Metal Framing Door Headers

Set your store to see local availability choose options.

Metal framing door headers.

This is the actual thickness of a 2x4. Step 1 measure and mark the door jambs from the floor to the desired height of the header. When in doubt use 2 by 12 inch headers. A header is a simple beam sized to support the load above the opening it spans.

Measure the width of your door frame. 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. Armor door 36 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.

In addition door openings in metal walls don t require structural headers used in wood framed openings. 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. Most door frames that are 4 feet wide or less require a 2 by 6 header. To cut individual steel studs and tracks use straight cut aviation snips photo 1.

Then a header must be inserted to carry the load of the interrupted stud s. You will need to add 1 2 of plywood between the 2x4 s to get the right wall thickness of 3 1 2. When the opening is greater in width than the stud spacing and most windows are wider than 24 in. Together the headers king studs and trimmers act as a system that transfers weight from above down and around the window and door openings to the floor and foundation below.

Unlike wood framing steel framing doesn t rot due to moisture and it resists rust. Cut the door header. Large openings in the wall are made for windows and doors. The longer the distance a header spans and the heavier the load it supports the more substantial it needs to be.