How To Build A Sliding Door Header

This is the actual thickness of a 2x4.

How to build a sliding door header.

If you are building a new bearing wall or cutting in a new doorway be sure to check your local building code span charts or consult an engineer to properly size the header. You will need to add 1 2 of plywood between the 2x4 s to get the right wall thickness of 3 1 2. For the jamb 3 4 in. The following will give you the general idea.

The main structure of the door is a piece of plywood to achieve the thickness needed for the hangers we bought 1x3 lumber to make a frame. The opening are higher than the doors. We read the instructions and sketched a simple plan of what we wanted the door to look like. The size of the door headers you want to make will determine the size and type of materials you will need.

We started by picking everbilt sliding door hardware available at home depot. The openings were already there and eventually were filled in with mylar screening. The header is usually made out of dimensional lumber installed on its edge. This with all the photos has helped me to understand.

Calculating header size is no picnic as you learn how to. For wiggle room at the top of the door and the top of the trimmer the bottom of the header needs to be 82 5 8 in. The header for a door is much like a bridge transferring the weight above it to the floor and foundation below. I have 3 sliding doors that need to go into concrete block openings.

To make the door header the top of the door frame cut two 2x4s to the same length as the width of the original opening and nail them securely together. You need to keep in mind that structural support is very important and the framed wall you are working with needs to be durable. Doors in a load bearing wall that holds the weight of the house created by beams and trusses need a larger header than those in non load bearing walls. Most new doors are 6 ft.

So your jack stud should be cut at 81 for a 6 8 tall door. For underlayment and 3 4 in. When in doubt build a double 2 12 header sandwich like we explain next. I need to build headers for the doors.

Wide a common patio door width. Cut the door header. Your header size is determined by the load it carries.