How to Hang a New Front Door in an Existing Frame | This Old House

This Old House general contractor Tom Silva replaces an old entry door. (See below for a shopping list and tools.)

Shopping List for How to Hang a New Front Door in an Existing Frame:
- wood entry door
- door hinges
- lockset

Tools for How to Hang a New Front Door in an Existing Frame:
- straightedge and utility knife
- circular saw
- combination square
- hammer
- _-inch-wide chisel
- drill/driver
- tapered drill bits
- block plane
- hole saw and hole-boring template

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How to Hang a New Front Door in an Existing Frame | This Old House

[jimwalker]

Tom and Norm were the best of This Old House.

[boatdetective]

I met Tom on a job and got the chance to chat with him. 100% the REAL DEAL. Great guy.

[briteness]

If I make a video like this, the final scene will be something like: "Alright, Danielle, give it a try!" **Starts closing the door, but it jams and won't even close. ** "I think you might need to cut it a little smaller at the top, and it seems like the hinges are not quite at the right angles, or something. I hope you're gonna be able to fix this before dark. I shoulda hired a real carpenter..."

[ShiningSakura]

I love that it is explained WHY you do what you do. It helps me know the reasons behind it so that way I don't make a big mistake and end up having to redo something. Other people do the steps but won't tell why you do things a certain way. In a world full of multiple ways of doing things it pays to know why a certain thing is done to avoid issues of doing it another way.

[RicardoJunqueira]

I love how Tom makes anything look really easy to do.

[krn]

Sure does make mortising look easy. Like the tips with the combination square to measure the depth of the hinge.

[Perly]

Watching Tom work is like watching a seasoned pilot land a B747 with rain and a low overcast, or watching a mechanic remove and replace a hard to reach starter. It's their day job. They do it so often that it truly does become routine. For us DIYers - it's much more difficult. Partly because we may not have the ability to get all of the tools and jigs used. They can end up costing as much or more as the replacement door slab itself. I am replacing a kitchen to garage door right now. I'll get it done and I'll correct what I mess up as I go along. Good luck and best wishes to all DIYers.

[districtnerfco.]

Definitely jammed my new door into place and watched this video after 🤣🤣

[Laptops]

I was told by a home depot employee that you cannot replace a front door without replacing the framing around it, yet here we are.

[babybugspaw]

Tom, you always make it look easy. I wish I had half the knowledge as you do on stuff like replacing a door & adding the door locks.

[porkchop]

You can only be this good with years in the business.. Great carpenter right here.

[dottyjyoung]

I'm glad he showed the mortising process. I used a DeWalt multi tool as a kind of "hillbilly mortisser, " & wasn't sure if I was doing it right. I was! He just gave several other tips for making the process even easier.

[antonoat]

Always a pleasure to watch a craftsmen at work, nice job!

[richardjweeks]

The hinge transfer method worked a charm. Thank you so much.

[TheAxecutioner]

At 4:21 incredible tappy tap hammer blow result !!

[minnyjay]

So professional and such mastery. Tommy rocks it everytime.

[kesomon]

This came up as the first result in my google and it is exactly what I needed for my next project, thank you!

[wheres_bears]

This man just has a gift of explaining things in a way that is easy to understand

[sugrbaby]

Thankyou, that was super easy to follow with no unnecessary talking lol:) goodluck to me, hope it doesn't take too long

[nataliefisetm.d.]

Thank you for the great video. I am convinced: I will paint my door and not change it!😂