13 Door Design and Installation Tips
From interior doors to garage doors, here are 13 design and installation solutions to help you create the perfect entrance.
New doors can be a great way to give your home a face-lift, often without a whole lot of work. Whether you plan to install interior or exterior doors, this handy collection of articles and videos covering door design, building custom doors, door installation, how to make a door painting jig, and more should have something for you.
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Enhance Style with the Right Entry Door
As the focal point of the house, it’s important for the entry door to be appropriate to the house style. In this article, Architect Lynn Hopkins provides examples of doors that are appropriate to each of four broad styles: colonial, Victorian, bungalow, and modern.
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A home’s primary entrance functions as more than just a means of getting inside. For most, our perceptions of a house start with the entry door. Here are some entrance designs that are sure to make a great first impression.
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Choosing an entry door involves considerations such as budget, aesthetics, and maintenance. In this article, contributing writer Matthew Teague breaks down the three types of entry doors—wood, steel, and fiberglass—and looks at the materials and techniques used in their construction.
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Laminated Custom Interior Doors
Lets face it, buying quality interior doors (especially when you need 10) can be rather expensive. Carpenter Chris Green shares his tips and techniques on how to build custom laminated interior doors while staying on budget.
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Patio doors go far beyond the rickety sliders of yesteryear—today’s designs are stylish, durable, and secure. From swingers to accordion doors to even tilt-and-turn, our guide will help you choose a door that will open up your house to the outdoors in style
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Split-jamb doors have some advantages: they have casing installed already, which offers a little wiggle room in old houses in terms of accommodating wall thickness. In this article, Rick Arnold gives you step-by-step instructions on how to install a split-jamb door.
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Hinge Adjustment for a Door’s Final Fit
A beautifully designed interior door will not show well if its not installed properly. Here are some tips and techniques to help you fine-tune hinge adjustment for a flawless fit.
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How to Replace an Old Entry Door
The entry door on your house welcomes guests and faces the world. When installed properly, it should last a long time. In this online-member feature article, Builder Emanuel Silva describes his technique for installing an entry door so that it will stand the test of time and be able to avoid rot.
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VIDEO: Build a Door Painting Jig
Before installing your door, you’ll want to paint it beforehand. In this There’s a Better Way video, Chuck Miller demonstrates how to build a door painting jig to help you achieve a flawless paint job.
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VIDEO: How to Cut a Hollow-Core Door
In this Building Skills episode, Rick Arnold shows you how to cut a hollow-core door and how to close-off the opening to prevent it from warping.
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VIDEO: Marking Plates for Window and Door Openings
Legendary framer, Larry Haun walks you through the steps on how to measure and mark plates for window and door openings.
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VIDEO: A Unique Way to Build Carriage-House Style Garage Doors
Door design isn’t limited to entry ways or interior doors; garage doors deserve the same amount of attention. In this Project House episode, Fine Homebuilding editors Dan Morrison and Justin Fink show off the unique materials for the custom exterior doors for the Project House garage shop, including engineered 2x4s, fiber-cement panels, and repurposed replacement windows.
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VIDEO: How to Frame a Rough Opening
In this online-member video, licensed contractor Scott Grice demonstrates how to frame a rough opening. This video includes step-by-step instructions as well as illustrations.
