Community Theater Green Room Discussion Board: Tips and tricks for building doors?

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jt7724
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Joined: 3/21/11
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Topic: Tips and tricks for building doors?
Posted: 12/15/12 at 2:20pm

I have been building sets for my theater for 3 years now and I have yet to make a decent door. We generally put doors into 4 by 8 flats, as I believe is the standard for most community theaters, but when we put them up they inevitably either swing open, drag on the floor, stick on the frame, or are out of alignment in any number of other ways. I'm wondering if anyone who has been doing this longer than me has any tips that they have picked up as to the best way to build and install a door flat. I believe that this is a relatively common problem and I thank in advance anyone who can help me and others to improve on our situation.

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bmiller025
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Posted: 12/18/12 at 1:14am

I'll take a shot at this! :)

I think it is worth studying how doors are mounted in walls in the real world, to get a good sense of what is going to work best for you, both in terms of functionality and budget. One thing we need to worry about with doors in the theater is that the "walls" the doors are mounted in are usually not permanent, stationary objects. The slightest sway of the flat the door is mounted in will cause all sorts of problems for you. Building a door flat with 2x4 framing, and then bracing it zealously, both internally and in attaching it to the rest of the set and the stage itself, will likely solve quite a few problems. The flat needs to be securely attached to the floor, and also kept from moving back and forth as the door is opened and closed. Keep in mind that the door is almost always going to weigh more than the "wall" it is attached to, and that is going to cause trouble. The framing of the door opening itself also needs to be totally immobile if you want to avoid the swaying and the scraping problems you have described. Make sure that your flat is precisely built. Using warped framing is going to make it harder to both anchor and immobilize the flat, and also cause problems when you hang the door.

What else? Use actual matched door hardware. Use the same moldings that are made for use for doors in your home or workplace onstage. Make sure the set is "plumb."

Finally, don't worry about it! Each time you build a new one, you will get better at it.

A few examples of doors I have done...

This was a silly, simple-set Christmas show last year. There were two freestanding doors midstage, which got used to excess, complete with slamming, etc. The door frames were approximately eight inches or so across, the doors were hollow-core, lightweight and cheap (I had to cut a window in one!), and there was so much bracing behind the door frames, it was hazardous in blackouts!
http://www.brianmiller.biz/ChristmasTwist8.jpg

This is a production of "Lend Me a Tenor" I designed the set for, but did not build. Too many doors, all of which got slammed incessantly. The flats were all custom built for the show, with perfectly cantilevered ends. The set-builder is a big-time luxury home builder, and he did a remarkable job! Not a practical approach for the community theater world as they threw it all away in the end, but the set didn't twitch!
http://www.brianmiller.biz/Tenor09.jpg

http://www.brianmiller.biz/BrianDesign.htm

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pdavis69
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Posted: 12/18/12 at 8:31am

I believe bmiller is right in the need for solid bracing when it comes to proper door instalation. I love the farces in theatre which usually include many doors slamming and fast action. A poorly hung door can mes up the action. When building a "door" set, I like to start with the doors, build them plumb and solid, then build the walls around them. Prior planning and layout concideration should allow you to fiill between the doors with your preexisting flats. On the odd chance I get to buy new doors for a set, I like to buy the prehung doors which screw right into my 2X4 frames.

Patrick L. Davis
Fort Findlay Playhouse

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jt7724
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Joined: 3/21/11
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Posts: 18

Posted: 12/29/12 at 3:02pm

Thanks for the great suggestions, I'll be sure to try these out on the next set I build.

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Set Design and Construction
Community Theater Green Room Discussion Board :Producing Theater :Set Design and Construction

Author	Message
jt7724 Player Joined: 3/21/11 Online Status: Offline Posts: 18	Topic: Tips and tricks for building doors? Posted: 12/15/12 at 2:20pm
	I have been building sets for my theater for 3 years now and I have yet to make a decent door. We generally put doors into 4 by 8 flats, as I believe is the standard for most community theaters, but when we put them up they inevitably either swing open, drag on the floor, stick on the frame, or are out of alignment in any number of other ways. I'm wondering if anyone who has been doing this longer than me has any tips that they have picked up as to the best way to build and install a door flat. I believe that this is a relatively common problem and I thank in advance anyone who can help me and others to improve on our situation.

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bmiller025 Star Joined: 10/06/05 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 82	Posted: 12/18/12 at 1:14am
	I'll take a shot at this! :) I think it is worth studying how doors are mounted in walls in the real world, to get a good sense of what is going to work best for you, both in terms of functionality and budget. One thing we need to worry about with doors in the theater is that the "walls" the doors are mounted in are usually not permanent, stationary objects. The slightest sway of the flat the door is mounted in will cause all sorts of problems for you. Building a door flat with 2x4 framing, and then bracing it zealously, both internally and in attaching it to the rest of the set and the stage itself, will likely solve quite a few problems. The flat needs to be securely attached to the floor, and also kept from moving back and forth as the door is opened and closed. Keep in mind that the door is almost always going to weigh more than the "wall" it is attached to, and that is going to cause trouble. The framing of the door opening itself also needs to be totally immobile if you want to avoid the swaying and the scraping problems you have described. Make sure that your flat is precisely built. Using warped framing is going to make it harder to both anchor and immobilize the flat, and also cause problems when you hang the door. What else? Use actual matched door hardware. Use the same moldings that are made for use for doors in your home or workplace onstage. Make sure the set is "plumb." Finally, don't worry about it! Each time you build a new one, you will get better at it. A few examples of doors I have done... This was a silly, simple-set Christmas show last year. There were two freestanding doors midstage, which got used to excess, complete with slamming, etc. The door frames were approximately eight inches or so across, the doors were hollow-core, lightweight and cheap (I had to cut a window in one!), and there was so much bracing behind the door frames, it was hazardous in blackouts! http://www.brianmiller.biz/ChristmasTwist8.jpg This is a production of "Lend Me a Tenor" I designed the set for, but did not build. Too many doors, all of which got slammed incessantly. The flats were all custom built for the show, with perfectly cantilevered ends. The set-builder is a big-time luxury home builder, and he did a remarkable job! Not a practical approach for the community theater world as they threw it all away in the end, but the set didn't twitch! http://www.brianmiller.biz/Tenor09.jpg
	http://www.brianmiller.biz/BrianDesign.htm
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pdavis69 Celebrity Joined: 3/26/06 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 437	Posted: 12/18/12 at 8:31am
	I believe bmiller is right in the need for solid bracing when it comes to proper door instalation. I love the farces in theatre which usually include many doors slamming and fast action. A poorly hung door can mes up the action. When building a "door" set, I like to start with the doors, build them plumb and solid, then build the walls around them. Prior planning and layout concideration should allow you to fiill between the doors with your preexisting flats. On the odd chance I get to buy new doors for a set, I like to buy the prehung doors which screw right into my 2X4 frames.
	Patrick L. Davis Fort Findlay Playhouse
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jt7724 Player Joined: 3/21/11 Online Status: Offline Posts: 18	Posted: 12/29/12 at 3:02pm
	Thanks for the great suggestions, I'll be sure to try these out on the next set I build.
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