“Hanging (Installing) A Door”

My project for today is to replace the exterior door to my office. I went out and purchased a solid core, flush door and field cut it to fit my non-standard opening. With the old jamb left in place, I will mortise the hinges on the door to match the jamb. My shop is thirty feet from my office so the field work is easy.

I put in a new deadbolt and lock set that’s been keyed to the other doors on the property. Again, I prep the door to receive the deadbolt and lock set in the field. I also prime the door before I install it and after cutting it to fit the opening. This is a very important step, as it’s an exterior door and can wick moisture into it if it has not been properly sealed with a good exterior primer and top coat.

All of this is sort of fussy work and not always the most cost- effective way to deal with a door opening. More often than not I have the door supplier pre-hang the door in their shop to meet all the dimensions I give them. To place an order for a pre-hung door you need the dimensions of the rough opening (R.O.), the jamb size (or wall thickness), type of lock set and deadbolt you wish, what type of threshold you have, the finish of the door hardware and which way the door opens (door swing). It will usually take a week for the door to be ready. It then takes a good two hours to install this pre-hung door as opposed to the 4-5 hours it takes to field cut a door, prep for all the hardware and install the door.


Yet I choose to field fit this door because it’s cheaper for me and I have the time, even as the door shop is faster and more efficient at pre-hanging a door than I am in the field.

The trick to all of this is a door needs to be hung plum to a stable door jamb for it to function well. The deadbolt should operate freely without having to pull or push on the door. It should be a non-event when a well-installed door operates as it should. People don’t think twice about a door that functions well. But when a door doesn’t operate with ease, you’ll definitely notice it over time as you use it.