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Five Steps to a Brand New Door


Learning how to replace a door opens a whole new window of opportunity for a do-it-yourselfer. A new door can change the style of a room or brighten up the exterior of a house. In addition, a new door with a better seal can help prevent drafts and improve heating bills.

There are three types of doors: entry doors, interior doors, and combination storm/screen doors. The five steps below describe the technique for replacing an entry door. If you can master replacement of an entry door, replacing most interior doors is actually a simplified version of that process, as the locks are typically simpler or nonexistent. Replacement of combination storm/screen doors can follow the same process as that of entry doors, or it can become more complicated. If you are unsure about the process for installing a combination storm/screen door, check your manufacturers information for additional instructions or speak with a representative of the manufacturer or store that sold you the door.

1. Remove the old door.
To remove the old door, open it and wedge under the outer corner to take weight off the hinges. Once the door has been removed, set it aside to use as a pattern in trimming the new door unless it is seriously warped or damaged.

To remove the door, follow one of the two options below.
A popular method for hanging doors is the use of loose-pin hinges. With loose-pin hinges, half the hinge attaches to the door and the other half to the doorframe. Both halves are held together by a pin. If this is the type of hinge youre dealing with, remove the pin by tapping it up and completely pulling it out. Start with the bottom hinge and work your way up. Once the hinges have been removed, you can take the door off the frame.
In some older homes, a different type of hinge may be used or the pin cannot easily be removed because it has been covered by layers of paint. In this case, unscrew the hinges from the doorframe (still working from bottom to top) and remove the door.

2. Remove hinge leaves.
Remove the hinge leaves from the door and the frame. You can choose to either reuse the original hinges or hang new ones. If you reuse the original ones, you can buff them with sandpaper and spray them with a clear protective coating. For new hinges, simply insure that they are the same size as the old ones.

Once you have gotten the hinges in the shape you want them, install the new hinge leaves on the door frame. Be sure your screws are long enough to pierce both the frame and the stud-wall framing. This is an extra security measure.

3. Trim new door.
If possible, use the original door as a pattern for the new one. Alight the top and side edges and see whether the new door needs to be cut down along the bottom. If you cannot use the old door as a pattern, measure the door opening and allow a 1/8" bottom clearance and 1/16" top and side clearance. If the door opens over carpet, increase the bottom clearance to 3/4" or more. Mark the appropriate dimensions on the new door.

Trim the bottom of the door with a fine-toothed saw. Alternatively you can work from the corners to the center of the bottom edge with a block plane. Also use a jack plane for edge trimming if necessary. To prevent binding when the new door is opened, bevel the latch edge inward.

4. Prepare new door for hinges.
The first step in preparing the door for the hinges is to create the new mortises, which are carved or routed-out depressions where the hinge blades are placed, which keeps the surface even. Again using the old door for a pattern, mark hinge mortise locations. If you choose not to pattern after the old door, stick the new door in the opening and wedge it 1/8" from the bottom. Mark the hinge locations on the door.

Next, set the door on its latch edge. Use a square and pencil or knife to draw a line across the door edge at each hinge location. Outline the new hinge on the door by using the hinge leaf as a template.

Score marked edges for the hinge mortises with a wood chisel. Do not cut deeper than hinge leaf thickness. Angle the same chisel with beveled edge downward. Make several cuts in the scored area, again to the depth of the hinge leaf. Remove wood chips with a chisel. Insert the hinge leaf to double check fit, but do not affix it to the door.

Typically, doors taller than six feet require three hinges for weight distribution. Place the middle hinge halfway between the top and bottom hinges.

Coat door edges with wood sealant. Use wood screws to attach hinge leaves to the new door.

5. Hang new door.
Placing the newly sealed door in the frame, insert the top and bottom pins. If the fit is acceptable, close the door and mark where the middle hinge falls on the door frame. If the old door had a middle hinge, the best case scenario would involve the new middle hinge falling in exactly the same place, necessitating no work on your part.

If the middle hinge falls differently on the new door, take down the door by removing the bottom hinge pin and then the top. Use the hinge leaf as a template to outline the middle hinges location on the door frame. Cut the mortise in the same process used for door mortises. Attach the middle hinge to the door frame.
Set the door in place and insert the hinge pins, working top to bottom.
Another project for another day is installing a new lockset. For now, open your new door and go out and celebrate your accomplishment!

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Fencing in your Future Which Fencing Material is Right for You?


Fences are made from many different materials, and many different styles. This can make choosing a fence difficult. However, the decision of choosing a fence can be made easier. Before attempting to shop for a fence, a few preliminary steps can save you a lot of time. Furthermore, you will be less frustrated in the end.

The first step you should take in choosing a fence material is to decide what the purpose of the fence will be. Many people choose fences for the following reason:

To protect against trespassers and burglars
To create a boundary line
For decoration
To keep pets and children in the yard
To stop animals from intruding
For climbing plants

After you are done thinking about why you would want to make a fence, it is time to choose one. The following is a list of various types of fences:

Chain link
Barbwire
Picket fence
Wooden fence
Small garden fences
Electric fences
Invisible fence

Now you know the reasons why you would want a fence. Along with that, you know some types of fences. Now it is time to decide which fence is right for you. In order to do that, you need to know which types of fences are good for what purpose. In addition, you need to know which fences will be most practical in case you choose a fence for more that one reason.

For instance, a chain link fence can keep pets or children in a yard, and it also keeps out trespassers and burglars. A second example would be the use of the barbwire fence. This fence marks the boundary line of a farm property, and also aids in deterring intruders. Just like a chain link fence, a wooden fence can keep pets and children in the yard. However, it is a little different than the chain link fence. The difference it that a wooden fence is more attractive looking than a chain link fence. Nevertheless, it serves more than one purpose, as most fences do.

Now, you know some of the purposes of the barb wire, chain link, and large wooden fence. The other types of fences serve a similar purpose as those three. For example, the picket fence is much like the use of a wooden fence, only smaller. It also is more decorative than the chain link fence. However, it does not do much for protecting a home against intruders. Picket fences are usually only about three feet high. Now you know the main difference between a picket fence and a wooden fence. However, there are exceptions. Sometimes tiny picket fence can be places close to shrubs, flowers, or gardens. This is to stop small animals such as squirrels, mice, rabbits, and chipmunks from intruding. They might run into the fence, and then turn around and go the other way. The tiny picket fence is a type of small garden fence.

Other small garden fences can be placed around tomato and bean plants for a similar reason as the picket fence. These also serve something for the plants to climb on. Also, smaller versions of the chain link fence serve to keep animal intruders out of your garden.

Another type of fence is the electric fence. This is similar to the barbwire fence. An electric fence is also known as an invisible fence because someone usually doesnt see it. Then, if a person or animal does not know the fence is there, that person or animal bumps into it. Then, they get a shock. Then, they know not to cross that line. Most people know how to climb over it though. The main use is to block farm animals from entering another persons pasture.

A more modern of the electric fence is a fence that actually is invisible. It serves a similar purpose, and has the same affect on a person or animal as the electric fence. The only difference is that it is literally invisible. A variation of this type of fence is found in Jewelry stores. The invisible fence usually surrounds valuable jewelry locked up in a display case. Also, it is attached to an alarm that goes off when the burglar crosses the invisible beam.

There you are. You know all about fences now-or at least more than you did before you read this article. Keep this information handy to help you make a wise choice in choosing a fence.