You'll also want to purchase a sill pan—adjustable plastic flashing that fits under the pre-hung door's sill. Sill pans prevent water from entering the house under the door sill. Installing an exterior door can be a race against time and the weather. Your goal is to complete the installation within one day. If the project spans more than a day, you'll need to block the open doorway at night with plywood—not secure and not weatherproof.
Ideally, you should install your exterior door during a time of year when the daylight is longer and the weather is drier and warmer. Late spring through late summer in most areas affords you an ample amount of comfortable working time.
In many areas, replacing doors without altering the structure will not require a permit. Always double-check with your local permitting authority, though. If your home is part of a homeowner's association, you'll likely need to clear the type and style of door with the HOA board. Pre-hung doors are very heavy: pounds or more. Not only that, they are bulky and unwieldy. You must have an assistant when moving and installing an exterior pre-hung door.
Door units can be hazardous in the dry-fit stage when they are on edge but still not attached to the house. Make sure that one person always has a hand on the door. With the prybar, remove the door's inner casing trim. Use the tape measure to measure the height of the door's rough opening. Measure both the left and the right sides. Measure the width at the top, middle, and bottom.
Note these measurements for ordering the door. Run the tape measure diagonally from the top-left down to the bottom-right. Similarly, run it in the other direction top-right to bottom-left. If both measurements are the same, the door opening is square. With the bubble level, make sure that the vertical sides are plumb and that the header top and threshold floor are level.
Purchase the door before removing the existing door. All pre-hung doors come with specific handing: either left- or right-handed. The door swing direction cannot be reversed, so be sure to buy a door with the correct handing. To find the door's handing, stand facing the door on the outside of the house. If the hinges are on the left side of the door frame, this is a left-handed door. If the hinges are on the right side, buy a right-handed door. With the pry bar, remove exterior trim and any insulation tucked into the spaces around the door.
With a cordless drill, remove the existing door from the hinges. Remove the hinges from the door jamb. Unscrew the existing door sill. Use the reciprocating saw to cut any nails that might be holding the existing door frame to the studs on each side. Place the door unit in the opening and center it. By measuring, make sure that the door, when swung open, will clear the top of the finished floor inside the house.
Test the door sill for level. Do not open the door, as it may tip out of balance and fall. Keep the restraining shipment brackets in place for now. The new door's exterior trim, which typically comes pre-attached to the door unit, may fit perfectly into place where the previous molding had been. If not, use a pencil to trace on the siding around the molding. If necessary, use an oscillating multi-tool to cut the pencil outline that you made on the siding. Remove the waste material. With the assistant, remove the door unit and set it aside safely.
Piece together the three sections of sill pan in the door frame. Two pieces should be at each side, with the third piece in the middle. Caulk the three pieces of sill pan together, then let the caulk harden. Set the assembled sill pan aside. Add three parallel beads of caulk to the floor. Set the sill pan in it. Caulk the back and the seams of the sill pan. Add caulk to the back of the door's pre-attached outside trim.
With the assistant, set the door unit back in place. On the inside of the house, add a couple of shims at the top of the door frame to hold the door in place and in plumb. Use the bubble level to verify plumb. Gently tap the shims into place as far as is needed in order to tilt the door from left to right to bring it into plumb. Place shims at each hinge, about 1-inch above. This gap should be consistent from top to bottom. Double up two shims from front to back to create a flat spacer.
We use cookies to make wikiHow great. By using our site, you agree to our cookie policy. Cookie Settings. Learn why people trust wikiHow. Download Article Explore this Article parts. Tips and Warnings. Related Articles. Article Summary. Part 1. Gather your tools. There are a number of tools you're going to need to remove the old door and put in the new door. Make sure that you have what you need before you start trying to do this operation. If you don't have these in your house, a trip to the nearest hardware store is in order.
