SolveYourProblem:
Home Tips Article Series
How
To Replace a Door in 5 Steps
Learning how to replace a door opens a whole
new window of opportunity for a do-it-yourselfer. A new door
can change the style of a room or brighten up the exterior
of a house. In addition, a new door with a better seal can
help prevent drafts and improve heating bills.
There
are three types of doors: entry doors, interior doors,
and combination storm/screen doors. The five steps below describe
the technique for replacing an entry door. If you can master
replacement of an entry door, replacing most interior doors
is actually a simplified version of that process, as the locks
are typically simpler or nonexistent. Replacement of combination
storm/screen doors can follow the same process as that of entry
doors, or it can become more complicated. If you are unsure
about the process for installing a combination storm/screen
door, check your manufacturer’s information for additional
instructions or speak with a representative of the manufacturer
or store that sold you the door.
Remove
the old door
To remove the old door, open it and wedge under the outer
corner to take weight off the hinges. Once the door has been
removed, set it aside to use as a pattern in trimming the new
door unless it is seriously warped or damaged.
To remove the door, follow one of the two options below.
A popular method for hanging doors is the use of loose-pin
hinges. With loose-pin hinges, half the hinge attaches to the
door and the other half to the doorframe. Both halves are held
together by a pin. If this is the type of hinge you’re dealing
with, remove the pin by tapping it up and completely pulling
it out. Start with the bottom hinge and work your way up. Once
the hinges have been removed, you can take the door off the
frame.
In some older homes, a different type of hinge may be used
or the pin cannot easily be removed because it has been covered
by layers of paint. In this case, unscrew the hinges from the
doorframe (still working from bottom to top) and remove the
door.
Remove
hinge leaves
Remove the hinge leaves from the door and the frame. You can
choose to either reuse the original hinges or hang new ones.
If you reuse the original ones, you can buff them with sandpaper
and spray them with a clear protective coating. For new hinges,
simply insure that they are the same size as the old ones.
Once you have gotten the hinges in the shape you want them,
install the new hinge leaves on the door frame. Be sure your
screws are long enough to pierce both the frame and the stud-wall
framing. This is an extra security measure.
Trim
new door
If possible, use the original door as a pattern
for the new one. Alight the top and side edges and see whether
the new
door needs to be cut down along the bottom. If you cannot use
the old door as a pattern, measure the door opening and allow
a 1/8" bottom clearance and 1/16" top and side clearance.
If the door opens over carpet, increase the bottom clearance
to 3/4" or more. Mark the appropriate dimensions on the
new door.
Trim the bottom of the door with a fine-toothed saw. Alternatively
you can work from the corners to the center of the bottom edge
with a block plane. Also use a jack plane for edge trimming
if necessary. To prevent binding when the new door is opened,
bevel the latch edge inward.
Prepare
new door for hinges
The first step in preparing the door for the
hinges is to create the new mortises, which are carved or
routed-out depressions
where the hinge blades are placed, which keeps the surface
even. Again using the old door for a pattern, mark hinge mortise
locations. If you choose not to pattern after the old door,
stick the new door in the opening and wedge it 1/8" from
the bottom. Mark the hinge locations on the door.
Next, set the door on its latch edge. Use a square and pencil
or knife to draw a line across the door edge at each hinge
location. Outline the new hinge on the door by using the hinge
leaf as a template.
Score marked edges for the hinge mortises with a wood chisel.
Do not cut deeper than hinge leaf thickness. Angle the same
chisel with beveled edge downward. Make several cuts in the
scored area, again to the depth of the hinge leaf. Remove wood
chips with a chisel. Insert the hinge leaf to double check
fit, but do not affix it to the door.
Typically, doors taller than six feet require three hinges
for weight distribution. Place the middle hinge halfway between
the top and bottom hinges.
Coat door edges with wood sealant. Use wood screws to attach
hinge leaves to the new door.
Hang
new door Placing the newly sealed door in the frame, insert the top
and bottom pins. If the fit is acceptable, close the door and
mark where the middle hinge falls on the door frame. If the
old door had a middle hinge, the best case scenario would involve
the new middle hinge falling in exactly the same place, necessitating
no work on your part.
If the middle hinge falls differently on the new door, take
down the door by removing the bottom hinge pin and then the
top. Use the hinge leaf as a template to outline the middle
hinge’s location on the door frame. Cut the mortise in the
same process used for door mortises. Attach the middle hinge
to the door frame.
Set the door in place and insert the hinge pins, working top
to bottom.
Another project for another day is installing a new lockset.
For now, open your new door and go out and celebrate your accomplishment!
# # # # #
SolveYourProblem.com : 2007
> Home > Home
Tips: Main Page |
