Installing a New Door

[crokett]

LOML wanted a new rear entry door installed since the one we had did not have any lights. She found one for free that is full divided lights but is a metal door (this is part is important). I took the old door off put the new door in and it fit. Tolerances were a little close but it would work. So I put the hardware on and hung it. Plumbed all that up and tried to close the door.

It caught on the latch side at the threshold. Checked, framing not square. Shimmed out the bottom hinge, then it started binding on the jamb on the latch side. Took the door off, moved it up to clear the threshold and it started binding on the top and for some reason on the jamb on the latch side. Remember it is a metal door and I couldn't cut it down....

No problem sez I. My handy dandy router and flush trim bit will take off what I need to on the jamb. The casing reveal was a little bigger than the rest of the frame so this would fix that too. I proceed to ruin a router bit on 2 finish nails in the jamb. No idea what they were doing there and they were well-hidden by several coats of paint. Not wishing to ruin any more cutting tools I went and got my sander. Of course there weren't any nails anywhere else. What was supposed to be done Saturday morning took all day, in between other stuff, plus some time Sunday to do final painting.

I gotta replace the front door too, but that new door is a wood door that can be cut down.

[mschrank]

I feel your pain, David. I replaced our entry door last summer, and more recently replaced all our interior doors. The entry door took a buddy and me most of 4 hours...it was a heavy beast with side lights. The first few entry doors took about an hour each.

Seems like everytime I adjusted something to "make just a bit better," everything else went out of whack. After a total of 10 doors, I think I finally have it down...too bad I probably won't ever need to replace a door again