Door casing
The door casing is a door frame but there are so many names for what is essentially a door frame.... we have listed some names below but at the end of the day a door lining, door casing or door frame are the same, they are the "goal post" like frame that the door is hinged to and what a door closes against.
In order to try and split out what is a door casing or a door lining it should be noted that it is a thinner door frame and is primarily used on modern properties or extensions and would probably have arrived to the building site with the door pre hinged and locks or latch fitted, traditional properties had what would have been a more substantial frame fitted than what would be used now on a modern property.
Door casings or door linings are generally about 20mm thick plus the wooden door stop that the door closes against, a small selection of images is below to try and clarify what you should expect.
A selection of frame titles are shown below........... there are many more in the uk.
- FRAME
- DOOR FRAME
- CASING
- DOOR CASING
- DOOR FRAME CASING
- LINING
- DOOR LINING
- DOOR LINING FRAME
Some steps for renewing a door frame, door casing or door lining, steps may vary depending on frame type and whether interior or exterior.
- Remove the door casing by removing the hinges, set aside the hinges and locks for refitting if required.
- Check the frame casing edge depth by cutting back the plaster around the frame if the plaster is overlapping the frame edge, not always the case, the door frame edge is usually visible in older properties.
- Remove any nails on the door casing to prevent not only damage to your tools but also to avoid stepping on any nails or screws when the casing is on the floor after removal.
- To remove the head and the sides of the door casing (jambs). Make sure you saw through them at a 45 degree angle across the breadth of the casing so the ends don't bind when you lever the frame out.
- Remove the upper corners of the door casing and break away any frame-head horns from the masonry, be very careful as the horns can cause damaged plasterwork, cut through the lintol as described at 4 above so you can draw each half section towards the centre of the door width.
- With a crowbar, lever each of the door casing sections out.
- If you plan on using a pre-built door casing, all you have to do is replace the old frame with the new one. However, before you fit it, protect the frame from rising damp by nailing a DPC strip to its underside. Coat the nails that you plan to use onto the DPC strip with bituminous emulsion to act as a water sealant, this is a bit of overkill but it is your choice whether you do so.
- Paint the whole casing with a primer if you intend painting it, then an undercoat, followed by a top coat.
- Pack behind the legs and lintol with wood to create a perfect fit and level the frame.
- Drill at least three holes in each jamb; one at the top, bottom, and in the middle allowing each drill to mark their position on the wall so that you have a clear idea of where item 12 is required.
- I prefer more like 6 screws or fixings and looking at the breadth of casing it is better to offset each pair of screws or fixings diagonally.
- Remove the door casing and mark three holes on the exact same location as the frame but on the brickwork, see 10 above.
- Then, drill the holes in to the brickwork.
- Put the frame casing back and secure with screws or fixings.
- Fill any gaps with mortar and seal any gaps around the outer edge of the (exterior) frame with mastic sealant.
- Older frames may vary slightly in as much as they may need extra timber door stops and frames could be hugely different in size.