Your home or business entry door sets the tone for guests. Unlike an interior door, everyone notices your entry door, especially if it sticks. That’s why even experienced do-it-yourself (DIY) hobbyists ought to hire a professional door installer when upgrading their entry doors. We cover installing doors later in this article but advise sticking to interior doorways.
Ideas for Statement Entryways
Entry doors provide more than security for a business. Modern commercial buildings benefit from full glass entry doors that provide a clear view of the street from the inside and the lobby from the outside. Consider modern wood doors for a traditional commercial complex. In a residence, evoke opulence with a double-door house entry. If you want to stick with a single door, a wooden glass door combines the best of both worlds of a glass door with a hearty wood door. Think of it as a long picture window.
Even structures requiring automatic doors can feature an exciting door style. Typically, for glass doors, a glazer can add lettering or a logo design to them. These options let a business customize its glass and add interest to the doorway, even in areas with a boring view.
The Importance of Great Doors
Updated 2/25/21
Doors are an important part of every business. Whether it’s commercial or residential, no building is complete without good doors. There are a wide range of types of doors available, especially for commercial buildings. There are commercial wood doors that offer an attractive and classic way to outfit a doorway. There are also commercial aluminum double doors that are common in a wide range of settings. These types of doors are often used for areas that have a heavy flow of foot traffic because of their durability and lightweight.
There are automatic warehouse doors that are so necessary for many types of industrial settings. These doors are needed for machinery that passes through them. There are other types of commercial door sets that may be customized based on the company’s needs. There are also steel doors that are useful for many different settings. Using an external steel door and frame is common when there are concerns about security. These doors are often used on commercial buildings to be able to seal them up tight after the day’s business is done. When you are choosing the best door for your building, take a look at the many materials that are available.
Even if you’re not an expert craftsmen, you know that there’s a huge difference between installing a deck or patio and installing a window. Between the total cost of the project, the time it takes, and its sheer size, some projects just make more sense.
Homeowners looking to make improvements need to find projects that’ll yield great ROIs. Bigger, more costly projects will naturally have a high ROI, but may not be in the homeowner’s price range. Thankfully, there are other cost efficient home improvements that don’t take long to do and can also yield pretty decent ROIs.
Installing new entry doors are one such project. They instantly improve a house’s curb appeal and can also be done in just a day. Here’s how to add new entry doors to your home.
Buy the New Entry Doors.
It’s best to have your new entry doors before removing the old ones. Before you head out to the hardware store, remove the existing door’s interior trim, and measure the opening’s height, width, and depth. Your new entry doors should be about half an inch less than the height and about three quarters of an inch less than the width. This information will help you find the perfect replacements.
Speak to your local hardware store about how best to weatherproof your new entry doors before installation, and once you’ve taken care of that, you’re ready to install. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves though–it’s just good to ask while you’re there.
Remove the Old Doors.
Once you’ve bought your new entry doors, remove the existing doors’ exterior trim. Be careful, as you’ll have to reinstall it on the new doors. Detach the old doors by removing their hinges. Once off, remove the hinges and screws that attach the sill and jamb to your home’s frame. Then, remove the old frame.
Installing the New Entry Doors.
Begin by setting the bottom of the frame against its opening from your home’s exterior, raising it into place. Then, put new shims near the top to hold it. Adjust the frame so its square, making sure that there’s at least an eight of an inch between the jamb and the rough frame.
Make sure that hinge side of the doorjamb is plumb, shimming underneath it as necessary. Next, make any adjustments to the frame’s spacing so that it’s plumb. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions and put more shims around the frame for additional strength.
Check to make sure your new entry doors swing smoothly by opening and closing them. If they do, drive screws through any extra shims to properly secure the frame. Score the shims where there’s excess, and snap them off. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions, and secure the sill.
Insulate the frames’ gaps with expanding spray foam. When it’s dried, use a putty knife to cut any excess off and put the door trim back on.
Unless you have to paint it, you should be all set, and ready to enjoy your new entry doors. If you have any questions about how to install new entry doors, feel free to ask in the comments. Learn more about this topic here: porchtopier.com