Leveler to make sure that everything stays level you'll have difficulty opening your new door if it's at an angle. Caulk to fix the insulation and framing in place. Hammer and nails, nail set, screwdriver depends on the nails holding your old door in place to remove the old door and put on the new door. Tape measure or ruler to measure the old and new doors and frames.
Insulation to make it so those winter winds don't start whipping around your door. Wood shims to hold the door at the right level, if needed. Select the new door. Before you start ripping your old door out of its frame you want to get the new door.
The size and type will depend on your needs and the size of the door frame. You don't want to get stuck with the wrong-sized door. Steel doors also tend to be the least expensive, while wood and fiberglass tend to be around the same price depending on the style of the door. Check that the new door will fit. There's nothing worse than getting all primed to go with your new door only to discover that it is too big or too small. You can avoid this unfortunate situation by taking measurements of the old door and applying those measurements to the new door.
To check the width you'll need to measure across the top middle and bottom from stud to stud of the old door. The stud is basically the side of the door. The smallest number is the rough estimate for the width.
For door height you're going to need to measure the middle, and both sides of the door from the top of the door to the floor. The smallest number is again going to be your rough estimate. Measure the width of the doorjamb. Check the measurements of the old door against the measurements of the new door you're considering.
If they match up closely, then you're good to go. If not, you're going to need to consider a new door. Remove interior and exterior trim. This requires removing the door as well as the existing exterior trim and old insulation. To help minimize dust during the demolition, remove the door towards the end of the process prior to extracting the main frame. Using your hammer and a nail set or a screwdriver , remove the hinge pins and detach your old door for the hinges.
Keep driving the pin upward with the hammer until it comes out. Score the caulking between molding and wall in order to break the seal. With a pry bar and hammer, carefully remove molding. Pry away the doorjamb, framing, and the threshold. Now you can scrape away the old caulking. Create rough opening around frame.
You need to measure the width between the side jambs, the head jamb to the seal under the old threshold, as well as the thickness of the wall. The rough opening needs to be a minimum of 1 inch 2.
If needed, use shims or a beveled board to level it. If the door needs to clear an especially high floor, like a thick carpet, a spacer board may be needed. Make sure everything is level.
While you're working you should periodically check with your leveler that everything is staying level. If things aren't level you might end up with a tilted door or frame, which will cause problems later on. Part 2. Dry-fit the new door. This means that you place the door where it's going to be set to make sure that everything is going to fit properly. If you find any problems at this stage like the door doesn't fit, things aren't even then you'll need to deal with those first.
Apply caulk. Apply two thick beads of caulk, along the front and rear edges of the subsill, where the sill will be placed. Continue applying the caulk approximately 2 inches 5. Insert door into opening. Place the bottom of the door first, tilting the top out toward you, then slide the door into place.
It's best to work from the outside of the house when you're inserting the door into the opening. You may want to enlist a friend to help you lift and place the door depending on its weight. Be sure that the door is centered in the opening, and assure that the frame fits snugly into place at the bottom of the opening. Shim the rest of the door-frame. Place shims on the hinge side of the door, behind any points where hinges will be attached to the door frame.
The door will be secured to the rough opening in these areas later. Secure door temporarily. After you've made all of the necessary adjustments, secure the door temporarily, using 16d finishing nails. Lightly drive the nails through the hinge jamb, near where the hinges will be installed. Don't put the nails all the way in.
Part 3. Test the swing of the door. It should open and close smoothly. Sometimes pre-hung doors will have an adjustable sill, which can be useful it the door isn't quite adjusted perfectly. You want to make sure that the door doesn't scrap the floor inside your house. If necessary, make adjustments by moving the jamb in or out, at the top or the bottom. Secure door-jambs. Drive 3 inch 7. Secure the remaining jambs all the way around the door, always driving the screws or nails whatever is suggested by the manufacturer through the shims.
Verify occasionally that the door assembly is remaining properly adjusted. Install the lock strike, putting the screws through the shim. Install insulation. Finish the job by installing loosely packed, fiberglass insulation around the edges of the door frame.
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