How Do I Replace A Door?

By Rohn Jay Miller

I have a door in an upstairs bedroom that leads to a small balcony. The problem is that the door itself is a cheapie Sears Roebuck door from the mid-70s which lacks a small window (which I would very much like, to bring more light into the room) and is also starting to get weatherbeaten.

I'm a DIY knucklehead, but I'm assuming I can't just pull the door off the hinges, go buy one I like of the same size and hang it on the same hinges, right?

But the idea of pulling out the doorframe and then installing a new door and frame is pretty daunting.

A) Am I right I have to pull the whole door and frame unit out and replace it to get a door I like?

B) Is this process really so daunting I shouldn't screw around, and I should just call in a pro to do this?

Thanks for any advice--RJ

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April 25, 2007

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About: Strategic Director / IconNicholsonMinneapolis Worked on design of Valspar.com, painting application. Weekend warrior DIY guyWorking on...

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Rohn Jay Miller

April 26, 2007

Thank you, oh DIY Maven.

I think to get this correct I will engage a suitable qualified professional to hack out the current door and properly install a solid wooden one to my specifications. I have several other DIY projects this summer more in my wheelhouse. Thanks-RJ

DIY Maven

April 25, 2007

One more thing, your new slab door would have to be wood, of course, so you can alter it as needed. Finding a steel door, say, that fits right could be next to impossible. (The lock and hinges need to line up, if you get my drift. If they don't, then you'd have to alter the wood frame.) Like I said earlier...tricky!

DIY Maven

April 25, 2007

Hey Rohn, this is a tricky one. If it were an interior door, you could replace it with a slab door in which you'd have to mortise the hinges and bore a hole for the lock set. But since this is an exterior door, just picking up a slab door that fits the existing opening might not be the best way to go. That's because a slab door doesn't seal like a pre-hung door, and for any exterior door, you want a good seal. It is do-able--if the replacement door you find fits perfectly--but if it were me, I'd probably replace the entire door. Also, slab exterior doors, versus pre-hung ones, are kind of hard to find in the big box stores. Good luck and welcome to Curbly!