Remodeling Made Easy: Prehung Doors

In a world where everything is compartmentalized, shrink-wrapped, solid-state, and plug 'n play, it's no surprise the construction market is responding with some ease of use strategies of their own.

Case in point - prehung doors. The concept isn't new; in fact, Home Depot is full of them. The issue is that most homeowners still see hanging doors as something mysterious. The fact of the matter is, installing a prehung door is easy if you just follow the sequence of steps; 1,2,3...

Variety is the Spice of Life

Yes, it's true even with doors. Prehung doors can be had as elegant mahogany entry doors or the lowly hollow-core interior closet door. No matter, they're all simple to work with, barring existing complications.

These kind of doors have long been the mainstay for commercial exterior doors; not the pretty front glass ones with the displays, but the heavy steel ones lurking out back in the alley by the dumpster.

I've installed a lot of these in my day, and thank goodness for the sturdy steel "spreader" at the base of the jambs. The block masons tend to knock things out of whack.

Time is of the Essence

The only time things are critical is when you're installing your home's front, back, or side door. Why? Well, you want to be able to lock up at night when you go to bed. The trick is to make sure you've got all your tools and materials laid out and get an early start.