Five steps for a new door

Learning to replace a door opens a new window of opportunity for a handyman. A new door can change the style of a room or brighten the outside of a house. In addition, a new, better sealed door can help prevent drafts and improve heating bills.

There are three types of doors: interior doors and combined doors against storms and mosquito nets. The five steps below describe how to replace a front door. If you master the replacement of a front door, replacing most interior doors is actually a simplified version of this process, as locks are usually simpler or non-existent. The replacement of the storm gates / mosquito nets combined may follow the same process as that of the entrance doors or become more complicated. If you are unsure about the process of installing a storm / screen combination door, consult the information provided by your manufacturer for additional instructions or contact 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 it under the outside corner to lighten the weight of the hinges. Once the door has been removed, set aside for use as a motif in cutting the new door unless it is seriously deformed or damaged.

To remove the door, follow one of the two options below.

A popular method for overhead doors is to use pin hinges. With the loose pin hinges, half of the hinge attaches to the door and the other half to the door frame. The two halves are held together by a pin. If using this type of hinge, remove the pin by tapping and pulling it all the way. Start with the bottom hinge and continue up. Once the hinges are removed, you can remove the door from the frame.

In some older homes, a different type of hinge may be used or the pin may not be easily removed as it is covered with layers of paint. In this case, unscrew the hinges from the door frame (always running from bottom to top) and remove the door.

Remove the leaves from the hinge.

Remove the leaves from the hinge of the door and frame. You can choose to reuse the original hinges or hang new hinges. If you are reusing the originals, you can polish them with sandpaper and spray them with a clear protective coating. For new hinges, just make sure they are the same size as the old hinges.

Once the hinges have the shape you want, install the new hinge sheets on the door frame. Make sure your screws are long enough to pierce both the frame and the framing of the amount. This is an extra security measure.

Cut the new door.

If possible, use the original door as a template for the new one. Turn on the top and side edges and see if the new door should be cut along the bottom. If you can not use the old door as a template, measure the opening of the door and allow 1/8 clearance and 1/16 side clearance. If the door opens on a carpet, increase the clearance to less than 3/4 or more Mark the appropriate dimensions on the new door.

Cut the bottom of the door with a fine-toothed saw. Alternatively, you can work corners at the center of the bottom edge with a block plan. Also use a jack plane for trimming the edges if necessary. To prevent the door from getting stuck when opening the new door, bevel the edge of the latch inward.

Prepare a new door for the hinges.

The first step in preparing the door for the hinges is to create the new mortises, which are hollow or deviated depressions where the hinge blades are placed, which keeps the surface even. Using the old door as a pattern again, mark the locations of the hinge mortises. If you choose not to follow the old door, glue the new door into the opening and wedge it 1/8 from the bottom, mark the location of the hinges on the door.

Then place the door on the edge of the latch. Use a square and pencil or knife to draw a line across the edge of the door at each location of the hinges. Describe the new hinge on the door using the hinge leaf as a template.

Mark the edges marked for the hinge mortises with a chisel. Do not cut deeper than the thickness of the hinge leaf. Tilt the same chisel with the beveled edge down. Make several cuts in the notched area, always at the depth of the leaf of the hinge. Remove wood chips with a chisel. Insert the hinge sheet to check its fit, but do not attach it to the door.

Generally, doors over six feet require three hinges for weight distribution. Place the center hinge halfway between the top and bottom hinges.

Coat the edges of the door with wood putty. Use wood screws to attach the hinge sheets to the new door.

Hang a new door.

When placing the newly sealed door into the frame, insert the upper and lower pins. If the fit is acceptable, close the door and mark where the center hinge falls on the door frame. If the old door had a central hinge, in the best case, the new central hinge would fall exactly in the same place and would require no work on your part.

If the center hinge falls differently on the new door, lower the door by removing the pin from the bottom hinge and then the top. Use the hinge sheet as a template to define the location of the center hinge on the door frame. Cut the mortise in the same process used for door mortices. Attach the center hinge to the door frame.

Place the door in place and insert the hinge pins by working from top to bottom.