As an Amazon affiliate, we may earn a small commision from qualifying purchases.
We answer the question “What size nails for door jamb” in this article
The fact that you are reading this article shows that you already know what a door jamb is and the role it plays on the door frame.
Therefore, it is upon you to make sure that your door jamb is sturdy hence ensuring security.
Above this, a sturdy door jamb will ensure that your door is not sagging as this would lead to the door scraping the floor or the sill during its opening and closing.
Now that we have decided that a sturdy door is what you need, let us hammer in the door jamb and make sure it’s pretty firm.
But before that, let us shop for the perfect nail size for our door jamb.
Read on to get to know what nail sizes to use for your door jambs.
What size nails for door jamb (size and length?)
When installing your door jamb, you will want to ensure that you install it pretty well.
You want it firm enough to be able to withstand a burglar’s kick.
For this reason, it would be wise of you to go for the strongest nails. For this, a 15-gauge finish nail (0.0720 in diameter) is perfect for the work.
Another thing to take into consideration is the length of the nail….
You want a nail long enough to hold strongly onto the wall studs-This will reinforce the door’s firmness (Of course, this helps the door withstanding large amounts of force).
Here is what you need to know when it comes to fastening door jambs: the best length is typically 2-1/2”-there are far too many instances where 2” is too short..
How many nails in a door jamb?
Here we will take into consideration the fact that most standard doors have heights of 80 inches.
Keep in mind that as for the door jambs, the standard ones have heights of 81 inches.
With this height, we recommend that you do not nail your nails too close to each other nor too far away (Nailing them too far away from each other will result in a door jamb that is not firmly installed).
For nailing too close, it would be unnecessary-unless you live in an area prone to numerous burglaries.
Anyway, it is standard to nail two horizontal nails per point in your door jamb….
For the spacing, measure a distance of 4 inches from the head jamb- and here you nail your first two nails.
You will do the same for the bottom nails- measure 4 inches from the sill and nail in 2 nails horizontally.
Now you have 73 inches remaining so you can nail the nails at a distance of 12 inches from each other.
What this means is that you will nail your door jamb at 6 different points over the original 2 points.
For these points, however, you do not necessarily have to nail the nails in pairs-One nail per point is enough.
Therefore, 10 nails will do the work but depending on how firm you want your door jamb to be, you may decide to nail the middle nails in pairs.
Can you use screws for door jamb?
Yes. As a matter of fact, screws have better holding power than nails.
On the other hand, using screws is more labor intensive compared to using a nail gun to nail.
Don’t forget that you need to make sure that the length of the screws that you decide to use is similar to the length of the foregone nails.
How to nail a door jamb
Once you have your measurements, you ought to know how to install a door jamb.
Needless to say, improper installation can leave you with a number of problems such as a door that doesn’t close properly or a sagging door.
Now, let us dive into 3 easy steps of nailing a door jamb:
1. Install the head jamb
Place the head jamb over the top ends of the side jambs. Next, fasten it on both ends of the side jambs with two 1 ½ inch screws.
What you have now is a door frame without the sill.
2. Nail the side jambs
Note that the hinge jamb has to be properly and firmly fitted.
Otherwise, you will have a sagging door and that is not something you’d want.
That being so, take your square and make sure that the hinge jab is at an angle of 90⁰.
Next, using a measuring tape, measure 4 inches from the head jamb and nail in two nails horizontally.
Then, using your square, measure a 90⁰ angle at the bottom of the hinge jab using the sill as the base. You then take your tape measure and measure 4 inches from the sill.
Once you have done that, nail in two nails horizontally.
Repeat the previous two steps for the latch side.
You will now measure 12 inches from the top nail of the hinge jamb and nail in your first nail.
From there, repeat the same at a distance of 12 inches.
Again repeat the same for the latch side.
3. Nail the head jamb
For the final step, take your tape measure and measure 4 inches away from the side jambs. At these points, fire a nail at each point to attach the head jamb to the lintel.
Now you are good to go ahead and install your door.
What size nails for door jamb – Recap
Now, a 15-gauge finish nail (0.0720 in diameter) is typically perfect for fastening door jambs.
And as regards nail length, you want a nail long enough to hold strongly onto the wall studs..and here the best length is typically 2-1/2”-there are far too many instances where 2” is too short..
ALSO READ:
What size nails for framing a deck?