How to Fit and Install a Front Door: Step-by-Step Guide

Read on for a six-step guide to fitting a new front door and a nudge in the right direction if you ultimately decide to trust your front door installation to the professionals.

Step One: Decide if You do Want to Fit a Front Door Yourself

Before you do anything else, it’s crucial to consider whether you can fit a front door yourself. It’s not one of the more straightforward DIY tasks around, so make sure you’re not biting off more than you can chew.

A few things to think about when deciding whether to install a front door yourself include:

• Your skill level and experience – Fitting a front door isn’t a job for a beginner. If you’ve never hung a door before or done any kind of joinery, you might be better off thinking about professional door installation.
• The precise nature of the job – Even if you’re a more experienced DIYer, some front door installations may still need professional help. Think about whether any more significant structural adjustments are needed or if your new door is precisely the same size as the one you’re replacing.
• Any necessary permissions – It’s also worth stopping to think whether you have permission to fit a new front door. If you’re renting your property, you’ll at least have to check with your landlord, and they may say you can’t change the front door yourself. If you have a leasehold flat, too, you may need to get permission from the owner of the freehold.
• Building regulations – When replacing external doors and windows in the UK, they also have to meet the relevant building regulations, and you must be able to prove it when it comes to selling your property. One of the most widely recognized ways of doing so is with a FENSA Certificate issued when a FENSA-certified professional completes the installation. If you install your front door yourself, you’ll have to make other, potentially tricky, arrangements.

If you’re certain that you do want to take on the job yourself, continue with our step-by-step guide on how to fit and install a front door.

Step Two: Gather the Tools and Materials You Need to Install Your Front Door

As the old saying goes, “fail to prepare, prepare to fail”. Before you do anything else, make sure you’ve got everything you need for the full job of fitting your new front door.

That will include, of course, your new door, likely a new doorframe, and all the relevant door furniture and fittings. You’ll also need a fairly hefty selection of tools.

Tools You May Need to Fit a Front Door

• Tape measure
• Spirit level
• Crowbar
• Hammer
• Screwdriver set
• Stanley knife
• Drill and drill bits
• Sander or sandpaper (particularly if fitting a new wooden door)
• Screws, wedges, shims, packers, and plugs

Step Three: Take Careful Measurements and Make Other Preparations

The ultimate fit of your front door is critical. A perfect, tight fit is what keeps the heat in, makes the door secure, and means it won’t rub or stick when you open and close it. Ensuring that ideal fit starts with taking careful, accurate measurements.

Take the time to measure the following more than once to ensure you get the figures just right:

• Door width
• Door height
• Jamb width
• Interior opening width
• Exterior opening width

Once you’ve got all those numbers, you can ensure that your new door set (the door and frame) is the exact size you need.

Then, you can make your final preparations for doing the job. That should include laying down dustsheets against mess and arranging a canopy or covering to protect your work from the elements.

Step Four: Replace Your Doorframe (Optional)

Probably the easiest way to fit and install a front door is to replace your existing door and doorframe with an entirely new door set. That means that as well as taking down the current door, you’ll need to remove the frame.

Unscrew and remove the door and then use a crowbar to pry away the old doorframe. This will take some effort, but you’ll also need to take care not to damage the brickwork or masonry around the frame. Smooth the surfaces of the opening using sandpaper and fill any cracks or gaps with builders’ caulk.

Move the new frame into position and, using your spirit level, shims, and packers make sure that the sill and jambs are completely plumb with the edges of the opening. Loosely fix it in place using a combination of waterproof glue and screws, allowing for adjustments in the next step.

Step Five: Prepare and Hang Your New Front Door

If it doesn’t already come with them, attach the door handles, locks, and other ironmongery necessary to your new door. Then, align it with your new frame and carefully mark the position of the hinges on the door. Open the door to 90 degrees and prop it with a timber wedge.

Now comes a critical phase of measuring and adjustment. Using a tape measure, spirit level and packing, you need to align the door so that it’s perfectly plumb with the sill and the hinge-side jamb.

When you’re confident you’ve achieved the perfect alignment, you can drill your holes for the hinges, attach them to the door, and then screw the door into place on the frame. Start with the top screw of the top hinge and work your way down. Once done, you can take away the timber wedge propping the door.

Close the door and check it also aligns perfectly with the lock-side jamb. If not, make similar adjustments to that side of the doorframe with packers and shims. Once you’re happy with the alignment all around the door, fully fix the jambs and sills in place.

Step Six: Make Final Adjustments and Finish the Door and Frame

With the new frame and door fixed and aligned, there will be small gaps around the outside of the frame where you’ve used packers and shims to keep things straight. To get a good seal and attractive finish, fill these gaps with expanding foam.

Once that foam has set and cured, cut away any excess and then use your sealant gun to add external silicone sealant around the entire surround of the frame.

Want to Talk to a Pro About Fitting Your Front Door?

Now that you’ve read our guide to fitting and installing a front door, have you decided that perhaps it’s not a job you want to take on yourself? Don’t worry, Door Warehouse are hugely experienced at external door installation. Drop us a line today to chat about our range of front doors, get expert advice, or arrange for us to supply and fit your new door for you.