Ok so the other day i slammed the front door and the drip strip fell off, rotten as a pear. So is the lower quater of the door and some of the frame. I cant aford a new door, but i was down the dump today and they have an ok solid mahogany front door for £10. Now this house was built in 1800, out of granite nothing is square, nothing is straight. How should i measure the hole for the door and then the door to see if it fits/can be cut down to fit. And whats the sequance to fit a front door? Bearing in mind i have to do it in one day, and the postie will want a hole for letters and i need a lock......
Front doors
- Thread starter sidecar_jon
- Start date
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John, I know people do do it, but buying an old secondhand door is not a good idea. That door has already been cut, and undoubtly cut out of square, to fit a frame just like yours. Trouble is, NO two doorways are ever out of square in the same manner.
I know of several customers of mine who have tried to do exactly what you have described, only to end up buying a cheap new door from B&Q and getting me to fit it. Then saying say wished they'ed just done that in the first place.
Even as a chippie with 20+ plus years under my belt, I HATE HATE HATE trying to get an old door from one frame to fit in another. You always end up with gaps/ draughts/ damage and it takes HOURS!
Sorry mate
Woody
I know of several customers of mine who have tried to do exactly what you have described, only to end up buying a cheap new door from B&Q and getting me to fit it. Then saying say wished they'ed just done that in the first place.
Even as a chippie with 20+ plus years under my belt, I HATE HATE HATE trying to get an old door from one frame to fit in another. You always end up with gaps/ draughts/ damage and it takes HOURS!
Sorry mate
Woody
well.. after going to the dump the door they had proved to be showing signs of rot anyway.... but by acident found a double glazing place that had lots of old doors and soled me one for £10, good solid door.... trouble is its 2" too wide and an inch too short!... i can fix that. And yes i understand its going to be along job but my time is cheep and we are totaly skint..... now is there a special way of measureing a door way? To take into acount out of squareness etc?
i know i might be dim doing this but i want to try anyway good learning process then if i learn never to try it.. thanks for the advice tho.
i know i might be dim doing this but i want to try anyway good learning process then if i learn never to try it.. thanks for the advice tho.
Ok then, but bere in mind that I'm going by instinct here, not being able to see the job, and I'm only telling you the easiest . not necessarliy the best method at the moment.
Since the door is already too short, that is actually a goodish sort of thing, because it will fit in the doorway in at least one direction.
Remove old door. Sit new door in doorway (at this a stage get a wife or neighbour to help you for a mo). Whilst you hold the door in as square a position as you can, get your assistant to draw around the door frame onto the door. Ie so that you have the outline of the door frame on the door. using a circular saw if poss, (if not - a handsaw and planer) cut the door to fit, taking off about an extra couple of mm. I should point out that if at all possible, try to take off about the same amount each side, rather than just all off one side - it will make it stronger and look better. (you'll obviously have to adjust your marks by approixamtly half each side).
Once the door fits fairly snugly, fix your new strip on to the bottom (NOT THE TOP) of the door and just check the fit again.
Fit hinges, and plane down so the door fits, idealy with about 2mm (the width of a twopenny coin) gap all the way round.
Then fit your lock etc.
HOPEFULLY you will end up with a door that fits at least reasonably.
I really would be interested to hear how you get on - and thats not being nasty
Woody
Since the door is already too short, that is actually a goodish sort of thing, because it will fit in the doorway in at least one direction.
Remove old door. Sit new door in doorway (at this a stage get a wife or neighbour to help you for a mo). Whilst you hold the door in as square a position as you can, get your assistant to draw around the door frame onto the door. Ie so that you have the outline of the door frame on the door. using a circular saw if poss, (if not - a handsaw and planer) cut the door to fit, taking off about an extra couple of mm. I should point out that if at all possible, try to take off about the same amount each side, rather than just all off one side - it will make it stronger and look better. (you'll obviously have to adjust your marks by approixamtly half each side).
Once the door fits fairly snugly, fix your new strip on to the bottom (NOT THE TOP) of the door and just check the fit again.
Fit hinges, and plane down so the door fits, idealy with about 2mm (the width of a twopenny coin) gap all the way round.
Then fit your lock etc.
HOPEFULLY you will end up with a door that fits at least reasonably.
I really would be interested to hear how you get on - and thats not being nasty
Woody
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thanks for the advice. I will tell how it goes tho it may well be a month or two before i can get to it... the "new" door is 32" wide and the old one 30" so and inch off each side i was thinking.
Why put the new strip on the bottom? I was thinking the top as its got a drip strip at the bottom.
first i think i have to chop out the rotten bit of the frame.
The bottom i think has rotted out due to it sitting on the granite step which isnt flat at all and holds puddles of water. gta short all that out too!
And its got an aluminium strip in the door way, Which seems to serve only as something extra to trip over as you come in. Whats it use and do i need it?
Why put the new strip on the bottom? I was thinking the top as its got a drip strip at the bottom.
first i think i have to chop out the rotten bit of the frame.
The bottom i think has rotted out due to it sitting on the granite step which isnt flat at all and holds puddles of water. gta short all that out too!
And its got an aluminium strip in the door way, Which seems to serve only as something extra to trip over as you come in. Whats it use and do i need it?
When you look at a door, your eyes will automatically look at the top. So any piece joined on will show like sore thumb. Thats why us chippies dont generally plane off the top of doors to make them fit, we do it from the bottom. (Yes there are exceptions and small adjustments).
The aluminium strip is probably your threashold/ weather bar, the idea of which is to prevent water and draughts from entering. Depending on the type of strip, when you remove your old door you will probably find it has been rebated to fit over it, so from the inside you cannot see it, from the outside it is covered by the drip bar so again you cannot see it. Without getting too technical here it is also to help prevent cappilary attraction whereby the water will seep under the door.
Trip hazzard? Only on a Friday night after the pub
Woody
The aluminium strip is probably your threashold/ weather bar, the idea of which is to prevent water and draughts from entering. Depending on the type of strip, when you remove your old door you will probably find it has been rebated to fit over it, so from the inside you cannot see it, from the outside it is covered by the drip bar so again you cannot see it. Without getting too technical here it is also to help prevent cappilary attraction whereby the water will seep under the door.
Trip hazzard? Only on a Friday night after the pub
Woody
Ah i see so ill keep it... and i understand about calipery action. Big gap OK small gap and water creeps under it. Try boat cabin roofs for that!
thank you very much for the advice and..... il keep you posted so at least you can have good laugh.
thank you very much for the advice and..... il keep you posted so at least you can have good laugh.
look forawrd to it
woody
woody
Without even picking up a screwdriver a friend pointed out a problem... the existing front door.... isnt square. no angle is 90 degrees!.('cos the hole it fits into isnt either).. i gona have to draw up a scheme to reproduce it shape on the "new" door.
Well it went on today!... i had to wait for a circular saw for xmas lol... shaved an inch off each side and half an inch off the bottom.... hung it (it has three hinges so that was fun) with the wifes aid we got it fairly lined up but it proved to be about 2mm thicker than the old door, so i had to shave some off the hinge side to stop it levering its self off the screws!...apart from that and some shavings off the top (about a couple of mills) it fitted as least as well as the old one.... thats to say, ok but nothing speciel lol.. biggest hicup was me assuming all letter boxes were the same and cutting it to big, solved with bits of wood and glue.... and the top pane of glass is cracked (storm damage from falling over in the garden). Now it awaits burning off the paint and see if the "Conservation" officer of the council turns up to object, (probably a rotten door is more in keeping lol)
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