Metal Framing Door Headers

Armor door 36 in.

Metal framing door headers.

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. Then a header must be inserted to carry the load of the interrupted stud s. A header is a simple beam sized to support the load above the opening it spans. 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.

Step 1 measure and mark the door jambs from the floor to the desired height of the header. You will need to add 1 2 of plywood between the 2x4 s to get the right wall thickness of 3 1 2. Large openings in the wall are made for windows and doors. Unlike wood framing steel framing doesn t rot due to moisture and it resists rust.

When the opening is greater in width than the stud spacing and most windows are wider than 24 in. When in doubt use 2 by 12 inch headers. 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. Cut the door header.

Measure the width of your door frame. 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. The longer the distance a header spans and the heavier the load it supports the more substantial it needs to be.

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. To cut individual steel studs and tracks use straight cut aviation snips photo 1. Set your store to see local availability choose options. 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.