How to Measure Replacement Exterior Doors
Ordering a replacement for your exterior door requires accurate measurements. The measurements are not complex, but if you get one measurement wrong, your door may not fit in the opening or require a lot of extra work during installation. Buying a stock door may not be your best option because the jamb width and opening height might call for a door built specifically for the opening.
- Difficulty:
- Moderately Easy
Instructions
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1
Hook your tape on the outside of the door trim and measure to the opposite side. This is the overall exterior width of the door unit. Measure the height of the door from the bottom of the sill to the top of the trim. You now have the overall size of your door with the trim applied.
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2
Measure the jamb width by opening the door and placing your tape between the interior and exterior trim. This is the thickness of your wall, which is an important measurement: if the jamb is too wide, the trim will not lay flat against the wall; if it is too narrow, you must add a strip of wood to build out the jamb flush with the wall.
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3
Remove the inside trim and measure from the bottom of the sill to the top of the jamb and the total width of the door unit. These are your overall inside dimensions.
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1
Tips & Warnings
Exterior doors can be ordered without the exterior trim attached. This is sometimes necessary when the exterior trim must be fit to irregular objects such as stone.
