Instructions on Replacing an Exterior Door

Replacing a door safely.

A new door can add value or security to your home, but because the task requires basic carpentry skills and because doors can weigh 50 to 75 pounds (or more), changing a door can prove difficult. A job done incorrectly could misalign the hinges or cause injury to you or others. Installed correctly, your door will increase the aesthetic value of your home's facade and also provide better insulation and protection. More important, if you do it correctly, you will do it safely.

Things You'll Need

• Phillips screwdriver
• Assistant
• Two hinges
• Eight hinge screws
• Coffee can
• T-square
• Pencil

Instructions

Door Removal

1. Get your assistant to hold the old door while you unscrew the door-jamb hinge screws.

2. Place the hinge screws in the coffee can, so you don't lose them.

3. Remove the half of the hinge connected to the old door.

4. Set those hinge screws in the coffee can.

5. Measure the "edge distances" from the top and bottom of the old door to the top and bottom edges, respectively, of the cut-out area where the hinges were.

6. Mark the edge distances on the new door using the T-square and the pencil.

7. Align the hinges to the top and bottom edge-distance marks on the new door.

8. Screw the hinges into place using the Phillips screwdriver and the hinge screws.

Connect the New Door

1. Open the hinges so they angle approximately 90 degrees from the face of the door.

2. Request your assistant to help you hold the door while you press the open hinges into the door-jamb hinge depressions. The hinge depressions are the spots on the jamb where the hinges fit.

3. Attach the bottom hinge first by screwing the hinge screws into place.

4. Attach the top hinge by screwing the hinge screws into place.

5. Test that the door opens and closes properly.

Tips & Warnings

• People sometimes connect the top hinge with the hopes that allowing the weight of the door to rest on the hinge will make the job easier. This strategy, however, strains the hinge screws and could pull the screws free. Attach the bottom hinge first, and continue holding the door in place until you have attached the top hinge.

References

• Family Handyman: How to Replace an Exterior Door
• Ron Hazelton: How to Install an Exterior Door