It's Easy To Install An Exterior Door

If you want to learn how to install an exterior door than you should stay right where you are. Installing an exterior door is not very hard at all, but it can be a bit time consuming especially if it is your first time. The easiest way to put in an exterior door is by buying a door that comes with the frame.

door sweeps for exterior doors

Let's take a look at how a door functions so that you will have a better understanding of all of the different components that are attached to the door and why they are important.

EXTERIOR DOORS

A door is held up by various door hardware such as door hinges and the door hinge is connected to the frame and the door with hinge pins. There is going to be a door knob or door handle, door lockset, and other various door hardware that you might add to your exterior door to increase the look of it.

Generally an exterior door is going to be 32" and 36" in width, and 6"8 or taller in height. These are the standard sizes that give us the necessary width that we need to fit most of our furniture and appliances through.

Okay now let's take a look a t how you can easily install an exterior door.

First you are going to need to remove the molding from around the door so that you can expose the nails. Now once the molding is removed you will take your sawzall and begin cutting the nails around the door. Doing this is going to remove the entire door frame. It's always a good idea for you to install an exterior door, or even an interior door with two people. You will be able to do it alone, but it's a lot easier when you have some help.

Once you have removed the old door you can now begin installing the new door in the opening. It's very important that you make sure that the door is level before you begin nailing the door jamb into place.

And this is basically all there is to installing an exterior door with the frame. There are many online how to websites that will be complete with pictures to make this process much easier for you to follow along with.

Before you begin removing your existing door it's a good idea to ensure that you have all of the necessary tools, and the right size door before you start. There is nothing worse than having to leave in the middle of this project.

It's Easy To Install An Exterior Door

It's so important that you make the right impressions on your visitors whether it's for your home, or for your office. Leaving a everlasting impression should begin with the entry of the house or office so it all begins with your door hardware.

EXTERIOR DOORS

How To Install A Pre-Hung Exterior Door

How To Install A Pre-Hung Exterior Door - Adding Beauty To Your Home At An Affordable Price

exterior doors for sale

If you have decided to replace the existing entrance with a new door unit, then the information I am going to provide in this article will be of great assistance to you.

EXTERIOR DOORS

Today it is easier than ever before to install a pre-hung exterior door unit. Notice, I did not say easy! In the days before pre-hung exterior doors, it took more time, more tools and specialized knowledge to install a door. Door units today can be purchased completely put together and so the term pre-hung was coined.

As a professional door and window installer with more than 20 years of experience, I have installed about every kind of exterior door unit made by most major manufacturers and have concluded that the process is much the same from manufacturer to manufacturer.

1. The first thing you need to do is evaluate the situation from the interior and exterior. Look at the existing exterior door appearance. Does the existing door frame have wood rot from years of rain or poor maintenance? When the door is in the closed position, is it air tight, or does it allow cold air to enter and warm air to escape? With the high cost of energy going higher every day this is a very important part of the equation regarding replacing or repairing the existing entrance.

Here is a tip, to get your correct frame size this is critical and needs to be correct. Carefully remove the existing interior trim around the door frame. After the trim is removed, with pen and paper in hand, measure the width, then measure the height from the under side of door sill to the top of the frame. This is your frame size. If this is new construction, you can use rough opening size; otherwise please save yourself a lot of aggravation and use frame size only.

2. Once this is done, take these measurements to your materials supply store or big box store in your community and match your frame size as close as possible to what they can provide you. Don't forget to order your pre hung exterior door unit with the proper swing as viewed from the exterior. Most door manufacturers recognize left or right hand door swings, as viewed from the exterior.

3. Is it a RH or LH hand swinging door? Is it an in swing, or out swing? Is it going to be prepared for a single or double bore to accommodate your newly purchased lockset installation? Is it a 4 9/16" or 6 9/16" jamb thickness? These are some questions you will be presented with once you arrive at your door provider store.

4. Don't forget the new lockset and the purchase of required material to complete your project. I always try to match and replace the interior trim with new trim whenever possible because it makes for a more professionally installed appearance. However, if you can remove the existing trim without damage and it is still usable, then pull the old nails out from the backside to prevent damage to the face side of the trim and reuse. Exterior pre hung door units can be purchased with or without exterior trim applied as an option.

