Should Doors Be Installed Before Flooring

I enjoyed john spier s article on installing pre hung doors what about when the floors will be carpeted.

Should doors be installed before flooring.

John spier owner of spier construction a building and remodeling company on block island r i responds. Got laminate floors installed in july and then decided i wanted new interior doors. Hopefully they will re swing the doors when they are done. Lay a sheet of plywood on top of saw horses.

I love my doors which were installed today but since the floors were installed first i now have a gap or two where the new frame doesn t cover the flooring. Much easier to install the flooring no trimming of the doors needed no fitting around cabinets etc. If you go with carpet that has a pile i don t think it matters either way. Not all of them do.

Theres one good reason to install the doors first and that is if your floor is not level across the threshold almost always off by some factor in my house. This way you will not have to notch the flooring around or undercut the jamb or casing. I think builders opt for floors last to minimize damage from the various trades moving through the house. Use a japanese flush cut saw and a scrap piece of the hardwood flooring to match the flooring thickness and cut the jamb and casing depths out.

Generally speaking door frames are installed and the doors are hung during the trim and finish phase before the flooring is installed but after the painting. If your going with a hard surface i would do it after. 1 install the pre hung doors before the flooring. To be able to slide or fit the hardwood flooring under these snuggly.

The floor coverers will pop the hinge pins and set the doors aside while installing their floor covering. In my article hanging pre hung interior doors jul 16 i discussed the process i ve developed for installing interior doors in a fast and efficient manner. Lay the pre hung doors on a flat suface at waist height for easier access to working on it.