Installing Doors
If you plan to install a new exterior door, it may cost you $500.00 to $1500.00, depending on the door you choose. Exterior doors must be resistant to weather and insulate you from the cold and heat. Solid interior doors can cost between $150.00 and $300.00. Hollow core doors will be less expensive. Replacing a door can be a frustrating process, but once you get the hang of it, you will find it easy to do. First, you will take the door off the hinges, then you will remove the trim or casing on both sides of the door, then you will remove the nails that hold the jambs in place, and then remove the ‘threshold plate’ or door sill. If the door you purchased is a ‘pre-hung’ door, most of the process of fitting the door into the jamb is already done. You will shim the side doorjambs in place in the door opening and tack them in so you can test the header jamb and ensure that it is square with the side jambs before you finalize the installation. Once you have everything straight and even, you can nail the header jamb in place, and hang the door. If your door is not pre-hung you will still have to shim the side doorjambs, insert the top jam and be sure it is square and then nail that in place. You may have to trim the new door to get it to fit, so it is a good idea to put the doorknob on the door so that you can hold the door while you are estimating and measuring width and getting ready to install it. When the door and the jambs are square and flush with each other you can adjust the space between the door and the jambs to 1/16" at the top of the door, and 1/8" on the knob side of the door, and no more than 1/4" on the bottom of the door. If you have carpeting or elevated flooring that will be flush with the door and which the door will have to clear when you open or close it, you will need to include that height in the bottom clearance you plan. When the door is fitted



and measured for the jams, you can mark the hinge installation points. Most doors have three hinges, though a security door may have more hinges. To mark the spots where you will install the hinges, start from the top. Mark 7” from the top of the door to the top of the uppermost hinge. This marking will go on the jamb so you will know where to install the hinges before you hang the door. Center the middle hinge and mark that on the jamb. Be sure the hinges stick out slightly from the jamb so they do not pinch or stick when you open or close the door. Fasten the hinges to the doorjamb. Fit the door into place and use a pencil to trace around the hinge pieces. Now install the hinges, but do not tighten the screws too much. Tap the door pins into place and test the door. If it opens and closes easily, you can now install the doorstop and the hardware. If your new door is binding or sagging, you may have to look at whether the jamb is plumb. If you make the hinge mortise too deep when you install the hinge, you may find that there is an uneven opening along the latching side of the doorframe. If either of these two problems exists after you install the door, you can shim a hinge with a piece of thin wood or cardboard. If the door sticks on the hinge side of the door, at the top near the top hinge, shim the top hinge and tighten the bottom hinge to take up the slack. Reverse the technique if the door is sticking at the bottom. If the door sticks at the top on the knob side of the door, tighten the top hinge and shim the bottom hinge. Reverse the technique if the door is sticking at the bottom of the knob side of the door. To insert a shim, simply remove the hinge and place the shim in the mortise and then reattach the hinge over the top of the shim. If the gap does not change enough or changes too much, you may have to alter the thickness of the shim.


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