Header Size For French Doors

My first job as a carpenter s helper was to construct headers for the tract houses we were building.

Header size for french doors.

Window door garage door headers supporting roof loads only. For example if you are installing the doors in an exterior bearing wall that is directly supporting the weight of the roof and possibly a second floor then double 2 x 10s. The header supports the framing above the opening and is also used for windows or any opening. The opening for the new french doors requires a header that spans the opening and carries the weight of the rafters above it.

So if you re on the top floor you can use 2 2x4 s unless the building is 36 wide in which case you ll need 2 2x6 s. Framing rough opening sizes are really quite simple. Measure the width of your door frame. Getting the rough opening size right the first time will save you from frustration when installing your doors.

The header thickness and height is the only real difference between standard and french door framing. If you have a floor above you ll need 2 2x6 s unless the building is 36 wide in which case you ll need 2 2x8 s. Most door frames that are 4 feet wide or less require a 2 by 6 header. If the opening will be 5 to 6 feet wide such as for double doors then you will need two 2 by 10 headers.

Emily when deciding what size header to install above your new french doors you must first consider the size of the load being supported by the header and wall framing. Header size required to support the roof ceiling and one center bearing floor of a 28 ft. You should add 2 1 2 to the height of the actual door. Window door garage door headers supporting roof wall floor loads.

The international building code ibc dictates the sizes of headers to ensure that they. 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. Just add 2 to the width of the actual door size. If you are putting in an opening between 4 and 5 feet wide then you ll need two 2 by 8 headers.

If you choose a header that is too small its weakness could lead to a collapse. Tables providing size selections for various beam spans and loading combinations for southern pine dimension lumber and southern pine glued laminated timber are available for the following applications. The clever way i used to build headers. For header spans see tables r502 5 1 and r502 5 2.

Without headers of the proper size your walls could fall in. When in doubt use 2 by 12 inch headers. This will give you room to space the door frame off of the sub floor. The right header size.