I am a pretty handy fellow, with a special talent in sheetrock, among other things. But when my front door needed replacing, I had a pro do it.
The reason is that in my case the opening was not absolutely square, so I knew that they would have to completely redo the jamb, and I wanted to have high quality hardware, and I also wanted a nice security storm door. My contractor friend took a day or so to do it, and it was a beautiful job.
In an older home there are surprises that you or your contractor will find, and sometimes it is better to have a skilled person find those problems–an entry door was one of those moments, in my opinion.
They did find some weirdness–the threshold apparently had been doubled up the last time the door was replaced, and they had to do some finagling to get things to fit properly. That’s why the old door had always required me to yank on it while turning the key.
Interior doors are an entirely different topics completely within the realm of stuff that a homeowner can do without much risk. Who cares if a bedroom door doesn’t shut properly for a week while you sort things out?
By the way, we went with a quality fiberglass door instead of steel, factory painted. I like it.
We just got a new front door. It wasn’t the cheapest, but was far from the most expensive. Installation was around 15% of the total cost and well worth it.
We had an old front door that leaked cold air like a sieve at the gaps between the door and the frame.
I had the entire unit replaced with a fiberglass door. If you not replace the frame and threashold with the door your really not solving a problem of leaking air.
Thank you for the mirror tip and the advice. It IS mostly an appearance thing, but it does leak a bit of air.
I think what I will do is exactly what you suggest. If I get a decent day, take the door off, fix/replace the bottom weatherstripping, and put it back (with the hinge pins in the same place.)
This job is a lot more involved than I ever imagined, so I doubt that I will actually replace the door completely without hiring someone.
After watching some youtube videos, and reading this thread and elsewhere, I don’t think this is something I’d be comfortable tackling myself for the first time in the dead of winter. I have minor woodworking skills (putting up molding, for example), but I have never seen this done in person, so I really had no idea what the job involved. Watching a pro do this job on youtube made me realize that yeah, if you know what you are doing and have done this in the past, it is probsbly straight-forward, but for someone who has never had to shim a door, or chisel out a bit of wood to recess the hinges, or drill holes in the door for the lock/etc. I could be biting off a bit more than I can chew.
Even pulling the door off and putting it back may not be a straightforward proposition. I will need at least one person to help with the lifting, and if the hinges and/or pins are even slightly bent due to settling, it will probably not just pop back into place.
I don’t mind learning something for the first time and struggling through it, but if I am not prepared properly, I could really hose myself.
Thanks all for the info and advice. I think I will use a temporary solution to fix the insulation issues, and if replacing it is still desired, I will hire someone who does this regularly in the spring.
When I replace an exterior door its a fairly big deal either way. Replacing only the slab can have issues with hinges, deadbolt and latch, weatherstripping, sweep and that’s assuming you have found a perfect size match which isn’t guaranteed for even fairly modern doors. Replacing the complete door , (prehung jamb and all) always results in a better final product but can be a HUGE job. Dealing with exterior brickmould, siding, stucco, Rough Opening issues, interior casing, threshold trim.
I replaced front and back door for a friends rental property this fall. Forty year old bungalow. Found a slab that was a close match for the back door, but still had to replace all the weatherstripping, new sweep which was a bugger to install and adjust due to issues with old sill. Had to patch and fill old strikes and mill new ones. Front door got a whole new door and jamb. R.O was 3 1/2" taller than modern standard, so new blocking top and bottom to fill in the R.O. and keep the final look balanced. Wrap the new R.O. with peel and stick and properly tie into the old tar paper to get a good seal, install door, foam. More peel and stick, milled new cedar kick plate, header and brickmould all custom sized to fit up to old siding. New casing and threshold trim, caulking and hardware install. 20 hrs of work and I do this for a living.
If you can get a slab that is a perfect match you will save a lot of time over a full replacement but be prepared for unexpected problems.
Well the hinge recess may be optional, or it may be required because for a metal door, you need big - stronger - hinges.
You could put washers , or wood, or metal plate, onto the screws/bolts, to act as spacer /filler , if the recess was actually too deep.
While doors are factory made, door jams are fitted by hand. (because door frames, the structure inside the wall to hold the door jams firmly… are thrown in by the builder… literally they can be bent during handling… so the frame is slightly the wrong size ?)
If your door jam is similarly metal , then you may have a problem that even thin hinges wont fit… but you can buy hinges that don’t require any recess , or only require the recess on one side… Depending on strength requierd. (the no rebating/recess ones are kinda thin… weak ? )
But I think the recess on the door surely solves the problem of the thickness of the hinges
Last remaining problem, the existing hinges may have caused an issue with the door jam, eg making the door jam impossible to attach hinges at new position ? Do you have to move them ? does that then have any issue ? The door jam may be bolted at the exact same place you want he hinge ? happens… then you need to solve that… Move the bolts…fill the holes…
Is the existing door a parallelogram ? measure the diagonals, and check the sides for straightness.
If diagonals are equal, and the sides are straight, then the angles must be 4 x 90 …
Settling creates parallelograms… I’ve seen a fair number of wonky door frames and the adjustment is to clip the offending corner off the door…But if your door frame is particularly bad it might be doing the damage to the door that causes you want to buy a new one… Check your door frame for straightness and 90 degree corners too…
I was going to say if you’re going to attempt a door swap, do a dry run first and just remove your existing door and then re-install it. Then think about if you want to do it yourself (with a helper) with a door that might not fit exactly or have hinges or locks in the wrong places.
And you might consider that whether it’s just the door or the door and jamb, if you do it yourself, you’ll probably have to make a trip or three to the hardware store to get tools or components you didn’t think you’d need. A carpenter or handyman who has done this before is going to bring everything he’ll need and also know some tricks.
No one’s mentioned this upthread. Can you transfer the locks/knob to your new door? Will you need a locksmith to transfer the locks or can your carpenter/handyman do that?
So… There’s nothing wrong with the door, or attached furniture, you just don’t like the look of it? considering replacing the JAMB just seems too much for me. Paint the door, have a vinyl wrap applied to it, tint\mirror film on any glass and\or change the colour of the locks, latches, striker plates, handles and hinges etc as desired. If you insist on replacing it, there could be a manufacturer sticker, it may be down the hinged side between the door and jamb, (find the right angle to check) also check up on top of the door (when in open position!)
Yes. I can do the locks/knobs myself. I have done that before. However, if I hire someone, I would just have them do everything.
Correct. I really hate the door. It is just a very unattractive, builder-quality door that probably was the lowest cost option the builder could get away with.
I have not found a manufacturer sticker or marking. I have looked… I thought if something did exist, it might be on the bottom of the door, which I cannot see too clearly until I take the door off its hinges. I’ve looked everywhere else.
I don’t know anything about vinyl wrap for doors. Never even heard of it, although I think I can visualize it. I will do a youtube search, but if there is a brand name someone can suggest, it will make my search easier.
I have decided to roll the dice and have a friend help me take the door off its hinges, and at least fixing the weatherstripping, especially on the bottom of the door. Assuming I can get it back on without a problem, I can worry about next steps in the spring. If I can get away with paint and/or vinyl wrap, I would be willing to give that a try. Especially if I cannot find a match for a perfect replacement.