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door frame A door was replaced (due to break in). The contractor insisted to go to a bigger size door. So we went from 32 to 36 inch (which is more widely available). Now I see a gap of near 1 inch between door frame and what appears to be the stud near the key hole. The door is screwed with some long screws into the frame.

Is this OK?

What do I do with the gap?

1- Fill with foam

2- Try to fit in with wood. What wood type will not cause expansion and deformation of frame of door?

3- ?

Also, near the door step I see newly exposed vinyl flooring in bad shape (something was covering this portion up before). What do I use to cover it up?

Edit:

In retrospect that gap was a very bad thing. Exterior is Hardie plank and we needed a storm door to protect this door from the elements. That storm door cannot be screwed to Hardie, it needed a stud behind the exterior. So fill the gap with equivalent of stud before installing the door.

enter image description here

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    fill with fiberglass insulation
    – jsotola
    May 31, 2020 at 16:19
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    the flooring is missing a "transition"; a metal strip with holes pre-drilled that covers the seam.
    – dandavis
    May 31, 2020 at 18:11
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    Did this installer use any shims??? I should at least see a shim at the latch....If it was a smaller door at first, what does the other side look like? The picture shows a jamb where it should be, not off like t is a different size door. Just curious
    – Jack
    May 31, 2020 at 22:52
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    Sad to say, it looks like they did the least they could to get it done. They should have at least trimmed it out to save you the trouble since they were supposedly a carpenter/handyman....
    – Jack
    Jun 1, 2020 at 3:31
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    I agree 100% that there should be shims at both the latch and deadbolt, in addition to long screws that reach through to the stud. In combination, these will help resist the kicking forces that (seem to) have been used to effect the previous break in.
    – FreeMan
    Jun 1, 2020 at 13:36

3 Answers 3

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With the deadbolt on the door, it appears to be an exterior door, so the space in the jamb should be insulated, both at the top and the sides. No need for a full roll of insulation to be bought, there are smaller pieces that can be bought such as fiberglas pipe wrap, or ask a person you know that may have a little on hand. It won't take much.

The drawing below will explain a bit on what to do about sizing material for the trim to cover the gap. Perhaps other trim that is throughout the house will give an idea how to treat the door. enter image description here

Perhaps the trim in your place looks like this? The sides of the door in this pic looks like the trim will fill the footprint in your flooring. enter image description here Carpet trim is what I Googled to find the strip to cover the edge where the flooring is cut at the door.enter image description here

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    "Carpet trim" is also called "threshold" or "transition strip". Be aware that, since OP is using linoleum/vinyl flooring, that a "carpet" transition strip will be much too thick, he needs a thin piece designed for the much thinner flooring.
    – FreeMan
    Jun 1, 2020 at 13:34
  • @FreeMan What would be suitable for vinyl on concrete near entrance? How do I fasten the piece.
    – Maesumi
    Jun 1, 2020 at 14:14
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    @Maesumi a DuckDuckGo search for "exterior door threshold" came up with tons of options. Look through them until you find one that seems appropriate. (You're headed into "shopping advice" territory here, which is explicitly off topic.) You may also want to stop into your favorite local big-box store to see what they've got and ask questions there. You may also consider asking your contractor to finish the job (unless this is all that was specified in the contract). Leaving it like this seems unprofessional, at best.
    – FreeMan
    Jun 1, 2020 at 14:21
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    All the transition strips I found online where about 2" wide, much wider than needed. The carpet strip was the narrowest I could find in my short time searching. If the floor is concrete, then the nails may need to be abandoned, and use inserts drilled into the concrete and screwed down, instead of using nails. Nails could be used too, in a pinch, just use tight fitting wood plugs driven into the holes in the concrete and drive the nails into that.
    – Jack
    Jun 1, 2020 at 14:38
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It is completely common for there to be a 1/4" to 5/8" or maybe even more of a gap between the rough opening of the studs and the door jamb. This is to allow for the adjustment of the door jamb to be nice and plumb and square even though the rough opening may not be so perfect considering the variation in framing lumber dimensions and variation in the wall framers skills.

Best thing, if it is an exterior door, is to loosely press on some soft insulation in the gap. Do not pack the insulation in tight. Also do not bother for an interior door.

This gap gets covered up when you install the door casing trim after first fixing up and priming the drywall areas near the door edges.

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You will find the wider door a lot more convenient.

The gap between the door frame which is part of the door assembly and the studs are normal. The space allows the door frame to be installed straight vertical.

If this is an exterior door, you could use Smart-foam, which is low expanding and will not distort the frame. If it is an interior door, just leave the gap alone. Sealing the gap is to reduce heat loss on external walls. It serves no purpose in interior walls.

After the wall is finished around the door, molding is used to frame the door and cover the gap. At the bottom of the door, you would install a door threshold for transition.

All of this is part of the final finishing work, except for adding a filler for the gap.

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