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Installing New Doors
Installing new doors strikes fear in the hearts of most homeowners, but if you take your timeand follow basic guidelines, installing a new core or a pre-hung door is a skill worthmastering.
Measuring a New Door Blank
Most homeowners are replacing a door that's beendamaged or cut short to fit existing flooring, a simpleenough fix if you take the time to measure. If the dooris short because you've changed flooring, measurefrom the door top to the new floor height. Write downthe height for later reference. Push out the hinge pinswith a punch, tapping up from the bottom. Have ahelper hold the door as the pins come out. Lay thedoor on sawhorses or work table. Remove the doorknob assembly and hinge leafs.A new core—a door without holes, hinges, or lock mechanism—can be ordered from a lumberyard orhome center. Just measure the existing door for theright measurements. When you have your new core,lay it on top of the old one. Check the tops of bothdoors to see if they're grooved or chamfered a bit.Doors are usually beveled from three to five degrees on the "strike" side of the door where ithits the door stops. Make sure both doors have the bevel running in the same directionbecause it's imperative that your new door face the same direction as your old door. Thehinge mortises must be cut on the correct side and face of the door to achieve this.Align the doors perfectly to see if the new one will fit into the jamb. If it's larger than the olddoor by about an eighth of an inch on the sides, it will have to be cut down using a circularsaw and a straightedge—don't worry about the top and bottom height just yet. If it only needsabout an eighth of an inch taken off the sides to make it fit, use either a jack plane or a beltsander to size it. A belt sander is useful to knock the sides down but will make a lot of dust.The jack plane will also trim it to fit and isn't as messy. Place the door on edge using aportable vise or pipe clamps to act as feet and hold it vertical for planing. Once planed, putthe core in the jamb to check for fit.
Cutting to Fit
Once it's cut to the proper width, it's time to cut it tolength or width. Cutting the bottom is much easierthan cutting the sides, so try to get a width that fits towithin 1/8 inch or so on each side. When cutting thelength, make sure you know where that beveled topedge is—you don't want to disturb the bevel that helpsthe door close properly so you'll only want to cut it tosize from the bottom. Now refer back to that doorheight you wrote down before you removed theexisting door. The new height is the measurementA prehung door arrives with bracingto hold the frame square andhardware like hinges fully installed.Page 1of 406/07/2009http://www.bobvila.com/HowTo_Library/Installing_New_Doors-Subject_Doors_Inte...
 
from the top of the jamb down to the floor minus 1/2to 3/4 of an inch. You usually want about a 1/2-inchopening at the bottom of the door so it glides overobstructions like carpet. The 3/4-inch opening givesmore clearance if the floor isn't level.Before you trim the bottom, wrap masking tapearound the door where you'll cut to keep the surfaceveneer from splitting. Mark the cut line, then score itwith a sharp utility knife. Use a straightedge or astraight 1x4 clamped to the door to guide the cut withthe circular saw. Check for equidistance from theedge of the saw guide to the mark across the entirewidth of the door bottom.When installing a prehung door, it'simportant to shim behind the hingesand check for level and plumb beforenailing.Page 2of 406/07/2009http://www.bobvila.com/HowTo_Library/Installing_New_Doors-Subject_Doors_Inte...
 
 Mark for Hinges and Door Set
Place the new door on top of the old door again and mark the hinge locations. Use acombination square to connect the vertical lines for the top and bottom of the hinge. Alsomark the knob holes and the backset hole. Use a utility blade to score where the backset faceplate and the hinges will go. Score down as deeply as the hinge. Use a chisel to cut a numberof lines in the mortised area. Then chisel carefully to remove the waste, one section at a time,keeping the mortise at the proper depth.Place the hinge in the mortise, mark holes for a center punch and carefully drill small pilotholes for the hinge screws. Be sure to check packaging first before setting the holes. Moststandard door knob assemblies use a 2 1/8-inch hole saw to cut the door knob hole and a 7/8-inch spade bit to drill out the hole for the backset. Place the backset into the hole and tracearound the front plate for the striker, then mortise it in with a utility knife and chisel the sameway you did it for the hinge leaf. Install the knob and you're ready to hang the new door.Enlist your helper again to mount the door putting thetop hinge in first and sliding the hinge pin down partway so it holds. Slide the bottom hinges together andput that pin in. Tap them both into place.
Pre-hung Doors
If you go the pre-hung route, the steps are the samebut much simpler. Carefully remove the trim or casingaround the door. If you're hanging a new jamb, you'llneed to remove all framing parts. The pre-hung doorcomes with all the hardware and hinges attached.Open the package but do not remove the cross bracingthat holds the door jambs in place. Set the completedoor in the framed opening and shim the header jamband side jambs with wooden shims. Make sure thatyou place shims behind the hinges. Don't force theshims in or you'll bow out the jambs. Slide the shimsin gently until they stop.Check to make sure the door is square in the frameand check both jamb sides for plumb. Check the topamb for level. If everything is square in the frame,you can nail the jambs to the frame using finishingnails. Countersink the nails after they're driven in andfill the holes with putty. An alternate method is toattach the door frame with trim screws. The head is abit larger than a trim nail, but is still easily coveredwith putty once countersunk. An added benefit is thatyou can take them out if the door frame shifts duringinstallation. Cut off the excess shim material, andinstall the trim around the door.Text by Jim Flasch© 2005 BobVila.comChecking the door swing tellswhether adjustments are needed,especially at floor level where thedoor is likely to catch on an unevenfloor.
Finishing Touch
 If you're planning on paintingrather than staining the door, useautomotive body filler. Use thistwo-part product to fill the trimnail or trim screw holes and anyother imperfections in the door orambs. It's quick, easy to work with, sets up fast, and sandsbeautifully for an extremely finefinish.Page 3of 406/07/2009http://www.bobvila.com/HowTo_Library/Installing_New_Doors-Subject_Doors_Inte...
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