Front door Replacement

the best tip i can offer you = post pics, inside and outside.

Straightforward, not always. Depending on the amount of prep work, it can take anywhere from 2 hours if you are good at it, to a full 10 to 12 hour day doing the job, if it is a total disaster with the framing, or trim work. Let my wife help me hang our back door, and ended up two days later on my day off for Columbus day, she was at work, my son & I took it back down & redid the door, to get it square and properly hung. Luckily I did not lay down any caulk along the bottom Pressure Treated plate that we had to install, when we pulled the old door.

1) Doors are trickier than meets the eye. Plan a full day if not two if you are a novice.
2) Proper measurement is crucial. Many original doors are shorter in height than the original which can pose some major issues once it is torn out, especially if it is set on a concrete stoop.
3) A $150 is going to be even HARDER to install than a good door. Poor manufacturing tolerances and assembly typically make it far more difficult to get a finished product that seals well AND operates smoothly. We used to install doors that our clients purchased from box stores, but no longer do for exactly that reason.

I suppose if it is your first shot, it's probably better to take a chance on a $150 door than an $800 door.
Most important first step: get the hinge side and threshold plumb and level, and adjust the rest from there. Godspeed.

All that and make 100% sure the bottom of the door is flashed correctly and outside of the sill gets fully supported.
I'll be when you pull the old door out there will be no flashing under it.
It's very common to have some rot under the door because of this.
The first things to rot out on a cheap door like that will be the bottoms of the jambs and the lower part of the brick moulding.
A better door would have what's call end rot at the bottoms of the jambs. It's just composit or vinyl.
First thing I do is get rid of the wooden brick moulding and replace it with vinyl brick mouding.
A better door would also have an adjustable sill, this way if the floor is off you can adjust it, also with an adjustable sill the seal is on the door not built into the threshold so there's less chance of it getting damaged.

streetneons said:

I am interested in replacing my front door with a new steel pre-hung door. The videos I have seen online make the job look pretty straight foward. Any tips or tricks to help me with the project. I can buy the door locally for about $150.00, I was going to just have it installed but I am being quoted about $400.00 in labor plus the door. So I think this would be a good weekend project.

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My first tip would be to stay away from the steel, get fiberglass. Look around and you will quickly find that any steel door that has any type of weather exposure is rotted at the bottom edge after 4 or 5 years.
As others have cautioned, this task is within the real of a reasonably handy DIYer, but there is the potential for many problems.

Ever steel door I've seen that was rusted is because the doors are shipped primed and have a sticker right on them to paint with acrilic latex paint within 48 hours of installation, some just never got painted.

joecaption said:

Ever steel door I've seen that was rusted is because the doors are shipped primed and have a sticker right on them to paint with acrilic latex paint within 48 hours of installation, some just never got painted.

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Depends on the manufacturer. The door we got from Menard's was powder coated, and no painting needed. Still have to paint the frame this Spring, since it was October when we put it up, and has not warmed up enough for a decent day to paint and let dry, with the door open.

I prefer fiberglass as well, but a quality steel door that is properly finished will last. Some of the higher end units actually put a pretty long warranty (from 7 years up to lifetime) on their steel doors when ordered with a factory finish.

Something I did not see, poster says can get a steel door for $150
Is this just a blank?
Or is going to install a prehung door?

streetneons, is nothing wrong with going either way ... Just a whole set of different instructions for which way you go.

A blank would mean leaving your old door jambs in place, and simply replace the door.

A pre hung would require removing the trim and cutting out the old jambs ... and decide what is required to install new.

funfool said:

Something I did not see, poster says can get a steel door for $150
Is this just a blank?
Or is going to install a prehung door?

streetneons, is nothing wrong with going either way ... Just a whole set of different instructions for which way you go.

A blank would mean leaving your old door jambs in place, and simply replace the door.

A pre hung would require removing the trim and cutting out the old jambs ... and decide what is required to install new.

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+1

After having spent about 4 hours trying to make a blank fit right, I will never do it again.

Door installs can be a pandora's box if not careful and take a good, long while.

Fun fool and wow, reread the very first sentence of the very first post. :whistling2:

streetneons said:

I am interested in replacing my front door with a new steel pre-hung door. The videos I have seen online make the job look pretty straight foward. Any tips or tricks to help me with the project. I can buy the door locally for about $150.00, I was going to just have it installed but I am being quoted about $400.00 in labor plus the door. So I think this would be a good weekend project.

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Where do you get that quote? I plan to replace my entry door too, but Lowes & Home Depot charge > $1000 for labor.

hvo2004 said:

Where do you get that quote? I plan to replace my entry door too, but Lowes & Home Depot charge > $1000 for labor.

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Probably local handyman. Never have Lowe's or Home Depot do any type of work in your home, with the exception of delivering building materials & appliances.

$1000.00 Give me the address I'll do it for $999.00.
I was in Lowes the other day and there was about an 80 year old lady wanting all new replacement windows, the salesman told her there was a charge to do an estimate, and suggested if she want to save the cost to go home and measure them her self.
Not sure about you but I sure would not some 80 year old lady measuring anything.

Not sure what has a higher potential for problems: the 80 yr lady measuring, or a box store installation, :laughing:...
To quantify that statement, despite the fact that box stores typically don't charge any less than a reputable local company, they frequently pay their installers a fraction of the "going rate". In my world, higher pay = higher quality installers/installation. :thumbsup:

The problem you have is this: If something isn't right you won't know what to do and chances are something won't be right! Don't watch any of those youtube videos where they install new doors in perfect showroom frames, it doesn't work like that. There really is a lot to performing a fine install. As far as those big box doors, the jambs are so brittle that I have had chunks explode in my face when I nail my trim on...be careful and best of luck. one more thing: inspect the doors at the store and pick one that's doesn't already have cracks in the jamb at the bottom, top or where the hinges are screwed in.

Taylor Rae, if you have chunks of wood flying at you, you are doing it wrong.

gregzoll said:

Taylor Rae, if you have chunks of wood flying at you, you are doing it wrong.

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Your right, I was wrong in agreeing to install a big box stock door.

Taylor Rae said:

Your right, I was wrong in agreeing to install a big box stock door.

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No, you are wrong in thinking out loud what you stated. There is nothing wrong with buying materials from big box stores. The problems occur, when you allow their contractors to do the job.