Thinking about replacing an interior door? Maybe yours is old and worn out or you're ready to upgrade your home. With a few tools and our step-by-step guide, you can learn how to replace an interior door without professional help.

---

Before You Start
Replacing an Interior Door

Before You Start

Learn the Parts of An Interior Door

Whether you're replacing a bedroom door or another interior door, it's helpful to learn a few words for the parts you'll be working with.

Doorframe: The part of a door that goes into a rough wall opening. It has two sides, called the jambs, and a top piece called the header.

Trim: These are decorative pieces that are used to cover the doorframe.

Hinge: This piece has two sides and joins the door and doorframe. The door swings open and shut on it. Most interior door hinges have small metal rods, called pins, that go through the center of the hinges to hold the sides together.

Latch: This is a piece of hardware that holds the door shut.

Strike Plate:This is a metal piece on the latch side of the door. The latch hits it when you close the door so the wood doesn't get damaged.

Mortise: This is a recessed or cut-out area in the door – the latch or the bolt of a deadlock slides into a mortise to keep a door shut.

Choose the Right Door

Are you replacing a bedroom door, replacing a bathroom door, or other interior doors? You'll find two basic kinds: pre-hung doors and slab doors, which are also called blanks.

Pre-Hung Door: These come assembled or partially assembled and include a frame, hinges, and trim. Replacing an interior door with a pre-hung, assembled door is the easiest and most popular choice.

Slab Door: This is just the door – you must buy any other parts you need separately. If your door frame is in good shape, you can buy a slab door to use with your existing door frame and trim. Be sure it doesn't already have mortises for hinges, since you'll need to cut it to match the ones you already have.

When considering which door to buy, start by looking for a door and hardware style that matches your decor. Then once you're found it, figure out which side the hinges should be on by examining your old door. First, open the old door and measure the door and door frame. Then close the door and stand facing it. If the hinges are on your left, choose a door with hinges on the left. If the old hinges are on the right, choose a door with hinges on the right.

Replacing an Interior Door

What You'll Need

New interior door & hardware
Safety glasses
Drill, bits, & door lock installation jig
Screwdriver
Chisel
Circular saw or wood saw
Tape Measure
Pencil
Level
A small block of wood
Someone to help you hold the door in place (optional)
Clamps (optional)
Sawhorses (optional)
Paint or stain and brushes (optional)

Tip!
Ask someone to help you move the doors if they're heavy.

Tip!
Wear safety glasses to protect your eyes when working with wood and metal.

How to Replace an Interior Door

Step 1: First you'll need to remove the existing door. Close it so it won't fall over and remove the hinge pins. It's easier if you push each one up from the bottom with the tip of a screwdriver.

Step 2: Unscrew the door hinges and take the door out of the frame.

Step 3: Remove the door knob or lever. You can re-install it later, but you may want a new or different style if you're replacing a bedroom door, bathroom door, or another interior door.

Step 4: If possible, buy a replacement door that's the same size as the existing door, and you won't have to do any trimming. Otherwise, use a circular saw or table saw to trim the bottom of the new door to make it the same size as the old one.

Step 5: Put the old door on top of the new one. Use sawhorses if you have them. If you have clamps, align the top edges of the doors and clamp them together. Use the old door as a guide to know where to put the hinges on the new one. Mark the top and bottom of each hinge onto the new door as a target for where to install them.

Step 6: Measure from the edge of the old door to the edge of each old hinge. Mark those measurements on the new door. Put each new hinge inside the marks and trace around it. If you have sawhorses, lay the door flat on top of them. Otherwise, prop the new door on its edge so you won't have to kneel down to work on it. Use a chisel to score the outlines of each new hinge about 1/4-inch deep. Keep using the chisel to scrape out small bits of material to make a mortise for each hinge.

Step 7: Stop now and then to put the hinges into the mortises and check the fit. Take them out and scrape the mortises again until they are at the correct depth (flush with the edge of the door). Put a small block of wood on top of each hinge and tap the hinge in place with a hammer. The block of wood helps protect the hinge from the hammer.

Step 8: To install a latch and door knob or lever, use a door lock installation jig with a hole saw. Measure the old door from the top of the door to the center of the latch. Mark that measurement on the new door. Align the jig with the mark and cut out the latch and door or lever holes with the hole saw. After you've cut about three-fourths of the way through, finish the hole by cutting from the other side of the door to avoid splintering the wood. Use the template with your jig to outline the mortise for the latch plate. Scrape out the mortises with the chisel. Paint or stain the door, if desired, after you finish the mortises.

Step 9: Have someone help you hold the door in the frame and use the level to check that it's level and plumb (exactly vertical). Hold the new hinges to the new door and use a pencil to mark the center of each screw hole. Screw in the hinges. If the hinges have pins, tap them in with a hammer.

Tip!
A self-centering drill bit will keep the screws centered while you put them in. Many hardware stores sell self-centering drill bits if you need one.

Article by Lynn Coulter.