Metal Framing Door Headers

Step 1 measure and mark the door jambs from the floor to the desired height of the header.

Metal framing door headers.

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. Cut the door header. Unlike wood framing steel framing doesn t rot due to moisture and it resists rust. Measure the width of your door frame.

In addition door openings in metal walls don t require structural headers used in wood framed openings. Then a header must be inserted to carry the load of the interrupted stud s. Between 4 and 5 feet the header should be built 2 inches wide and 8 inches long while a larger opening needs a header that is 2 by 12. When in doubt use 2 by 12 inch headers.

This is the actual thickness of a 2x4. Armor door 36 in. When the opening is greater in width than the stud spacing and most windows are wider than 24 in. If you are using metal stud framing you can buy an easy to install one piece factory fabricated header or you can build your own.

Infill stud sill angle header tracks infill stud jamb additional anchorage jamb base track cripple stud cripple stud use of cripple stud to receive head sill tracks at the. Large openings in the wall are made for windows and doors. To cut individual steel studs and tracks use straight cut aviation snips photo 1. Most door frames that are 4 feet wide or less require a 2 by 6 header.

The longer the distance a header spans and the heavier the load it supports the more substantial it needs to be. If you need to cut dozens of metal studs and tracks quickly use a circular saw fitted with a toothless carborundum metal cutting blade 7 when cutting individual steel studs or tracks with a circular saw cut on the closed or web side and support the piece tightly on sawhorses. Set your store to see local availability choose options. Fire rated gray right hand flush steel prehung commercial door and frame with panic bar and hardware 679 00 699 00.