Installing Interior Doors

Interior doors, which are sometimes know as "passage doors" since they connect passages between rooms, come in a variety of styles, and unlike exterior doors, do not have the same security needs. After you have chosen your interior door style, you will need to install your door. If you're not much of a handyman (or woman), the idea of installing a new door inside your home may sound somewhat intimidating. However, with the proper tools, it is a task that can be easily accomplished, even for a novice. Here's what you will need to hang an interior door in your home:

fiberglass exterior doors

· Your new door, measured and cut to fit the existing opening
· Hammer
· Finishing Nails
· Level
· Shims
· Wood putty
· A friend to help

EXTERIOR DOORS

These are the basic tools and supplies you'll need in order to properly install the door. Once you have everything together, it should only take you a couple hours to finish the project, assuming you don't run into any unforeseen problems.

The first step in the process is to fit the door into the rough frame. When fitting the door into the frame, it's good to have an extra set of hands to help hold the door in place and to ensure that it doesn't twist or move while you're finishing the installation. Use shims in order to vertically plumb the door and to fill in any gaps along the top and sides. Tap all the shims into place from both directions, then nail through them and the door jamb into the wall studs using 8-penny finishing nails and starting at the top hinge. Be sure that all the nails go completely through the shims and jamb and into the wall stud. Repeat this step on all other hinges. Be mindful that the space between the door and the jamb should be even all the way around the door at this point.

Now you need to trim the shims, being careful not to cut the jamb or the wall. Once this is done, cut the door's trim and nail it on every 16 inches using 4-penny finishing nails. Use wood putty to cover the nail heads. All that's left now is installing the doorknob and doing any touch up work with the wood putty.

Those are the basics of installing an interior door. With a little time, patience, and the proper equipment, you can save yourself some money in installation fees by hanging your door yourself.

Installing Interior Doors

Enid Glasgow is a writer with a passion for home-improvements, design, and architecture. Learn more about Interior Doors online.

EXTERIOR DOORS