Installing Doors by Yourself - DIY Repair

Preparation for Installation

Before the specialist begins installing doors, some preparatory work must be done. Differences in materials and door constructions are initially ignored and only one thing matters — whether the door is an entrance or interior door. Regardless of whether it's a single or double door, the selection process and installation rules are identical within each of these groups.

Photo 1 — Learn as much as possible about the door model you like

Self-Installation

For those planning to install doors by themselves, it's important to learn as much as possible about the door model they intend to purchase. For others, it might be worth spending more time and searching for services where the door block is installed together with the purchased door.

This makes sense because door installation technology requires being ready for various surprises. Even for installing the simplest single Chinese, not swinging doors, it's necessary to know how to do the following:

Remove the old door and prepare the door opening for installation. If the door block is smaller than the door block, then an adjustment may be needed; if the door block is larger, the door opening must be expanded accordingly.

At the preparation stage, it's necessary to know how to correctly assemble the door block. If a threshold is also planned for installation, the work will not end with just one door — proper preparation is the key to success of the entire project.

The next step is installing door hinges. First of all, even those included with the door should be replaced if they are not steel (there's no way to talk about aluminum or other materials).

IMPORTANT! Avoid universal hinges and use only right or left ones: with such hinges, it's possible to remove the door when needed, which is difficult with universal hinges.

Reliable hinges can withstand up to 80 kg. Installing hinges requires certain skills in working with chisels and hammers.

Installing the door frame in the door opening usually doesn't cause problems when the building is new or built according to GOSTs. However, even in this case, it's necessary to know how to align the door by height, width, and depth of the door opening. At this point, adjustments should already be in place to fit a large door opening to the size of the door frame.

When the door is assembled and the door panel is installed, if necessary, the handle and door lock installation (the lock is embedded before hanging the door on the hinges) is completed — the lock keeper is installed on the frame and handles are attached.

The work concludes with installing door casings, which in simple cases is not difficult at all

Photo 2 — The lock is embedded before installation on hinges

Attention! It's important to remember that doors are installed only in rooms where floors are already ready and no more work is planned. If everything mentioned above seems manageable, then it's safe to buy the appropriate door and install it yourself.

Installing Doors (Video)

How to Choose Doors Correctly

When it comes to choosing interior doors, which happens much more frequently than selecting and installing entrance doors, people rarely consider these details from the beginning, which is generally incorrect. The installation of door blocks should be considered in the future interior (e.g., whether they need to be changed or not), as well as the installation process itself (the installation technology can vary significantly), meaning the process and its place in the entire renovation.

Photo 3 — Choose the door structure

If we ignore the budget for purchasing and installing doors — each person has their own approach — it's best to start with the functional load on the doors. At this stage, it's necessary to decide whether the specific door will be:

solid or with glass inserts;
single or double;
hinged or sliding;
lockable or not;
with a threshold or without.

Features of Different Door Structures

Photo 4 — Determine the door structure

Depending on the chosen option, there may be combinations of some door elements (at this stage, it's necessary to think about hardware) or special types of doors:

Installing folding doors differs greatly from regular ones — the door (panel) is assembled separately, with a large number of mounting elements and a special frame design.

Using automatic doors in some cases completely excludes manual operation, which speaks for itself.

Considering glass doors presents special requirements for door frames — these doors are usually heavier than standard interior doors.

Any installation of doors on rollers implies the absence of standard mounting elements (hinges) and most likely refers to very heavy sliding doors (e.g., a display door or a door made of tempered glass).

A separate category is formed by balcony door types, which occupy a middle ground between entrance and interior doors.

Attention! Sometimes it makes sense to call a measurer before finalizing the decision on door purchase — these people know details about products sold by companies they work with, and can point out many specifics unknown to those unfamiliar with the industry.

Photo 5 — The variety of color schemes allows choosing a door to match any interior

Installing Doors: Price and Quality

Among well-known brands, which are quite numerous in this market — BELLA COSA, ALAVUS, BELWOODS, VOlHOVETS, UNION, DERA, MARIO RIOLI, VERDA, TITUL, DODIA — there is a conditional segmentation into price segments. Each seller's price list is usually formed based on this. Within each price segment, the cost of the doors themselves doesn't vary significantly, for example, in Russia (Moscow), it looks as follows:

Economy — up to 4,000 rubles
Lower Middle Class — from 4,000 to 6,000 rubles
Middle — from 6,000 to 10,000 rubles
High Middle — from 10,000 to 17,000 rubles
High — from 17,000 rubles and up

The economy segment is mostly represented by laminated doors, while veneered doors (with veneer of various qualities) dominate in all higher segments. For example, solid wood doors make up no more than 5% of the total quantity in relatively expensive market segments.

For comparison, in Kiev, the price for economy class interior doors starts from 150 UAH. As for the upper limit, it can be said that there's no end to what is considered beautiful. However, both markets behave modestly regarding installation service prices (professional preparation, installation without threshold, door casing, lock, handle; prices in rubles/UAH):

Single-panel door — from 2,000/300
Double-panel door — from 2,300/490
Measurer service — from 500/50

Naturally, buying a door and installing it are two different things. However, once you know how much a door costs and the associated installation services, installing doors by yourself may no longer be appealing: when manufacturing and installation are expensive, the installation can be done for free.

There are cases where it's necessary to urgently replace a door in an apartment for some reason, then only a master can do it quickly, skillfully, and reliably in full compliance with all SNiP and GOST standards.

Photo 6 — Properly installed doors will serve you well and look beautiful