Doors are easy and simple to make if you have the suitable skill set and hand tools - if you have an existing door opening or need to replace a door.
There are many types of doors with different features, including storm doors and exterior wooden or steel doors. If you have an existing door opening, measure it to get the same size door in the right type for your needs. Doors are measured by width x height. The most popular internal door size in Australia is a 2040mm high, 820mm wide, 35mm thick panel, or flush door.
There are a number of steps to follow in replacing an existing door in a door frame. First, measure the height and width of the opening from outside to outside. Make sure you include the door stop moulding if any. Note how thick your door needs to be - this is a standard 35mm thickness for a flush panel interior door. In most cases, you will need to remove any excess door trim from around the existing door. A fine thickness finish can be achieved using hand planes, a chisel, or sandpaper.
If needed, purchase a replacement for this moulding from a local hardware store. Search your location listing for one near you. Then cut a strip of solid wood to fill in where you removed the old moulding. Using a drill and screws, attach the wood piece to both sides of the opening.
Using a tape measure, position your new door directly between the top and bottom hinge on one side of the opening. Ensure that it's straight and level. Use shims as necessary if required. This ensures that your door will be balanced and opened easily later on.
Once securely positioned between those hinges, check for the level of the door. You can also use a framing square to check alignment - or have someone hold it in position while you do so. Though not critical, the new door should fit tightly into that opening (not wobbly at all when moved) and be perfectly centred with about an inch space between it and the opposite edge of the opening.
Mark the position of the hinges on the woodwork with small bits of masking tape, making sure they're parallel. Then drill pilot holes through these markings - make sure your drill bit is smaller than hinge screws; otherwise, the door jamb may crack or split. Now fasten them securely using matching screws.If the existing door frame has a warp (not square), you might need to adjust your hinges a bit so that they're not at an angle. Of course, this won't be necessary if the opening where you want to put your door already has a perfectly square door frame in it! Attach a temporary piece of moulding alongside the edge(s) of the opening until you can check that your door is exactly as high as it needs to be - including any space needed for carpet underlay or other flooring material.
Place the hinges on your door about 6 inches from the top. If you are using interior panel doors, use screws to affix them- ensure they're tightly fitted to each screw before adding another.
If your door is heavier than usual, it may be more difficult to close if the hinges are lower down on the door. It's best to have hinges higher up on strong exterior doors, but this isn't necessary for an interior door.
If you're a professional carpenter, then yes. For others, due to a lack of skills and appropriate tools, it's best to purchase a readymade door that has been mass-produced and readily available at hardware stores nationwide instead of making their own doors. Instead of making doors, get some help from an expert if you need to replace or make a new door - or any other home renovation project. A professional with the right skills will definitely do a good job, and it will be cheaper in the long run.
You should be able to get a decent-quality interior door below $100 if you're looking for something that's not top-of-the-line but is still sturdy enough to serve a purpose.
You can buy a premade doorframe (without the door) and custom-fit an exterior door with it. You can also purchase a premade door that comes with both the frame and the door at the same time, which you simply need to install. Simply walk into a door's shop with your measurements. Exterior doors should be made of solid wood or another material like steel - these are more durable against heat and cold and last longer than particleboard and other composite materials. They should also be stain-resistant or weatherproofed with paint or varnish for better visual appearance, as well as fitted with a strong lock for increased security. Assemble your exterior door on a sturdy surface such as concrete, plywood, workshop table, or ideally sawhorses, so you're working above ground level. The woodworking that goes into making a door is widely documented. Cut rails to the desired width, length, and thickness. The rails are three, the top rail, the middle rail, and the bottom rail. Do the same with the hinge stiles and the lock stiles. Dig out the mortise groove. Cut the panels and mullions. Join the parts, once glued together. Hold the glued unit together with a clamp and leave the clamp on for about 24 hours, or depending on the recommendations of the adhesive used. Make sure you have a helper on hand as well. Check that the doorframe is completely square before installing it with screws. You may need to trim any excess, protruding parts with a saw. To achieve precision with the final thickness, use hand planes or a sharp chisel. Fit your exterior door with hinges on both sides of the jamb - again, using several screws for strength. Make sure to check for plumb alignment, both vertical and horizontal, before you screw in each screw securely. Before finishing, mount a sturdy deadbolt, a latch, or other locks as needed. Make sure there are no gaps between the frame and jamb - they should be flush together tightly all around the perimeter of the opening. A door should be hung snugly in place but should not swing shut on its own accord; if it does, you will probably need to check that the hinges are properly attached and tighten them if necessary. You can also create a brace with two pieces of scrap wood (laid crosswise) underneath the door if it tends to move about too much.
