Visitors to your home will often inspect the front door first. Your visitor will likely have a positive impression of your home if the front door is well-maintained. Replace an old or damaged door with a brand-new one. This will give your house a more pristine appearance and improve its performance.
If you’re considering replacing one entry door at home, replacing just the door may be an economical and efficient solution without completely transforming your entranceway.
By selecting a door with dimensions matching your current jamb, replacing just that element can create an instant upgrade in style without extensive construction work. This method speeds up renovation processes and gives a stylish new entrance point without extensive construction work required.
If the jambs are in good condition and not out-of-square, you can replace the exterior doors in your house without having to remove them. The same door size without hinge cutouts will do. No special tools are needed; just a chisel & a hammer will do.
Remove the Old Door
Remove the old jamb from the door. Remove the hinges using a cordless screwdriver. Keep the hinges attached to the door. Place the door, exterior side up, on two sawhorses. Remove the doorknob.
Place the new front door over the old one, with the exterior facing up. Ensure that the doors are flush around the perimeter. Trace the location of all three hinges on the old and new doors with a pencil. Remove the old hinges. The hinges can be used on the new door.
Sizing and Tracing
Remove the doors from both sawhorses. The hinge side should be facing up. Hand clamps it to the sawhorse.
Align the hinges using the pencil marks. Trace the hinge plates.
Use a utility blade to cut around the traced lines at a depth of about 1/8 inch. Hold the chisel horizontally, bevel-side up. The chisel should be pushed and swung back and forth along the grain of the hinge traceings. This will remove the entire wood inside the tracings up to 18 inches; if you have to, tap the back of the tool to make it cut.
Screwing and installing
Insert the hinge plate in the hinge cutouts. If the hinge plates don’t sit flat or will not fit into the tracings, then continue to cut and shave the cutouts.
Use the cordless screw gun to attach the hinges using the old screws. Hold the door in position on the jamb. Tap the hinge plates into the jambs. Screw the hinges into the jambs using the screw gun. Attach the doorknob.
Final Words
Opting for single entry door replacement without replacing the jamb can be an economical and efficient solution to upgrading their front entrance.
The right door can deliver a fresh, stylish look without extensive structural modifications and maintain home integrity while improving aesthetics and functionality simultaneously by matching existing jamb dimensions.
Whether your goal is curb appeal, security improvement, energy savings, or enhanced energy efficiency, this method lets you enjoy all the advantages of a new front door without replacing an entire jamb.