Your custom wood door is finished and ready to be installed — but what’s next? Often, customers ask us what to expect on installation day, so to help clear things up, we’ve outlined the door installation process below.
The Day Before
You’ll want to prep the job site the day before to make it an ideal workspace for your door installers. There are three main things we ask customers to do:
- Move furniture and other items (e.g., rugs, doormats, plants, etc.) out of the way.
- Find a temporary place for pets to stay so they don’t interfere with the installation process.
- Check the weather report — particularly if an exterior door is being installed. You’ll want to know in advance if you should prepare to bundle up or expect excessive heat while there isn’t a door in place.
The Crew Arrives & Work Begins
When you’re replacing a door, the door installers will need to do some intensive prep work. The first step is to tear out the existing door and frame and make sure everything surrounding the door opening looks in good condition. You never know what you might find once an old door is removed (e.g., rotting wood, pests, etc.). At this point, the crew might need to stop to address any issues they found. But if everything looks good, they can proceed to fitting your new custom door.
The process for a installing a door in a new build project is much simpler than it is for an existing door replacement. Because the crew won’t need to remove a door first, and the build is new and should be in good condition already, preparation should be minimal and not take up much time.
As noted above, if you’re having an exterior door installed in winter, the house may get a bit cold due to the gaping hole created by the door installation prep. In this case, most crews will try to complete the door installation in one day. But, if the project needs to take longer, they’ll close off the opening overnight. Door installers will also put down a sill sealer below the door to ensure water and draft resistance.
Finishing Touches
Once the door is securely in place, the crew will finish adding its hardware and review with you how to use it. They may add trim, if necessary, and make a few touch-ups, including a final clean and polish. Before leaving, your door installers will clean and vacuum the work area to ensure it looks just as it did when they arrived.
How Long Does Door Installation Take?
The length of the process depends on the size of the job, but typically with a single front door unit, you can expect the new door installation to take two workdays.
For more information about custom entry doors, contact us [here]. [https://vintagemillworkrestoration.com/contact/]
