Your interior doors need to be installed properly so that they last and look great for years to come. When you are installing doors in a home or business location, you need to be sure that you are doing the work correctly so that your doors work right and look great from day one. Knowing how to tackle this kind of installation process properly will also save you time and money in the long run.
Interior door installation also impacts energy efficiency and helps you to maintain security and comfort in your home. Saving money on heating and cooling costs as well as ensuring that you have an attractive interior finish in all of the rooms of your home or business matters, which is why you need to be sure that you follow this guide.
What Tools Will I Need to Install an Interior Door?
Having the right tools for installing a door is just as important as doing the work the right way. You will want to be sure that you have a measuring tape, a level, a screwdriver, and a hammer. You might also want to have a drill and some shims. Different door types can require different tools.
If you need to remove the door before you replace it, you will need to have a putty knife and a pry bar to help get the door off the hinges and removed correctly. Be sure that you do not damage the wall around the door opening, or you will need to repair this damage before you add your new door.
If you need to take off the door jamb, you will want to be sure that you remove the old door jamb at the same time by carefully pulling the nails out of the wall. You can easily damage the sheet rock if you are not cautious about the way that you remove this part of your door assembly. Most of us don’t want to have to fix the wall before we install a new door, so some care when removing an existing door is always advisable.
The Best Way to Install Interior Doors
Installing interior doors correctly is important for many reasons. You will be able to use this guide to ensure that you get interior doors hung properly each and every time.
1. Position the Door
First of all, be sure that you have the door positioned correctly. Be sure that your door fits the current opening and that it is going to be flush with the wall. You do not want to start hanging the door and realize that, for some reason, it will not fit properly. You might damage the door or the wall, removing the door again if the fit is bad.
Prehung doors can be hard to move around on your own. Be sure that you have a helper, as this almost always makes it easier to hang any kind of door correctly. It can also be helpful to have shims placed by your helper now. This will help you to ensure that the door is plumb.
2. Check That the Door is Level
Your level will come in handy here as well. You will want to slip the shims under the door so that it is level, or at least close to level. You will then use the level to check the placement of the door. Every time you adjust anything, check the level of the door again.
Nail the door frame to the studs at this point. You will want to drive two nails through each shim about an inch from the edge of the jamb. Nail them about a half-inch apart, one above the other. Be sure that the door works correctly before you drive the nails home.
3. Install Door Trim
Now you can nail the trim to the jamb and the studs. You will want to drive finishing nails through the trim into the studs that are behind the wall. These nails should be about 16 inches apart. You will need to trim away exposed shims by scoring them with a knife and breaking them off along the line. Be sure to be patient as you handle this finishing work so that the final product is nice to look at and fully functional.
4. Add the Doorknobs
The doorknobs are the last part you attach to a door, and you will need to attach the backplates as well. Prehung doors often have the hinges attached already, and they should have slots for the strike plate, lockset, and knobs.
If you need to buy these components for your door, you need to be sure that you get the right size components for the door in question. This is a simple enough process, but prehung doors can make the job much easier. Always be sure that you take the time to check at each stage that the hardware and knobs are working properly before you tighten down screws and finalize your finish work on the door.
Installing a Door Properly is Important for Many Reasons
Many people only think of the cosmetic aspect of the installation of a door inside a home or business space. This is not the only factor that you need to have in mind, however. You need to be sure that your doors are hung properly to prevent drafts inside the building, to keep heating and cooling costs down, and to ensure security in some cases as well.
Properly hanging a door is important, and if you are going to tackle this kind of do-it-yourself project at home, you need to be sure that you have the right tools on hand for the installation process. Consider having another set of hands available to ensure that your door installation job will go smoothly. This is almost always beneficial, no matter how many times you have installed doors in the past. Knowing how to install a door properly can help you save money and time and ensure that the finished installation job looks amazing and works correctly for years to come.
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