The 2 different types of Frameless Door Installation

Concealed Door Installation with Aluminum Frames

Concealed Aluminum Frames are installed much the same way as standard door frames.  That means they are placed in the rough opening, then get shimmed into a level and plumb position and then screwed into the studs.  Afterwards the drywall is attached to the walls and since Frameless Aluminum Frames have a place where the drywall sits (see BA13 in diagram above), the drywall simply butts into the frame in the pre-designed location.  Then the hinges can be installed and door slab can be hung.  The drywall can then be mudded.  The Aluminum Frame does not get mudded with drywall compound.  That means that there is no physical connection between drywall and frame.  That is a good thing because if the door frame ever vibrates or shakes when you close it with too much force, the adjacent mudded and painted drywall will not be affected and cannot crack and be damaged.  Lastly the wall, invisible frame and door will get painted to all blend into each other achieving the desired frameless door look.

Frameless Door Installation with Wood Frames

Wooden Frameless Door Frame Installation also starts off the same way as with the Aluminum frames.  You place the frame in the rough  opening, shim it and then screw it into plumb and level position.  However, wooden frameless door frames require the drywall to be installed before the frame goes in.  The reason for this is that the Wooden Frame has a drywall angle attached to it that overlaps the drywall when the frame gets installed (see FW-Angle in diagram above).  Now the major difference becomes apparent:  After the frame is in and the drywall angle overlaps the drywall, the drywall compound is used to hide the interface where drywall angle and drywall meet.  It is the same idea and similar procedure as joining 2 sheets of drywall with drywall mud.  Once correctly mudded and painted the interface between door frame and drywall will be totally hidden and it will appear as if there is no door frame at all.  When installing Wooden Frameless Doors it is therefore important to use Low Expansion installation foam around the perimeter of the door frame (between studs and frame) to reduce possible vibrations to avoid future drywall compound cracking at the interface of frame and wall.

Crooked Walls and Frameless Door Installation

A note on the wall make-up when installing Frameless Doors:  It is crucial that the wall (and Rough Opening in particular) is as plumb as possible.  The frameless door frame has to follow the wall and drywall to give you that flush look.  You don’t want the installed door to swing open or close by itself after the install if the wall is not plumb.  However, the 3-D Hidden Hinges which are commonly used with frameless doors, are adjustable and can compensate for minor wall problems in most cases.