You should use pressure-treated wood if you can because it has special chemicals that increase its durability and resistance to wear and tear. Other types of exterior-grade lumber include cedar, cypress, redwood, pine, spruce, fir, hard maple/rock maple, poplar/yellow poplar, red oak, white oak. Check for rot or infestation by wood-boring insects. If you see signs of it, replace the damaged parts promptly to prevent damage to your doorframe and jamb. Alternatively, consider buying a premade exterior door frame in a kit from a hardware shop but remember that you will still need to add an exterior door with it before installing it into your wall opening.
Board and batten doors are not difficult to make. The boards are spaced out evenly so that you can see the frame or raw wall material in between them. To build one, start with a slab of plywood as the backing structure - this will give your door strength later on when it's time to set it in place. You should only have a minimum number of seams where plywood sheets come together because gaps will weaken the overall framework and reduce its durability against wear and tear - avoid cutting sheets down into smaller sizes since this could compromise stability. Screw two side rails across from each other along their length, making sure they're screwed securely onto the plywood backing at both ends as well as near the middle for added stability. Install a vertical piece of lumber about 1/3 of the way from one end, leaving a space between it and one of the side rails to create an indentation for the front panel to rest in later on. Do this again on the other side as well - note that you'll have two separate board and batten door panels here because you need an opening for your hinges to fit through as well as enough room for your bolts/latches to secure them tightly shut. Once those are installed, screw horizontal slats across from both sides just like before except near the back where there's a gap for a hinge plate or door handle installation. If desired, you can fill that with a filler block, but it won't be visible once painted. Install hinges on the back of your slab, fasten them securely to one end panel with bolts/latches, and then open your door into its proper position facing frontwards. The battens are installed vertically between each slat - these are usually made from thinner strips of plywood or two-by-fours for extra durability. You should always sand down the entire surface before painting, including the vertical pieces - sanding is much easier when you have all panels facing upwards rather than downwards. An electric sander will make short work out of it, but you can also sweep away dust with a paintbrush and hand-sand if necessary.
If you want to make a door quickly and cheaply using plywood, all you really need is three pieces of hardboard (a type of press-plastic) or plywood for the face frame, one piece for the back and four sections of lumber cut to the desired length. Cutting the parts to size can be quickly done with a circular saw. You'll also need several screws because these doors usually don't stay in place without them, causing them to warp.
Creating the frame is easy: just lay out your boards on edge with equal spaces in between each one so that they form an evenly spaced grid - then join them securely together with screws in the spots where they overlap. Cut out a latch hole (with access afterwards to check if it's properly closed) using a jigsaw tool before installing your hinges because these are usually too small to cut accurately afterwards.
Slide your plywood panel into the frame carefully, making sure it's flush against all four edges before screwing it securely in place - then do this for both sides of the door because you'll need them to be tightly shut for this type of design.
The back panel goes on next, screwing it to the frame on all four sides; these types of doors usually don't need a centre rail support structure. Finally, add your vertical battens using glue and nails or screws. Make sure the top one is slightly higher than the bottom by about three inches so that rain doesn't get in when you use it outdoors. Your door is now already hung.Wood pressure treatment is the process of using chemicals to change the properties of wood in order to make it more resistant to moisture or insect damage. The most common type of wood pressure treatment is wood preservative; this type typically contains copper, chromium, arsenic and sometimes even mercury. The process starts by chipping or grinding the logs into very small pieces that are then soaked in water for an extended period of time. Afterwards, they're heated at extremely high temperatures so that all organic material - including any bacteria or fungi - will be destroyed. Finally, they're poured over with a chemical solution of various compounds like chlorine salt and sulfuric acid. They are entirely dried until ready for use. Different types of wood need different amounts of heat and time to process properly; the type of heat (steam or dry heat) used will change the chemical makeup of the wood preservative. Additionally, other chemicals may be added to seal cracks in the wood, give it a better colour or add preservatives that will help prevent mould growth or insect infestation.
Wood pressure treatment can make a huge difference in how your wood looks and how long it'll last because rot and pests won't damage your furniture as quickly if they can't get through the outer surface.
However, there's also different types of treated wood, such as CCA-treated lumber, which uses chromate copper arsenate rather than arsenic. For example - not all wood has to be pressure-treated to be environmentally friendly and rot-resistant. The Victorian State Government's has some useful information on CCA-treated timbers.You'll want to take a close look at the label information before choosing any furniture made with wood and make sure it's treated - don't assume anything; many types of manmade or manufactured woods may also be highly durable and suitable for use as furniture, flooring or even building material without needing treatment.