is important in creating a shallow ridge, which will in turn give it a straighter cut. Once you cut through the jamb, pull the piece from under the jamb using a slotted screwdriver or your hands and repeat the above procedure on the other side of your doorway.
When done, remove the underlayment and install your new flooring as per the manufacturer’s instructions. To install the flooring under the jamb, slide the material underneath into the space you created. At times, there could be a big gap between your floor and door jamb requiring you to fill. The filling method will be dependent on the size of the gap, flooring type, and personal preference.
The first option you can consider in filling these gaps is making custom pieces from your leftover flooring and gluing them beneath the jamb. Caulk may also come in handy when the area is thin and filling the gap with a colored caulk will blend well with the floor or door color. You should smooth out and sand the caulk to prevent jagged edges.
Finally, you can install a T-molding piece underneath to fill the gap, but you should ensure your door will close completely before installation. Thus, with T-molding, accuracy is very important.
Wrap Up
If you are torn between installing your flooring and doors first, you should check the pros and cons of each and settle for the one that works for you. However, most installers prefer to complete the flooring before installing the doors, but this also has its setbacks.
When fitting your doors, the floor and door gaps should match the recommended inches depending on your flooring type. This gap should be present in interior doors for good air circulation. The exterior doors should not have this gap to keep weather elements and pests at bay.
Finally, whether or not your flooring goes under the door jamb will depend on your room layout. You will need to trim the jamb to accommodate the floorboard if underneath. Alternatively, you can install your flooring around the jamb to save time.