Tools are necessary and I'm sure you have everything polished up and ready to go. Here are some tools and miscellaneous items I use to complete such a project: a claw hammer, finish nails or a finish nail gun to install interior and exterior trim, cedar shims, pry bar, circular saw, drill driver, miter box, reciprocating saw, caulking gun, one small box 3" screws, level, framing square, drop cloth, caulking, insulation, and painting products. Painting, Ugh, did some one mention painting? This is the final step and something to look forward to before breaking out the champagne and celebrating a job well done.

Reminder: take your time, think about the process before hand, and most importantly, remember to start level. If you start level and place the new frame as close as possible to where your existing frame was, (before it was removed), the rest of the installation will be a piece of cake. Good luck, you can do it!

How To Install A Pre-Hung Exterior Door

Article by: Richard Willis

EXTERIOR DOORS

How to Install Exterior Handle Sets on a New Door

Handle sets can dress up your home and add security from intruders. They're available in a number of different styles and finishes to go perfectly with your personal style and existing décor. You can have handle sets installed professionally but you can also do it yourself. When installing a handle set onto a new door you'll need to cut out the holes where the hardware will be installed. It's important to get the measurements exact or it will not close properly and it can be annoying if the handles are too low or too high.

exterior doors

Basic instructions on how to install handle sets on a new door:

EXTERIOR DOORS

· The first step is to gather up all of your tools. You'll need a screwdriver, tape measure, chisel, square, marker, drill, coarse file and a round saw drill bit for cutting holes.

· Support the door on its side and secure it in place. You don't want the door moving around while you're trying to drill holes.

· The average door is eighty inches high and the handle set is placed forty-six inches from the top and thirty-six inches from the bottom. This places the handle where it's convenient for the average size person to use. It can be adjusted according to your personal preference.

· After determining where the handle set will be placed use the template and mark the center part of the latch hole. Now drill a hole approximately three inches into the door.

· Use the template to mark the center of the hole that will be used for the lock body. Be sure and align it with the latch hole perfectly. Use the round saw drill bit the size of the template to cut out the hole for the handles.

· Use the file to sand and smooth the edges of the hole and use the chisel to cut out the recess where the latch plate goes and then use the screws to attach the latch to the door.

· Hang the door and secure with the hinges and you're ready to install the hardware.

· Use the latch plate to mark the location of the strike plate, chisel out the hole and install the strike plate with screws.

· Insert the interior handle and line up the shaft with the opening in the latch and then slide the outer handle through the hole and into place while coupling it onto the shaft.

· Line up all the pieces and use screws to secure them together.

· Move the handles up and down and open and close the door a few times to make sure everything is working correctly. If there is a problem you'll need to loosen the screws and adjust the pieces then retighten. Repeat until the handles work correctly.

Not all handle sets will be installed the same way but the basic instructions are the same. Therefore, using the information above can help you install most handle sets. Most manufactures will include installation instructions with their handle sets so it is always a good idea to read these thoroughly prior to drilling your doors.

How to Install Exterior Handle Sets on a New Door

Learn more about cabinet resurfacing and cabinet hardware when you visit our site. MyKnobs.com is here to offer you with the largest selection of decorative hardware found anywhere online.

EXTERIOR DOORS

Easy Install - Patio Doors 101

Whether you've decided on Masonite French or Masonite's center-hinged patio doors, the fact is, that stunning new set of doors will never see its full potential leaning up against a wall in your garage. If you've come this far, then it's time to get serious about mounting your patio doors. Not only will installing them add some extra functionality to your home, your sense of pride and accomplishment will increase dramatically too!

In just a few simple steps you can have your new doors installed and functioning beautifully.

MASONITE EXTERIOR DOORS

1. Determine your Rough Opening and Door Frame size.
o Rough opening width is measured from the inside of the stud frame to the opposite stud.
o Rough opening height is measure from the sub-floor to the bottom of the header.

