Choosing Doors - All you need to know about replacing and upgrading doors Replacing doors is an affordable way to quickly enhance and upgrade the appearance and decor of a home. In addition, replacing a front entryway door can add curb appeal and improve energy efficiency. But before you run off to the door store, take a few minutes (and careful measurements) to consider all the options available in both exterior and interior doors.
 EXTERIOR DOORS
Wood
Wood doors come in an almost endless variety of colors and styles with either a large or small amount of glass or none at all. While wood offers the benefits of natural and traditional beauty, it is best used in an entryway that is somewhat covered to protect the door from too much exposure to the elements.
Price: $150 and up
Metal
Metal doors offer the benefit of being very affordable and extremely durable. However metal doors cannot be stained, only painted.
Stanley Sta-tru Plus Entry Doors
Price: $199.00 and up
www.stanleyworks.com
1-800-521-2752
Therma-Tru Steel Door System
Price: retail pre-hung with frame, hinges and sill: $129
www.thermatru.com
1-800-537-8827
Fiberglass
A more popular choice in exterior entry doors today is fiberglass. Fiberglass offers all the beauty and versatility of a wood door along with the added benefit of tremendous durability. Fiberglass has little expansion or contraction with weather changes and ensures long-term and easy operation of the door. Fiberglass doors come in many styles and can be stained or painted.
Therma-Tru Classic-Craft Door Systems
Price: retail price pre-hung with frame, hinges and sill: $900-$1,300
www.thermatru.com
1-800-537-8827
INTERIOR DOORS
Smooth Wood
A smooth wood door is the most basic type of interior door and certainly the most affordable. They are generally hollow, making them lighter and therefore easier to hang. Once hung, they can be stained or painted to match your interior decor.
Price: $25.00 and up
www.homedepot.com
Paneled Hardboard
The next step-up from a smooth wood door would be a paneled hardboard door. This door is somewhat more affordable than most wood doors. However it can only be painted, not stained, and is therefore slightly less versatile.
Price: $30.00 and up
www.homedepot.com
Paneled Wood
As with any wood door, a paneled wood door offers both beauty and versatility allowing you to either paint or stain it as you are upgrading or enhancing the decor of your home. You will, however, pay slightly more than you would for a hardboard door in a similar style.
Price: $75.00 and up
www.homedepot.com
Glass Doors
Many areas of your home can be enhanced by replacing an existing door with a glass door. These doors can be ten lite, fifteen lite or full view glass as well as etched, leaded or beveled.
Palermo 15 lite door
Price: $153
www.ambiancedoors.com
1-866-855-9220
DEMONSTRATION
Once you decide to replace a door, you will first want to choose the new door's style, then decide whether you will use the existing hardware or replace it with new and then, of course, take accurate measurements. Once you have your new door, follow the following steps:
1. Remove the hinge pin from hinge
2. Remove the door from the frame
3. Remove the doorknob and 1/2-hinges from the side of the door
4. Place the new door on top of the old door on either a workhorse or flat on the floor
5. Line up the doors and trace the hole for the doorknob and areas for the hinges
6. Chisel out the recessed area for the hinges
7. Drill a new hole for the doorknob
8. Attach the hinges
9. Hang the new door in the frame
10. Paint or stain
11. Let dry and then install the doorknob.
If you choose to replace the hinges with new ones, simply remove the entire hinge from the existing frame and then follow the remaining steps.
Whether replacing an interior or exterior door the steps are the same. However, if you wish to completely upgrade your front entryway you may want to hire a contractor, as the process can be somewhat more involved depending on how much you wish to change around the doorway. |
