door installation question

[backwoodsman]

I have bought premanufactured aluminum doors from Frank Bear. I need a spacer of 5/8" between the door and the wall. I have seen several people use a wooden spacer (shim) between the two, but I can not find 5/8" boards and do not have a planer. I thought I saw somewhere on the fourm someone used a gasket of some kind. Maybe rubber. What are your experiences with this, how well does it work and where can I locate some?
Thank you,
Greg
a.k.a. backwoodsman

[tony.latham]

I've installed a couple of sets of Frank Bear doors, but they've been placed in sandwiched walls that are 1.25" thick and 1" thick –thus no spacer needed. How thick is your wall?

I'm quite sure any small cabinet shop will plane your boards down to 5/8" for a few bucks. Another option is using 5/8" plywood.

Tony

[Kharn]

1) Do you need the spacer between the edge of the door opening and the edge of the door, or the face of the wall to the trim ring?

Assuming it is the former:
2) Do you have a table saw? Set the saw to rip 5/8" and slide a piece of 3/4" plywood on edge with the blade set to 2" high, that would give you a piece of 5/8".

Assuming it is the latter:
3) How thick is your wall?
4) What size trim ring did you specify when you ordered your doors? The standard is 3/4", but he'll make other sizes as needed so you shouldn't need a spacer at all.
5) Are you sure you're putting the trim ring on correctly? A 3/4" thick wall and a backwards 3/4" trim ring look like they would make a ~5/8" gap.
6) As a last resort, order two new trim rings to fit your wall thickness.

[backwoodsman]

Kharn & Tony,
Thanks for your replys. You got me to thinking....
The spacer needs to be between the face of the wall and the trim ring.
My walls are 15/16" or .9375"
I think you are correct (in #5) that I was putting the trim ring on backwards, however with the thickness of my wall the inside of the door is flush without the trim ring attached.
I think if I had a flat trim ring it would work.

So, I am back to needing a 5/8" gasket or wooden frame around the inside of the door face or ordering a new trim ring from Frank....?

[absolutsnwbrdr]

Franks doors ship with a trim ring for 3/4" walls (unless you specify otherwise). He can supply trim rings for other thickness walls. My walls are 1-1/8" thick, and my trim ring is virtually flat. A trim ring for a 7/8" or 1" wall will have a little offset to it (bump out towards the interior), so that there is room to draw the door assembly in through the opening and compress the exterior gasket. Give Frank a call and get the right trim ring. It'll save you some headaches.

From the pics in your album it looks like you have a quality build. Don't cut corners this late in the game.