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I am trying to widen the doorway to a room in a house that was build in 1905. the framing is 16 on center, however the lumber is wider than a standard 2x4. by about a 1/2 inch. (the actual dimensions of the wood are 2x4).

I can position the jackstuds so that they are flush with the wall of the room, but that would leave a gap on the other side.

How should I handle this? Should I rip a 2x6 to fit?

EDIT: the wall is load bearing

isherwood
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John Pfleger
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    Never heard of this. Add a filler to 2x4, cheaper. Or rip down 2x6. –  May 31 '19 at 20:10
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    If you are widening an existing doorway, can you remove the existing king and jack studs without shortening them and reuse them? The only new lumber needed would be for a new, longer header, right? Otherwise it would seem that only a small amount of 2x4 stud lumber would be needed so the expense of ripping 2x6 stud grade to a full 4" would be very little. Will the wider doorway require a deeper header? – Jim Stewart May 31 '19 at 20:44
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    @JimStewart I wish I’d thought of that...reuse the trimmer and king stud. Then, just a new header and a few studs are required. Even the studs that are being removed for the wider door opening can be reused. (Be sure to use KD lumber for the rest of the framing.) – Lee Sam May 31 '19 at 21:00
  • If you have to replace a few studs in house' And have Some 2x6 around .Use them rip through table saw. Both work. –  May 31 '19 at 21:11
  • @RobertMoody In an older house I could see them having unfinished 2x4s, which would be closer to an actual 2" x 4" – Machavity Jun 01 '19 at 03:31
  • If it was looked at by AHJ if you reused lumber.He may let it go;Framing lumber has to have a # 2 ratting. –  Jun 01 '19 at 03:51
  • Rough lumber is green or if lucky air dry. Good for pallets ect .Has no building rating .Yes a couple of studs to replace may be fine. And if you install sheet rock may bend and twist popping screws. May have big knots ect. Studs are s= dry or if you want the best kd kiln dry and straight little knots. If doing lots of work has to be rated or check with AHJt .they have final word.And if it saved you anything ,why are they not used every day. –  Jun 01 '19 at 05:10
  • I ran into this in my 1929 home. The contractor ripped a 2x8 to width and reused one of the jack studs (the other was destroyed during demo). The cost of the 2x8 was negligible. The real expense was replacing all the damaged clear, straight oak trim on both sides of the opening. The trim cost more than everything else combined. – Eric Simpson Jun 01 '19 at 12:27
  • Yes you can but when you use a new 2x8. You end up with one 4 inch cut. And a 3 3/8 inch cut, due to saw blade waste. –  Jun 01 '19 at 17:18

3 Answers3

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You may have to rip a larger board, but you might be able to find "rough cut" lumber at some yards. I had a house built in 1910, I had the same problem. I was able to find rough cut lumber for interior framing work, but for anything exposed, I had to mill down larger boards.

JRaef
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  • Rough cut lumber does not have the #2 rating for a frame.. It is rough cut.And has no rating. –  May 31 '19 at 20:05
  • Frame a house with rough cut lumber.Let me know in the state you are .How that worked out.You may be ok for the studs. But joist and rafters .Trouble. –  May 31 '19 at 20:18
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You either rip a 2x6 or you stagger frame 2x4s by butting them to one side then the other. If the wall isn't load bearing it doesn't really matter.

DMoore
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  • That is fine. Is lot of wasted money. –  May 31 '19 at 20:08
  • @RobertMoody - Maybe $10? Maybe. – DMoore Jun 01 '19 at 23:17
  • Ten bucks is ten bucks. Times that out adds up. –  Jun 01 '19 at 23:22
  • @RobertMoody - no he said for one wall. There is no times. – DMoore Jun 02 '19 at 17:59
  • @RobertMoody - your comments aren't helping anyone. Work on making your answer better. Nobody knows what a filler strip is. Also link to buying a filler strip for people. How do you install filler strip if the filler strip has drywall screwed into it how does it react? Work on giving a good answer, not dissing the best answer. No carpenter would put up a 2x4 with a "filler strip" for an application like this - ever. – DMoore Jun 03 '19 at 00:25
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Frame with 2x4, add a filler strip. The filler strip to make walls flush or same thickness. Way cheaper than wasting a 2x6. You can not find #2 rated framing stock full 2 inch by 4 inch. Rough lumber does not have the #2 rating for frame work.Or if you can reuse some of the old lumber. Apply a new header .

They should make it, but they do not.