Installing a New Entry Door

Renovator

Help, Iv'e never installed an entry way door, and need to. I have done interior doors before, can anyone give me some pointers. We measured the old door and have the new prehung door already (we will assume i measured correctly, ha ha). Any and all help is appreciated.

billinak

I just completed installation of a new entry door yesterday. I'd say probably the best advice is to make sure the opening is prepped so the door can just slide in, and keep lots of shims available.Try and shim the door into place so it swings freely and closes correctly before you screw it in. I did all of this, but unfortunately my 50-year old house just isn't square any more, so I had to fudge it a little, but it works fine and definitely looks better than the dark brown slab that was there before.
Good Luck!

Renovator

Do I need to Caulk or put in insulation?

crecore

I've seen pros put them in wrong, this is what has worked well for me time and time again...

remove wood shipping braces and/or straps
remove outer piece of plastic through strike location, leave inner piece in
level sill
caulk sill
caulk outer face of wall 6" up
install door
center door left to right
shim hinge side at all hinges plum in both directions (this might require gap between siding and brickmold if wall is not plumb)
temporarily shim strike side on very top and bottom
remove inner plastic shipping strike aligner
open door and shim under door intself so it doesn't upset your frame shimming (a friend can be helpful)
screw through hinges and shims
remove shims from under door and strike side
close door
shim at strike plate and two other locations, approx height as hinge side.
shut door and check gaps and strike alignment from inside (1/8" is nicest)
look at door from outside and check weatherstripping alignment
screw strike side jam at strike and through shims
shut door and check again
screw through jam and last two shim locations
caulk brickmold to outer wall
crack open a beer

CR

Teetorbilt

As crecore said and then I foam them in place with GreatStuff prior to installing the casings. The foam helps hold the frame in place as well as sealing out any drafts or bug routes.

crecore

oh sorry you wrote the insulation question while I was posting my last post. Depending on your area. The low expansion foam will work... although it still expands and bugs can and have eaten through it. Not sure where you are. If you've ever had to remove a door with that spray insulation you'll know why I dont like to use it much. But I can see why people like it, especially in Florida. In NY I usually loosely fill with scraps of fiberglass insulation. A paint stick works well... just dont pack it in or it's essentially useless. either way, but definately fill or the only thing between you and outside will be the outer casing and inside molding.

good luck
CR

Teetorbilt

Unless you change your exterior doors on a regular basis the foam should not constitute a problem. If the frame is properly anchored, expansion should also not be a problem.