Tips On How To Install Interior Doors
It is possible to transform your home in just a couple of days. When you decide that the doors you currently have are old and outdated it is time to get new doors installed. Removing the current doors is not an easy decision to come to and may seem to be unnecessary work but it is possible that only the doors need to be replaced and not the doors, the frames and the trim. It all of that is still in good shape it will save quite a bit of money.
During the time period of the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s it was common that homes were built with hollow core flush doors installed. There was no other choice. Everyone was given the same door. The variety of doors was not what it is today. Just recently in the last five to ten years has the variety of doors grown. Homeowners that are attempting to redecorate or build a new home is overwhelmed with the selection of interior doors to choose from. Doors are available with a solid core or a hollow core. They are also available with different wood grains. The most common wood grains are birch, oak, and mahogany. Installing a new door does not take long. In fact sometimes it can be completed in as little as an hour.
If you would like to attempt to take out a new door and install a new one by yourself it is simple enough to do even if you are not a master carpenter. The first step that should be done is making a sketch of the room that the door is in. You will need to try to make it a scale drawing with four walls and the door opening. You should try to draw the door in a partially open position. In the drawing the side of one door should be attached to the hinges of the door. Now it is time to measure the door. Be sure the door is in the closed position so that you can see the hinge pins. Measuring this way will allow you to measure the door at its widest point. You should measure the width of the door in three different place. At the top, middle and the bottom. The measurement should be an even number. Usually close to thirty inches or thirty two inches. Be sure the measurement is accurate down to the 1/8th of an inch. When making your sketch be sure to draw a picture of the door and make a note of the width somewhere on the sketch. Repeat this same step for the height of the door also.
Once the width and the height have been measured it is time to note where each hinge starts and stops. When measuring it is important to note not to measure from hinge to hinge but from the top of the door down.
The only item left to measure is the lockset. There are two measurements included here. You want to first measure the top of the lockset down to the center of the lockset. The second measurement is from the edge of the door to the center of the lockset. In 99% of all measurements the readings will be 2 ⅜ inch or 2 ¾ inch. This is called the backset measurement.
The last step on the checklist is to check to see if the door is square. To do this check each top corner. If the top corners are square it is perfect. It is possible that the bottom is not square due to it being cut to fit for flooring. In this case someone from the lumberyard or retail store can help you figure out what the measurement should be.
If this all sounds too difficult for you and is easier for you to have someone else do it there is a solution for that also. Remove the door and take it to the lumberyard or retail store. They can make an exact replica of the door. An important thing to remember is to mark the top and bottom of the door with a pencil. Once the carpenter is finished you will have a brand new door that fits perfectly where the old door was.