Interior door can be a source of design flair

If it is time to replace a interior door, it’s important to measure properly so that the replacement door fits well.

Although it is often possible to simply repair and re-paint  interior door, sometimes it becomes necessary to actually replace it.

If a interior door is too severely damaged, or if it has an outdated style that no longer works with your home decor, replacing the interior door is often the preferred option. Additionally, in some cases you might need to measure for a new door, or to change the size of an existing interior door. If you’re ready to replace or add one or more interior doors within your home, here are some tips that can help.

Choosing the Perfect Door
Although you’ll find a wide array of colors, styles and designs from which to choose, making sure to get the right size of door is actually the most important task. When a door doesn’t fit correctly it will stick and jam, or it simply will not close tightly. In order to avoid this problem, it’s necessary to take careful measurements. In fact, measuring more than once in order to make sure your measurements are correct can be a great safeguard against purchasing the wrong size interior door. It’s better to spend a bit more time and effort when measuring than to waste time and money later after you’ve accidentally purchased an improperly sized door.

Additional Articles You’ll Also Like:

Article: Updating With New Door Hardware
Article: Door and Window Repair Tips
Article: Interior Doors – Often Overlooked in Home Improvement Projects

Materials You Will Need
In order to perform careful measurements, you will need a few basic tools and supplies. If you are measuring to replace an existing interior door, you might only need a tape measure. However, if you are measuring in order to add a new door, or to change the size of an existing door, you will also need a framing square and possibly some grid paper.

Replacing an Existing Door
If you simply need to replace an existing interior door, your measuring tasks can be quite simple. If the door you are replacing was sized correctly, you’ll simply need to measure it in order to find the correct measurements for the replacement. Always measure both the height and width of the door, measuring twice to help ensure accuracy. Write the measurements down, then purchase a door that matches the measurements. However, in some cases you might need to trim the new door a bit to make sure it fits perfectly.

Measuring for a New or Re-sized Door Opening
When creating a new door opening, be sure to add two inches to both the door height and width measurement. This will allow enough space for the door frame to be installed properly, plus an adequate amount of space for any necessary shims. If necessary, sketch the wall of the room onto graph paper, so that you can carefully plan the position and size of the interior door opening. It’s also important to pay attention to which way the door will swing during this planning phase. You’ll need to measure carefully, starting at the top of the door, in order to properly place the hinges. Check to make sure the corners of the door and the door frame are both square, using a framing square, before hanging.

By: Jessica Ackerman

Help Out Home Information Guru by Following Us On: FaceBook, Twitter, & Pintrest

Watch this video to learn how to measure an interior door: