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How to Go About Boarding Up a Door A door can be boarded up as one method of protecting vacant investment properties from the elements. While it won't stop all damage, it can reduce certain problems caused by severe storms. The boarding of doors and windows will also discourage trespassers and vandals. Installing plywood panels over openings can be costly and time-consuming. Measure the Door The first thing you'll require is a tape measure. You may want to keep a chair or ladder close by in case you require an improved view of the top of the frame. If you need to use these tools, be sure to wear gloves and safety glasses. Once you have the measuring instrument, start by taking the door's width measurement. You can do this by running an x-ray measure horizontally across the door. Be sure to take out all extra parts of the door, like a sweep, before measuring. Then, you can determine the height measurement by measuring up from the floor to the sill plate or the lintel. It is essential to measure in multiple locations, especially with older doors, as they are not always a perfect rectangle. If the measurements differ, use the largest number. After you've taken the measurements of height and width and you'll need to determine what size boarding you need for the frame. Ideally, it should be 2 inches greater than the door's width and 1 inch thicker than the door. 2'' higher. This will allow plenty of space to put the door and frame into place. When boarding up windows near me to determine the door frame's size and height measurements It's best to take out any trim or casing the door jambs, so you can see the studs behind them. This will enable you to take measurements of the exact gap between the studs of the frame and the edge. After removing the trim, measure the length of your door frame using a tape measure. The frame should be measured at three different locations and use the smallest measurement. You should also measure the height of the frame from the top to the bottom on both sides, and then use the shortest measurement as the height of your door. If you're having difficulty with these measurements it's best at this point to consult an expert and have them come to your home to do the measuring for you. They'll inform you of the size and type of door you need and how to prepare your frame for a replacement door. Cut the Plywood A door frame is typically composed of studs or boards that create a hollow space around the door. Two hinges are attached to the studs and hold the door in position. This means that if you want to refinish the door, it's important to remove the door from its hinges for a night. To prevent insects from entering your home and to secure the door's opening, a straightforward method for boarding a door involves placing plywood inside the opening. This is easy to do without having to screw or nail the plywood to the frame of the door. Plywood is cheap, easy to work with and looks stunning when finished. This makes it the perfect material for an interim solution to a problem that requires removing an existing door while refinishing or installing a new one. It can also be useful to secure the opening of a room that is being renovated, like an unfinished basement or a construction site. For a wall constructed of plywood begin by taking measurements of the width and height of the door opening. Make notes using an utility blade and a straight edge made of metal, such as the drywall or metal square. Next, snap a chalk line across all the lines you have marked to indicate where you need to cut. Utilize a circular saw to cut the plywood into the required size. When cutting the plywood it is important to protect your eyes and ears. If you can wear safety goggles and earplugs when working. It is also important to use a sharp blade with many teeth, which will permit you to cut quickly and with minimal tear-out. To avoid breaking pieces of wood from the edges of the cut blade, use a small piece of wood as a template to guide the blade and hold it at a distance of just a hair's width away from the marked line when cutting. Attaching a pair or short braces at each end is a great method to secure the plywood in place, without screwing it into the studs. Set one brace on the side of the door, and the one on the outside. Position a pair 1-½-inch deck screws in each hole, and then tighten using an open-end ratchet. Secure the Plywood When you have a piece of plywood cut to the appropriate size and with the holes for the door frame's rails and stiles predrilled, it is time to secure the panel to the door frame. This is a easy project that doesn't require a lot of carpentry expertise, so long as you follow the correct procedure and use the proper tools. Begin by putting up a worktable near the doorway with two sawhorses and a 2-by-4 frame lumber at each end of the table. Lay the full sheet of plywood flat on top of the sawhorses and use the marks made during the measurement process as a guide to cut. Score the lines with the help of a utility knife, a drywall square or other metal straight edge. This will create a guideline for the saw blade and help to prevent splintering during cutting the plywood. Put on eye protection and cut along the lines of scoring using a circular saw or table saw fitted with a fine-tooth blade. Sand the edges of the panel with 120-grit paper to smooth it out and remove any burrs. After sanding apply a wood sealer and allow it to dry in accordance with the manufacturer's guidelines. Install the hinges onto the door frame. If you are using a T hinge, you need to drill holes in the outside of the door for the strap parts of the hinges. Then, put the outside hinge on its spot and attach it onto the frame using an screw gun. Repeat the same procedure on the inside of the door for all of the hinges remaining, but be cautious not to tighten too much on any of them or the door will shift. If you're using one outside hinged door you can make it easier to close and lock using a chain latch by putting a piece wire through the loops of the hinges on the outside. Bend a piece of tie wire in half, and fish it through each of the two holes on the exterior of the door, then connect the wires to pull them tight and secure the door. Install the Plywood Install the plywood in the opening of the door using the measurements that you took. Shim the header (top) of the frame and the sill (bottom). Use a level to make sure there's no slop in either the header or sill. If it's not perfect you can place a second shim wherever it is needed and continue the process until the sill and the header are even. After the plywood is in place, fix it using the stainless-steel hinge bolts and wingnuts. It's a good idea to make use of a screw gun with an attachment for a hex-head to keep the head from being stripped of the screws. If your home has studs that run along the length of your doorway, it is possible to drill hanger bolts into every framing piece. This is a simpler job than making the hole with the aid of a drill or drywall saw. After putting the plywood in place, measure the width and the height of the door opening. If necessary, cut the bottom of the plywood to match the dimensions of your door frame and cut two pieces of 1-by-6 framing lumber as braces that attach across the upper and lower sides of your door. Cut along the lines that are marked on the plywood with circular blades with teeth that are finely tipped. Wear eye protection. Get rid of any splinters that may have formed in the cuts using an Sanding block. After you have the braces in place, nail each one to the plywood with a pair of finishing nails 2 inches long. Once you're done counter-sink the heads of all the nails. Make sure to seal the braces and the plywood with a quality wood sealer such as this wipe-on polyurethane by Minwax. If your door is too large You can either put in decorative molding to fill the space between your door and jamb or you can alter the size of your opening. However, in most cases, it's cheaper and easier to simply choose a new door. This will also take away any issues you might have had with the door you originally purchased if it was damaged and no fit for the opening.