How to Go About Boarding Up a Door

The act of boarding up a door is one way to protect vacant investment properties from the elements. Although it isn't able to be able to prevent all damage, it can reduce some of the issues that come with severe storms.

Boarding up windows and doors can also deter trespassers, vandals, and squatters. Installing plywood boards over openings can be costly and time-consuming.

Take a measurement of the door

The first thing you'll require is tape measure. It is also advisable to have a chair or ladder on hand in case you have to get a better look at the top of the frame. If you have to use these tools, be sure to wear gloves and safety glasses.

Start by taking measurements of the door's width. This can be accomplished by running the tape measure horizontally across the door. Make sure to remove any additional parts of the door, such as the sweep, when measuring. Then, measure the height by measuring from the floor to the existing sill or the lintel. It is crucial to take measurements in several places, particularly when measuring older doors as they might not be an exact rectangular shape. If the measurements are different, use the largest number.

After you've logged the width and height measurements and you'll need to determine what size boarding you'll need to fit into the frame. It should be at a minimum 2'' wider and 1'' higher than the door. 2'' higher. This will allow you enough room to shim both the door and frame in place.

It's a great idea to remove the trim or casing around the jambs of your door to observe the studs. This will let you determine the exact distance between the frame's studs and the edge.

After you've removed the trim, you'll be able to measure the dimensions of the door frame by running the tape across the entire frame in three places and using the smallest measurement as your door's width. You should also take a measurement of the height of the frame from the top to bottom on both sides, and use the shortest measurement to determine the height of your door.

If you are having trouble with the measurements, seek out a professional who will come to your home and take the measuring. They'll be able give you the exact type and size of door you require and how to prepare the frame for the new door.

Cut the Plywood

A door frame is typically made of a series of studs or thin boards that create a hollow space around the door. A typical door is held in place by two hinges fixed to the studs. This means that if you want to refinish the door, it's necessary to remove the hinges from the door for a night. To stop insects from entering your home and to secure the door's opening, a simple method of boarding doors is to place plywood inside the opening. This is easy to do without having to screw or nail the plywood to the door frame.

Plywood is affordable, simple to work with, and looks stunning when completed. It is the ideal material to use as a temporary fix for a problem where you have to take down an existing door to refinish it or put in the new one. It can also be used to protect the opening of a space being renovated, like the construction site or basement.

To install a plywood wall begin by measuring the width and height of the door opening. Make notes using an utility blade and a straight edge made of metal such as a drywall or a square. Then, snap an outline of chalk across each line to indicate where to cut. Finally you can use circular saws to cut the plywood into a size.

It is essential to protect your eyes and ears when cutting plywood. Wear protective goggles or earplugs if possible. It is also important to use a blade with a lot of teeth, that will allow you to cut quickly and with minimal tear-out. To minimize the chance of cutting pieces of wood from the edges of your 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 while cutting.

A great way to hold the plywood in place without gluing it to the studs is by fixing a pair of short braces at each end. Set one brace on the inside of the door and the one on the outside. Install a deck screws in each hole and then tighten by using an open-end ratchet.

Fasten the Plywood

When you have a piece of plywood cut to the proper size and with the holes for the door frame's stiles and rails predrilled then it's time to attach the panel to the door frame. This is a straightforward project that doesn't require advanced carpentry skills as long as you have the right tools and follow the proper procedure.

Set up a table near the entrance with two sawhorses at each end and framing lumber 2x4s. Lay the entire sheet of plywood flat atop the sawhorses, using the marks from the measurement process as a guide to cut. Utilize a utility knife and a straight edge made of metal to score the lines. This will serve as a guide to the saw blade and will prevent splintering of the plywood when cutting it.


Wear eye protection and use a circular table saw equipped with a fine-toothed blade cut along the score line. Then sand the edges of the plywood panel with 120-grit sandpaper to smooth the panels and remove any burrs that may have formed from the saw cuts. After sanding, apply a layer of wood sealer on the plywood panels and let dry as directed by the manufacturer.

Install the hinges onto the frame of your door. If you're using a T hinge, drill holes through the outer face of the door to accommodate the strap parts of the hinges. Next, position the hinge's outside face on its mark and attach it onto the frame using a screw gun. Repeat the procedure on the inside of the door for each of the remaining hinges, being cautious not to tighten too much on any of them, or the hinge could shift.

If you have an outside hinged door with only one T, you can make it easier to lock and close using a chain latch by putting a piece wire through the loops on the outside hinges. Bend a small piece of tie wire in half and put it through the two holes on the exterior of the door. You can then connect the wires to tighten them and fix the door.

Install the Plywood

Using the measurements you took using the measurements you took, put the plywood in the door opening. Adjust the header (top) of the frame and the sill (bottom). Use a level to make sure that there is no slop between the sill and the header. If 24 hour boarding up service near me repairmywindowsanddoors.co.uk isn't quite right you can place a second shim wherever required and repeat the process until the sill and header are even.

After the plywood is in place, fix it with the stainless steel hinge bolts and wingscrews. Use a screwgun equipped with a hex head attachment to prevent removing the heads of the screws.

While you're there, If your home was constructed with studs that run across the width of your doorway make holes for hanger bolts in the plywood and into the framing studs. This is a much easier task than cutting the hole with the aid of a drywall saw.

After you have installed the plywood take measurements of the width and height of your door opening. If necessary, cut the bottom of the plywood to fit the size of the door frame. Cut two pieces of framing lumber to form braces that are positioned across the upper and lower ends of your door. Cut along the lines that are marked on the plywood with a circular blade fitted with fine-toothed teeth. Wear eye protection. Get rid of any splinters that may have formed in the cuts using the help of a Sanding block.

After you have the braces set, nail each one to the plywood with a pair of finishing nails 2 inches long. After you're done counter-sink the heads of all the nails. Cover the braces and plywood with a high-quality wood sealer, such as this wipe-on polyurethane from Minwax.

If the door is still too large for your doorway, you can put in an ornamental molding to fill in the space between the door and jamb or you can alter the size of the opening. However, in most situations, it's more affordable and simpler to just choose an alternative door. This can also alleviate any problems that you might have faced with the original door if it was damaged and no fit for the opening.