Ordering Tips
Purchasing a door
may be confusing, so we’ve outlined and defined the process below.
Replacement door
slabs:
- Measure your current door slab or door opening
dimensions.
- Make sure that the measurements of the
door slab you require match what is offered.
Note: Door slabs can be trimmed 1/4" on each side (for a total
of 1/2"), and 1/2" on
top and 1/2" on
bottom (for a total of 1").
Pre-hung
doors:
- Measure your current unit to be replaced or measure the rough
opening
between the studs.
- Determine the frame width you will need by measuring the thickness
of the wall.
- Select the pre-hung unit which best fits the measurements from steps
1 & 2.
- Choose the correct "handing". Do you want the
lockset to be on the left or the right side of the door? (See
diagram below)
Choose a door style and layout,
which may include one or two sidelites,
normally designed to occupy
a position adjacent to the exterior door,
and/or a rectangular or elliptical transom, which occupies the position
above the door and sidelites (see diagram above). Doors are sold with a solid wood panel that may be flat or carved, or with a glazed panel section. There may be many glass designs available for your door -- choice of
brass, dark patina, lead, zinc caming or wrought iron . Came is the
divider bar used between small pieces of glass to make a larger glazing
panel.
Measure the rough opening of your entrance
and select a door layout that will fit within that opening. Since
the doors are pre-hung inside a frame, you will want to carefully measure
the height and width of the existing opening to ensure a good fit.
Another measurement you will need to note is the width of the doorjamb.
Most jambs will have widths of either 4 9/16” or 6 9/16” depending on
whether your home was framed with 2” x 4” or 2” x 6” studs. Do not
include the thickness of any trim, casings or brick mouldings in the
measurement for jamb width.
Select a wood species
like mahogany which is red to brown with a finer texture suitable for
stain or paint, or
like oak which is pale yellow to mid-brown with a medium texture, or
the increasingly popular South American walnut which is light to
medium brown in color and has a unique naturally distressed textural
quality excellent for staining.
Assign door swing and
handing orientation. The standard for most
residential exterior entrance doors is for the doors to swing in toward
the interior of the house. Facing the door from the outside, if the
doorknob is on the left and the door swings in, it has right handing. If
the knob is on the right and the door swings in, it has left handing
(see diagram below).
Select Options.
Pre-hung doors come pre-hinged, but you may want to specify solid brass or
some other specialty hinge available for an additional charge. The same
goes for the sill. The sill is the bottom portion of the frame attached
to the threshold. It is usually adjustable to form a tight seal with the
bottom of the door and sweep. A standard sill is generally a bronze or
dark brown finish. Most builders and homeowners alike prefer this sill.
The dark brown finish is less likely to make dirt and wear apparent.
Optional may be brass finish sills, which are
anodized with a brass color finish. It is not solid brass, but has that classic golden brass color that some customers prefer. Our pre-hung doors come
pre-bored for a standard lockset. And finally, your pre-hung entrance door
can be ordered either factory pre-finished or unfinished. Selecting and
ordering a new hardwood entryway door can be a delightful experience if
you take the time to select and measure carefully. Nothing will add value
to your home like a new entryway.
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