How Much Space Should Be Between Door And Jamb

There is a need for an air gap at the bottom for ventilation.

How much space should be between door and jamb. Add 2 to 2 1 2 inch to the measurement of the door s width to determine the total width of the rough opening. If the hinge jamb is plumb and the slab is square then the top of the door should be level. Next i release the door slab from the strike jamb and slide a shim or two under that jamb adjusting the height until there is an even gap between the top of the slab and the head jamb. Cut off the protruding door shims with a fine tooth saw or a utility.

A strip of any material by thickness of 3 to 3 5 mm should be set between surfaces of a frame and a leaf with the closed door. This allows for a stud and a jack 3 inches and 1 inches for the door jamb. I arrive at 1 inch because the framers usually add 2 inches to the actual door size for the rough opening so i split that in half 1 inch on each side of the door. This takes into account the thickness of a standard 3 4 inch doorjamb on each side.

All door slaps are set to 80 unless you build a custom door so you need to plan for changing door slabs in the future if you want a different look. Usually three or four sets of door shims evenly spaced along the jamb are plenty. However the size of that gap is very unlikely to be greater than 1 2 for any door. As the picture shows i usually go 4 inches.

Shim and nail the latch side jamb shim behind the latch side jamb to make an even gap between the door and the jamb. Prehung doors make installation much simpler. For a slab door installation however you will find that the door fits best if you make it 2 1 2 inches shorter and 2 inches narrower than the rough. Not to displace a frame with a door in a doorway it is fastened with door wedges.