What to Expect During a Door Installation
Pre-Hung vs. Slab Doors.
Exterior doors come in two forms: Pre-Hung and Slab.
A Pre-Hung Door is what you’ve probably seen at your local home improvement store. Pre-hung doors are already hung in a frame and are designed to be easily (well, relatively speaking) slipped into an existing opening. They come with almost everything needed to finish the installation.
A Slab Door is just a door—no frame, no spots for hinges, no doorknob. This is the most basic (and least expensive) option, and it’s what you’ll most likely need if your door frame has non-standard measurements. A door professional will trim the door as needed and install hardware.
Measurements A professional door installation will be completed in one day, so don’t worry about having to leave your house wide open overnight. Before the door is ordered, however, your contractor should take lots of measurements. Incorrect measurements can throw off the entire process (and result in you receiving a door that is simply the wrong size), so leave this step to the pros. The installers will take careful measurements of the existing door. For pre-hung doors, they’ll also take measurements of the door’s opening with interior and exterior trim removed. When the new door arrives, the installers will remove the old door and prepare the opening for the new door.
Installation If you’ve purchased a pre-hung door, the entire door-and-frame unit will be placed in the opening and then secured using caulk, nails, and screws. No house is ever truly square, so the installers will likely need to use shims to make sure that the door fits exactly right. Don’t panic about odd gaps around the door frame at this point—those will be covered with trim. If you’ve purchased a slab door, your installers will need to do a few test fits to make sure that the door is trimmed correctly and that the hinges are in the right places. In most cases, the existing door frame will stay intact. Because slab doors are a more customized approach to a new front door, the installers will need to spend time ensuring that the door fits tightly in the frame while still being operational. If there are gaps around the door, you’ll lose energy efficiency. Weatherstripping, shims, and adjustments to the frame can help the door fit perfectly.
After the installation It’s not unusual for doors to fit differently throughout the year. Weather plays a big part—in the winter, you may find that the cool, dry air makes the wood contract, making doors fit more loosely than normal. Conversely, the summer’s hot, humid air will cause wood to swell, and you’ll probably notice some of your doors sticking. As long as the operation of the doors—and your ability to lock them securely—isn’t affected, these changes aren’t anything to worry about. But if your doors become inoperable or you can no longer lock them, call a door professional for help. A small adjustment might be all you need.
The Bottom Line While a door may seem like just one small step in the home renovation process, the kind of door you choose will affect the safety, energy efficiency, and appearance of your home. As you shop around and talk to professional door installers, keep these important considerations in mind:
• The style of your home exterior
• The amount of maintenance you can (and want to) devote to a door
• Any security concerns
• Your budget