How To Install A Prehung Exterior Door With Casing Attached

Fill holes left by the screws with wood filler.

How to install a prehung exterior door with casing attached. Remove the hinge pins and take the old door off the hinges. Some prehung doors come with a plastic or wood drip cap at the top that is sloped to allow water to flow easily away from the house. To seal the exterior of the door run a bead of paintable latex caulk around the entire door. Check the vertical reveal between door and jamb on the latch side.

How to install an exterior door. If you choose to install a front door made of steel you will need a helper. Drive 6 finishing nails through the trim and into the studs behind the wall spacing the nails about 16 inches apart. It should be about the thickness of a nickel.

Trim any exposed shims by scoring them with a knife and then breaking along the line. New doors have the exterior trim already attached so there is no need to save the old trim. Attach trim to the door with fourpenny finishing nails. Using a hole saw that is the correct diameter for your knob gently drill out the hole for the knob.

Inside insert fiberglass insulation into the voids between the door frame and opening. Nail the trim to the jamb and studs. The drip edge flashing fits over the drip cap and slips under the roofing felt or building paper. Keep in mind that installing a prehung door means you ll have a large hole in your home for some time.

Then using a spade bit drill a hole through the lock set mortise into the knob s hole. Cut and install the trim on the second side of the door. Installing an exterior door that is insulated and made of steel can be heavy and cumbersome due to the weight of the materials. It should be about as thick as a nickel.

Drill door holes next you ll need to drill the hole for the door knob and the lock set. Grab the casing and move the jamb by hand to adjust. Don t forget to check the vertical reveal between the door and jamb on the latch side too. Measure both the door and rough opening to make sure the door is the right size.

To adjust it grab the casing and move the jamb by hand. The key things to remember are setting the door level shimming the frame so the gaps between it and the door are even and taking steps to waterproof the installation. You should be able to complete this project in less than a day. For instructions on interior doors read how to install a prehung interior door.

Drive an 8d nail through the face of the latch side casing and into the trimmer stud near the top of the door to set everything in place.