What affects the price of door replacement

Slab or prehung

A slab is just the door. It hangs on the existing hinges in the existing frame, after being cut to size and mortised for hinges and hardware. A prehung door comes already hung in its own frame, and the old frame comes out. Slabs cost less in materials but take careful fitting; prehung doors take more demolition and trim work but solve frame problems at the same time.

Interior or exterior

Interior doors are lighter and simpler. Exterior doors are heavier, need weatherstripping, a threshold, and often a deadbolt bore, and must seal well against wind and rain. Steel and fiberglass exterior doors are common in valley homes; solid wood looks great but needs more upkeep in the sun.

Standard or odd size

Standard sizes are stocked at most stores. Older homes often have doors that are an odd width or height, or frames that have shifted. Odd sizes mean a special order or cutting a larger door down, which adds time.

Hardware

New knobs or levers, hinges and a deadbolt add to the materials. Reusing hardware that is in good shape saves money. Smart locks need a door that closes easily and a deadbolt bore of the right size. See locks and doorknobs.

Finishing

Many doors come primed, not painted. Painting both sides and the edges adds time and dry time. Stain-grade doors need staining and sealing. Prehung doors also need trim around the frame, caulking and paint.

Frame and wall condition

Rot at the bottom of a frame, damaged stucco around an exterior door, or a frame that has shifted out of square all add work. We check these when quoting, and look for rot with a probe. See wood rot repair.

Repair instead

Not every problem needs a new door. Sticking, latching and drafty doors can often be fixed with hinge work, a strike adjustment or new weatherstripping. See door will not latch and weatherstripping.

What to send

A photo of both sides of the door, the edge with the hinges, the frame bottom, and the width and height. See door repair and installation.

Swing direction

Doors open left or right, in or out. Changing the swing means moving hinges and strikes, or ordering a prehung door with the new swing. Keep the same swing unless there is a good reason to change it.

Bifold, pocket and sliding closet doors

Closet doors come in many styles. Bifolds use a top track and pivots; pocket doors slide into the wall on a track that may need service; sliding closet doors ride on top rollers. Replacing these is different from a hinged door, and parts matter more than the slab.

Fire-rated doors

The door between an attached garage and the house is usually fire-rated, often with self-closing hinges. A replacement there should carry the same rating. We check the label on the door edge.

Glass in doors

Doors with glass panels need safety glass. Decorative glass doors cost more and need careful handling. If a glass panel is cracked in a good door, replacing just the glass may cost less than a new door.

Haul-away

We take the old door and frame away unless you want to keep them. That is included in the quote when you ask for it.

Pet doors

If you want a pet door in the new door, it is easier to cut before the door is hung. Tell us when quoting.

Timing and security

An exterior door replacement is planned so the house is never left without a lockable door overnight. We confirm the new door is on site and the right size before removing the old one. Interior doors are less urgent, and several can be done in one visit, which lowers the cost per door.

Painting new doors is often the step that adds a second visit, because coats need to dry before the door goes back on its hinges. Pre-finished doors avoid that wait.

Thresholds and floors

A new exterior door may sit at a different height than the old one, especially after new flooring. The threshold and the sweep are set to match the current floor, so the door seals without dragging.

Screen and storm doors

Adding a screen door or a security screen door to a new entry door is often done in the same visit. It needs a solid frame and the right clearance from the main door’s handle. Pricing depends on the door you choose and whether the frame needs shimming. See our screen door page.

Sliding patio doors

Patio sliders are a separate category. Replacing a full slider unit is closer to a window replacement in an existing opening, while repairs focus on rollers and tracks. See our sliding glass door page and the repair guides.

What we need to quote

Photos and measurements of the door and frame, the hardware you want to reuse, and a note on the paint or stain finish.