Are you looking to replace your door and need an exact size for the replacement? Then, you need to measure the size of the door accurately, so the new one can fit right into it.
If this is your first DIY project and you are unfamiliar with measuring doors, here’s a guide that you can follow to measure your door size properly.
Measuring the Door Size
- First, you need to measure the width of the door
- Before you start doing measurements please remember to practice extra precautions by wearing a PPE (personal protective equipment) kit. If you need assistance to do this task, feel free to ask help from a family member or a friend.
- Grab a tape measure and start measuring the door frame. Start with the top part, then the middle and lastly the bottom part of the frame. Important Note: To get the exact measurement of the door, you are not to measure the door itself but the door frame.
- To measure each of the sides, start from your left and then end it through the right. The total wideness of the door frame is the actual width measurement.
- Have your partner take down the width of the door. When in doubt, measure it once again to get the most precise measurements.
- Start measuring the height of the door frame
- If the door frame is too high for you, you will need to use a ladder to support you while measuring from the top.
- You will need to measure the length in a vertical way to get the longest measurement.
- Let the tape measure start at the top corner of the door frame and let it go through down the last corner at the bottom.
- Record the actual size of the door frame’s height. Again, remember to do it more than once to get the exact number.
- Measure the thickness of the door frame
- To get the exact size of the door that you need to replace, you have to get the exact thickness measurements.
- Start measuring the door frame through the edges and let the tape measure run towards it.
- Record the thickness measurement of the door frame.
- Then, measure the door frame’s rebate, this is the area when you need to measure when the door is closed. Make sure to not skip this part so you can get the actual replacement.
- Finding a door replacement
Depending on your location, rest assured that all houses are designed according to the standard building protocols. You are sure to find identical sizes of the door that you’re trying to fit in the door frame, especially if it’s built by experienced contractors in your area.
However, if you had your door and door frame custom-made, you would also need to order a customized door based on the recorded measurements. Expect that this can take more time than just buying what’s available at the Home Depot. Make sure to hire someone that is experienced in customizing doors for homes.
David Nilsen is the former editor of Fourth & Sycamore. He is a member of the National Book Critics Circle. You can find more of his writing on his website at davidnilsenwriter.com and follow him on Twitter as @NilsenDavid.