You think choosing a new door for your home is easy? Try to do that without taking some variables into account and see how it works for you!
What may go wrong? The door may not fit – at least, not to perfection. It may not provide privacy. It may not increase security. It may not open – a door that doesn’t open???
Then again, your door installation may go just fine, but come find me next year when the material will already start showing the first signs of rot or wear.
What I am try to convey here is the importance of focusing on some factors before you buy a new door. Even if what you want right now is an interior door replacement – not a high-risk front door, giving it some thought is vital.
Should we see the considerations now so that you can avoid some serious headaches tomorrow?
The door opening considerations
• Why did I get French doors when I needed a pocket door? Measure and measure again. Or, even better, let a door installation contractor measure for you. A door must open and close, right? And so, you need to consider the space of the surroundings.
A swing door requires quite some floor space, but it also depends on its size. If you cannot get a wide door, why not get French doors? And if you cannot have swing doors at all, why not get a pocket door? Then again, the wall cavity where the pocket door is inserted must also be perfect and sufficient. Otherwise, the pocket door won’t go all the way in. That’s another consideration we are about to explore.
• Oh, my God! The door doesn’t open all the way! Sometimes, we have the space but don’t take into account the layout of our furniture. As a result, the door may not open because the bed is in its way. What are you going to do? Move the bed? It’s best to take all things into account – even things that are not directly related to the door but have to do with the interior design, structure, layout. A thorough planning before will save you quite a few headaches later. Don’t you agree?
The door dimension mistakes
• Ooops, the washer won’t go through! Now, what? Doors serve many purposes. One of the most obvious ones? They let us (and our things) move from one room to the other. And so, the opening of the door must be enough to let you get the washer and the dryer in and out of the bathroom or laundry room, for example.
I know what you are thinking. You are thinking that the structure is already ready, you are just replacing the door. Yes, that’s right. That is true. And in most cases, you don’t have to think about it. But spare a minute. Why? Because the needs of the family 20 years ago were different from the needs of the family today. Plus, the sizes of furniture, appliances, etc. change. All the same, you want to be able to move them around without tearing down drywall.
• Oh, no! the door is bigger than the opening. Yes, this is the obvious problem resulted from measuring the opening all wrong. Or omitting to measure the height. The door must not be bigger or smaller than the opening. It must be perfect.
The door material frustrations
• Didn’t we change the bathroom door last year? What happened since then? That’s a headache that comes later, but not later enough to say ‘what the heck, it’s been 10 years, let’s get a new door.’ When you choose the material of the door, you must take into consideration the environment.
Obviously, if this a front door installation you are planning, the material is one of the first things you consider. Think why we do that. Isn’t it because we want a strong front door? Also, a front door that will remain resistance – hence, intact, to the elements?
Now, take this thought and move it indoors. Getting any bedroom door is okay. But getting any door material for the bathroom is not okay. You need to consider the humidity at certain parts of the house and thus, avoid the ugly looks of rotting and mold – plus, the expense of one more replacement door installation.
