Installing an Exterior Door

If it is time for a new exterior door, the idea can seem overwhelming.  Exterior doors can be quite heavy, making this, almost certainly, a two person job.  Whether you have ever been involved in installing an exterior door before or not, the task can be tedious and stressful.  Preparing yourself before beginning can eliminate some of the unnecessary problems many encounter during this particular project.

Which Door?

One of the first stressful endeavors in installing an exterior door is deciding which door.  If it is your front door, it is sometimes viewed as the calling card of your home.  Choices in appearance, security, and cost all come into play.  For couples, making a choice is often a difficult one to reach a compromise on.  Before going to the home improvement center, sit down and talk about which factors are important to each individual and then discuss a compromise.  This will help you avoid the uncomfortable trip home from the home improvement center after an impromptu compromise could not be reached in front of the pushy sales person.

Varieties

For cost effectiveness, look for a steel door.  They have a foam insert, so besides saving you money upfront by being the most inexpensive choice, it will save you money in energy costs.  Steel doors are also quite low maintenance.

For a middle of the road compromise between cost and appearance, fiberglass doors are the way to go.  Still less expensive than the wood doors, they also boast energy efficiency.  With similar looks and the ability to be painted or stained like wood doors, this is a popular choice when installing an exterior door.

Wood is at the top of the food chain when it comes to doors.  They are the heaviest and have a strong curb appeal.  Of course, what you gain in good looks is lost in cost effectiveness.  Wood doors cost the most and require the most maintenance.  Wood swells and shrinks with temperature changes and have to be adjusted often.  The wood also needs regular preventive maintenance to prevent wear and tear from regular use.  But the elegant choices are most easily found in the wood door.

Installation

Remove your old door all the way down to the rough opening.  Before installing an exterior door, remove any screws  used to stabilize your new door during shipping.   Make sure your opening is plumb and that the threshold is level.  Use shims to correct your threshold if necessary.  Apply caulk liberally to the rough opening in two lines, one toward the front and one toward the back of the frame.  Now place the door into the rough opening, bottom first, from the outside.  Stand the door up and center it into the rough opening.  Use shims to hold the door in place.  Make sure you place shims behind the hinges, as this will be a key attachment point, and the lock strike.

Keep adding shims and make necessary adjustments until there is a clear 1/8” gap at the door and the jamb all the way around.  The door should be plumb on both sides at this point.  Remove any shipping braces and check that the door opens and closes smoothly.  Check that the weather-stripping is flush with the outside facing side of the door.  Attach the door with the recommended screws and/or nails starting with the hinges.  Drive the hardware through shims, not unsecured areas and check for ease of operation as you move around the frame.

Once you have finished installing an exterior door, you can take pride in a difficult job well done.