2. Do not proceed until the sub-floor is clean and level.

3. Remove all packaging from your door (including any wood screws in the top of the header).

4. Apply caulk to the flat surfaces of the bottom sill, bottom jambs, and grooves.

5. Fit the unit into the rough opening.
o Do not try this without assistance.

6. Shim and Fasten the unit.
o Shim the bottom of the unit, tightly and as indicated in your door's manual. Shim the top of the unit, as indicated.
o Confirm a 1/8" gap between the top of the door and the frame header.

7. Insulate and Install.
o Score the shims with a razor and snap them flush with the frame.
o Insulate any gaps between the frame and rough opening with fiberglass blanket insulation.

8. Extra Caulking
o Caulk all exterior corners and all around the brick siding. Caulk everywhere the exterior trim meets brick or siding trim.

9. I said there were 9 steps, right? Well, if there was another step, I'd instruct you to take a step back and admire your handiwork, because you have just installed your new patio doors!

Easy Install - Patio Doors 101

MASONITE EXTERIOR DOORS

How to Install a Prehung Door

Hanging a door these days is easier than its ever been. In the days before prehung doors, it took more tools and knowledge to hang a door than it does now.

Imagine getting a door slab, an unassembled door jamb, hinges and door hardware and having to do all the mortising, drilling, rabbeting on site.

MASONITE EXTERIOR DOORS

No longer do you need an array of tools such as a drill, a mortising jig for hinges, strikes, and bolt plate. No jig for drilling the backset for the doorknob and bolt.

Nowadays all you need is a hammer and hard trim nails or a finish nail gun and some shims.

The first thing you need to do is check the opening you'll be hanging the door in for the correct size. It should be 2" bigger than the door size. Even though it's a rough opening it should be reasonably plumb and square.

If the opening was framed by someone else, you may want to break out your level and framing square and check this also. Drywallers sometimes believe the rough opening was meant for them and will let the drywall run into the opening. If this is the case use a drywall saw or sawzall to cut it back.

Once all the vitals have been checked your ready to hang a door. Prehung doors come assembled a couple different ways. They can be bought with trim already mitered and nailed on to one side and without trim. If there is no trim installed, I like to put it on before I put the door in the opening. The trim is installed on the hinge side.

Most doors open into a room and against a wall. When putting the door into the opening, try to put the door in the center of the opening. The door jamb should be able to move to the left and right in the opening. The gap between the door and jamb on the hinge side is usually about an 1/8" of an inch. This dictates the gap or space you should have all around the door. Move the door jamb to the left or right until you have that same space at the top. You then nail the trim on the top hinge side and the bottom hinge side. Then nail the strike side on the top making sure you still have an equal space. Nail off the rest of the hinge side with 3 or 4 more nails. The 2 nails already in the top are all I usually put in. Now nail the rest of the strike side starting at the top and working your way down, maintaining the same space as the top and hinge side.

Once the door is nailed into the opening on the inside, it's time to shim the door jamb. First, pull the door closed to make sure it hits the door stop evenly on the strike side. If it is hitting only at the top pull the hinge side toward you till it hits even. If it hits only at the bottom, push the hinge side jamb away from you till it hits evenly.

Once you get the jamb aligned put shims between the jamb and stud opening, being careful not to bow the jamb into the opening. If need be use a straight edge to keep it straight. I put shims behind every hinge and the strike and also at the top and bottom of the strike side. I nail these shims in with two nails, one on each side of the stop.

The next step is to apply the door casing to the outside of the door. Once this is done, your ready for the door hardware. If everything went right, the bolt should engage the strike plate and the door should fit snuggly against the stops.

(c) 2005 Mike Merisko http://www.sawkerfs.com

How to Install a Prehung Door

About the Author: Mike Merisko has been a carpenter for 26 years. Most of those years were spent in the homebuilding and remodeling industries. He was also in business as a carpentry and general contractor. While that is his forte, he also has experience in bridge building, commercial construction, and exhibit building which is how he earns his living these days. You can browse through articles by him and others at his website http://www.sawkerfs.com

MASONITE EXTERIOR DOORS