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Installing a Therma-Tru Pre-Hung Door

Bob is joined by Michael McDevitt of Therma-Tru Doors as Wes Lohr and his crew prepare for the installation of the pre-hung exterior door. Lohr has created a lead pan at the entry that laps up the sides and down the front of the opening and is then covered in silicon to make a weatherproof seal with the door assembly. The door itself has pressure-molded fiberglass skins with raised panels on the interior and exterior faces. These skins sit over a high-density polyurethane core with wood blocks at the lock set, sides, top, and bottom of the door for custom fitting and improved strength. The door is pre-hung and secured to keep it square until installed. To properly install a pre-hung door, the door assembly must be screwed into the jamb, not the casing, since only the jamb is structural and can prevent the door from sagging. Lohr and his crew tack the door into the opening, check it for square, then open it and screw it into place, through the jambs. Therma-Tru leaves two pre-drilled screw holes at the top of the door to screw it into the top jamb and prevent the door from sagging in. Once in place, the door only needs one coat of latex paint.

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Clip Transcript For:

Installing a Therma-Tru Pre-Hung Door

computer-generated transcript - may not be 100% accurate

" Last week we got together Wes -- who's the head carpenter on the job and -- withdraw from the -- true doors and we learned a little bit about their installation let's watch. So Wes what are the precautions that you take at the front door before installation."

" Well what we do here is we are we fabricate a lead pan. We've Foreman into the opening lap coming up on the sides and rolling it down over and then we silicone the entire -- it just sits on this bed of silicone."

" Yeah and we're in a situation where there's no front porch over the front door. So that you have heavy rains and wind driven rain taken basically just sheet down the front of the door and penetrate it -- make sure this is really watertight here. We're also worried about the front steps going in and kind of snow buildup on the front steps in on the use of lead it's pretty much a New England practice. We haven't got away from it yet sure no we do -- treating me in his lead they might go vinyl but anyway. Michael McDermott is here from the door company and we -- gonna learn dollars to know about Thurman truth doors hi Michael. Bob -- are great. So we have stuff prehung fiberglass -- not exactly a fiberglass door right. The skin is fiberglass skin is fiberglass edges Award -- interior is high density foam now what's interesting to me though is that it looks like. Met many components are here to make up the door the panels. The Stiles and the rails I could even see the little joint lines as if there were actual pieces of wood come together. There's a one piece fiberglass skin that's done and high pressure mold wow a few 100000 pounds pressure yeah molded. One piece OK and then you say the core of the doric it is high density foam. OK actually polyurethane so that there's a great deal of strength in that and in some higher. OK or. Five times -- okay. And then I'm look at it wood grain here so what is we give a wood lock block in the center for strands the hardware. And the wood rail goes from the top and the bottom on the edges so the carpenter can sand it or plane it. And he gets into trouble getting it just. I think the carpenters were ready for -- you ready to -- look at it from the edge just through I was getting that vantage point. What do we got here what is what's this offices security strike plate with a carpenter would screw right through the jamb. This does -- do next that will go through these two holes into the Jack stud for security yet. This metal frame keeps the door closed so he can square the door better. On installation all right so Wes the interesting thing about squaring the door is. Right here in the reveal right. -- found this holds everything perfect right from the factory for us so -- off but the storm place just a matter are leveling the bottom in the element right out. All right great. So is the key to a good installation in fastening the door. Through the casing or through the jamb. Ideally you want the door going through this camp the casing isn't structural. It's more important to have screws going through it hinges located and then I'll keep the strength of the door from sagging. But there already missing in the casing right. Normally that's what they just gonna tack it and then going to readjust it with screws to square it an extra. Exactly."

" So help plays. -- four nails in the corners and I don't will be public already opened the door out. And I put a couple of screws in behind the three jamb plates and one of the latch plate."

" All right okay now how do you do not keep the door from sagging in. How we do is we need the top two screws out of them. Assembly and the carpenter will screw two long screws. Intended jamb to stop the door from -- when you see a prehung door that's missing two screws that there is not that they forgot to do that in the factory -- day like today. Longer screws there. Exactly for structural strength OK and Wes what about it decide what you have to do to strengthen things what is an hour's gonna pressure on -- and what does it keeps it from splitting if anyone was to push on the door. -- All right it sure does make installation easy what about a paint job. We recommend is one color at a latex and home -- thanks Anderson thanks us."

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