How to Install an Aluminum Door Frame

Published: Jul 29, 2011
Updated: Nov 20, 2021
1 minute read

Step 1

Lift the aluminum frame's header and sides into the rough opening. Insert the tabs on the top of the sides into the grooves in the header's ends.

Step 2

Hold a level against the aluminum door frame's header. Raise or lower each side until the header is level. Slide wooden shims underneath the side jambs, if necessary, for additional support. Drive 1 5/8-inch screws through the header's guide holes.

Step 3

Hold a level against one of the sides. Position the side so it rests straight in the opening. Drive 1 5/8-inch screws through the side's guide holes.

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Step 4

Check the other side with a level to make sure it is level in the opening. Secure this side in place with 1 5/8-inch screws through the guide holes.

Step 5

Cut off the shim's extending ends with a utility knife so they do not go past the aluminum door frame.

Tips

Some aluminum door frames have compression anchors, which you tighten with a Phillips screwdriver, to help hold the frame in place.

Elizabeth Knoll

Elizabeth Knoll has been writing full-time since 2008. She has a deep love for gardening and has spent a vast amount of time researching that subject. Her work appears on various websites. Knoll received a certificate in Early Childhood…

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