How to Replace an Exterior Door

A good-looking exterior door gives the first impression of a pleasing interior ambiance of your home. Therefore, replacing the old, damaged door of the house becomes necessary to give a new look to the exterior of your house. These door can be replaced within a day. Here’s the guide on how to do the task.

Complexity Level: Moderate

Time Required: 2 – 3 hours

Estimated Cost: $80 – $200

Resources Required
1. Tape measure
2. Replacement door
3. Doorknobs
4. Locks
5. Trim
6. Reciprocating saw
7. Screws
8. Level
9. Shims
10. Hammer
11. Screwdriver
12. Caulk gun
13. Caulking

Instructions

1. Remove The Old Door

To remove the door you can use a driver or a drill and reverse the center screws. All the nails and screws should be removed from the hinge-side of the doorjamb. Get rid of the old door frame of the doorway by pushing it.

2. Set the Frame

Z-flashing needs to be installed over the case of the door right above the opening. The sides and opening of the door need to be stuffed with a thick application of caulk. Set the new door by pressing it firmly against the frame.

3. Fix the Hinges

See the thresholds for points and slide shims under the thresholds if required. Place screws temporarily for support in hinge-side jamb to check the space around the inside of the door. Place shims between the gap in the hinge-side jamb and the wall of the frame. From the outside of the door draw the flipside of weatherstripping, bore directing holes, force the brickwork screws with the help of a drill machine through the hinge-side jamb into the brickwork wall. Try using decking screws for wood wall.

4. Fix the Door

After placing screws behind the weatherstripping, repeat the procedure for latch-side jamb. To check the spacing between the latch-side jamb and the door edge close the door and confirm if you need to place in shims. A utility knife can be used to tidy all shim flush. Then install the new lock sets. A drop of caulk needs to be applied around the external of the door frame and under the threshold to fill in the gaps.

Frequently Asked Questions:

How can a 32” door be replaced with a 36” door along with its brick surrounds?

This is a very difficult task as you would need to break the surrounding of the door to fit in a bigger door. You will have to break the bricks if you can and then rebuild that frame of the door to fit in the new door. Even the lintel of the door needs to be replaced to support the bricks of the wall against the door. Re-framing of the wall needs to be done in order to fit in a larger door. It will include removal of the drywall, studs and headers. New studs and new headers should be placed in to accommodate the new door. A temporary wall needs to be built to support the ceiling while you fit in the new door. The header should be cut approximately 41” wide and also the king stud and the shoulder need to be cut to support the header. This entire process might sound really very confusing and you might even want to hire a professional to fit the bigger door for you and give you that perfect finish to your work.

Quick Tips

1. It is important to ensure that the height of the floor under the threshold is correct to place the door perfectly. If the height needs to be increased you can do it with the help of correctly treated wood stuff.

2. The openings like the top and the bottom corners of the door and also the rough openings need to be protected with paper or any water proof material that you opt for.

3. The width of the openings and the top of every exterior trim should be properly protected by the drip edge flashing that slides between the exterior finish and the weather barrier.

4. After you finish fitting the door and fixing it properly do not forget to fit the exterior locks, these locks can be fitted easily by checking manual of the locks.

5. Install interior door casing by cutting back shims and filling voids between the door frames and the rough end frames with low expansion foams and fiberglass insulation.

6. To seal the gaps between the door and the door frame, fill in caulk or run a bead of silicon caulk. This will also seal the gaps on the exterior of your door and prevent your home from moisture.


Things To Watch Out For

Always buy caulks that can be painted. Caulks like latex caulk are printable however silicone caulks are not.

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