# Installing an interior door without a doorway.



## Spetsnaz201 (May 31, 2012)

Hello all. I live in a basement room that doesn't have a door. There is a hallway which leads to stairs going to top floors. I am looking to install some kind of door which would help keep the cool air in when I am running my A/C unit. The problem is there is no doorway. 

I am looking at a door like this. 

http://www.housingtouri.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Interior-Folding-Doors1.jpg


Is it possible to put in a doorway for a door like this. I am open to other ideas, just not sure where to start. I appreciate any recommendations.


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## Trucon01 (Jan 10, 2012)

Well... 

Are you mainly concerned with having a door to keep the AC in?

OR

Just having a door?

The reason I ask, is the door you posted would probably be terrible to keep the AC in...


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## Spetsnaz201 (May 31, 2012)

Trucon01 said:


> Well...
> 
> Are you mainly concerned with having a door to keep the AC in?
> 
> ...



It would be much better to have that accordion door than not having a door at all .


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## bill01 (Apr 12, 2012)

Depends what you mean "without a doorway". They sell prehung interior doors for $75 that you pretty much just drive a couple nails into the sides of your opening and you are done. Takes longer to put the trim on than anything else. I would suspect it will be cheaper than the one you are looking at.

Some fabric drape would most likely be easiest. You could most likely get by with a blanket and the rods used for shower curtains.


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## Willie T (Jan 29, 2009)

Wide opening? Try French Doors.


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## Spetsnaz201 (May 31, 2012)

Willie T said:


> Wide opening? Try French Doors.


Not sure if you guys understood what I was asking.

I want to put a door in a hallway. There is no trim or doorway there. The ceiling is 96 inches. Even if I put a simple accordion door, the air would escape through the top because the door isnt that tall. I would need something construct something to cover the remaining 16 inches on top if the door is 80 in tall.


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## chrisBC (Dec 28, 2010)

how wide is the hallway?

might be easiest to just frame in an opening for a standard door, buy a pre-hung door and put it in, or the accordian door if you'd prefer that. If your height is 96 you'll have to have something at the top, by the sounds of it.

If you don't want to go through the effort of drywalling it you could always put another type of material on the framing, paint it and throw on some trim.


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## PaliBob (Jun 11, 2008)

Spetz, You didn't say how wide is the hallway opening where you want to install the door, but that should not be a problem because both HD and LOWE'S have prehung low cost doors in widths from 24" to 36" in 2" increments. They come in a standard 80' height. Since your height is 96" then that space can be filled in last with whatever is easy,

Spetz, you did not say what is the wall material. You may first have to frame in the Hallway door opening with 2x4's. For now you just need to install a 2x4 on each side of the door opening.If one or the other side in masonry then that is not a show stopper problem. We can cover later about how to fasten 2x4's to concrete. The main thing now is to pick out what width prehung door.

Prehung doors come with the jambs (the door frame) already installed this will increase the width of the required opening by a little less than 2". For example if after a 2x4 is installed on each side the door opening is 35" then the door to pick would be a 32" prehung. The extra space will be taken up with shims.

Take a look at this example and tell us whether or not you want to go with a *prehung* and we can go into the details.


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## PaliBob (Jun 11, 2008)

Spetz, Tell us the width of the space where the door will be installed and what are the walls?


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## Spetsnaz201 (May 31, 2012)

PaliBob said:


> Spetz, Tell us the width of the space where the door will be installed and what are the walls?


Thanks for your reply. 

The width of the hallway is 38 inches. The walls are made of sheetrock.


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## PaliBob (Jun 11, 2008)

Spetsnaz201 said:


> Thanks for your reply.
> 
> The width of the hallway is 38 inches. The walls are made of sheetrock.


Good news on the width. A 32" prehung door will fit nicely when backed
up with a 2x4 on each side. Now the question is whether or not there is
wood structure behind the drywall or if the drywall is against concrete.

To find out go to the wall where the door will be located and with a 2 or 3 inch nail make a series of test holes to determine

If the drywall is over concrete the nail only penetrate ~ a half inch
If the nail can penetrate an inch or so then make a series of holes to
see whether or not you can hit wood where the door will be installed


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