Our bathroom door had been sticking for two years. My wife would slam it shut with her hip every morning and the sound made me wince. I kept promising to fix it. Then one Saturday the door handle came off entirely — the screws had stripped so badly the knob just spun in place. Time to stop making excuses.
I had never hung a door before. I figured it would be an all-day wrestling match with a heavy slab of wood, probably ending with me swearing and a crooked door I could not close. But I watched a couple of videos, made my Home Depot run, and decided to find out. Turns out it took me about five hours and the door closes perfectly. Here is exactly what happened.
What I Bought and What It Cost
The door itself was the big expense. I went with a pre-hung interior door — a six-panel hollow core from Masonite that cost $129 at Home Depot. Pre-hung means it comes already attached to its frame with hinges installed. If you have never done this before, do not buy a slab door. A slab is just the door panel with no frame and no hinge cutouts. You have to mortise the hinges yourself and drill for the handle. I am sure I could figure it out, but pre-hung eliminated half the work and most of the potential for disaster.
I already owned a hammer, screwdriver set, tape measure, and drill. What I had to buy: a flat pry bar for $10, a 4-foot level for $18 (my old 2-foot level was not long enough for this), a pack of wood shims for $6, a 1-inch chisel for $10 (I did need it to tweak one hinge mortise), finish nails for $6, and a tube of caulk for $5. I grabbed a new door handle set for $35 — a simple brushed nickel passage knob from Kwikset.
All in, I spent about $230. A handyman quoted me $500 for the same job, so I pocketed $270. If you do not own a drill or basic hand tools, you might spend closer to $350 total for everything.
How the Day Actually Went
Step one was measuring. I pulled off the old casing trim with the pry bar — go slow and the trim comes off in one piece, which means you can reuse it. Behind the trim I measured the rough opening: the stud-to-stud width and the floor-to-header height. Mine was 32 inches wide by 82 inches tall, which is standard. I wrote those numbers down and double-checked before leaving for the store. Nothing worse than buying the wrong size door. A tape measure mistake here costs you a trip back and possibly a restocking fee.
Removing the old door took maybe 20 minutes. I unscrewed the hinges from the frame, lifted the door off, and set it aside. Then I pried out the old frame. The nails screamed as they came out of the studs. Wear safety glasses for this part — I caught a nail head to the cheek and was glad I had them on.
With the opening clear, I checked the studs. They were straight and solid, no rot or weird angles. I cleaned out old nail fragments and vacuumed the dust. The opening was about a quarter-inch out of plumb on one side, but shims would handle that.
Lifting the new pre-hung door into place was the only part where I really wanted a second pair of hands. The unit weighs maybe 50 pounds and it is awkward, not heavy. I wedged it into the opening from the bottom and tipped it up. If I had a helper it would have taken 30 seconds. Solo, it took five minutes of finessing.
Then came the shimming. This is where the 4-foot level earned its keep. I started on the hinge side, slipping pairs of shims between the frame and stud at the top, middle, and bottom. Check plumb after each adjustment. Once the hinge side was dead vertical, I moved to the latch side and shimmed until the gap between the door and frame was even — about an eighth of an inch all around. I temporarily tacked the frame with a couple finish nails to hold everything.
I swung the door open and closed about 20 times checking for rubbing. There was a tiny tight spot near the top latch side. I took a deep breath, pulled out my chisel, and shaved maybe a thirty-second of an inch off the frame edge where it was rubbing. That was all it needed. Do not go crazy with a plane or chisel here — remove material in whispers, not chunks.
Once the door swung freely, I drove finish nails through the frame into the studs every 16 inches. I countersunk each nail with a nail set and filled the holes with wood filler. The handle installation took 10 minutes — the Kwikset kit came with a paper template you tape to the door and drill through. It is basically foolproof.
The old casing trim went back on with finish nails. I added a bead of caulk around the edges, let the wood filler dry, sanded it smooth, and touched up the trim with the wall paint I had in the garage.
Things That Almost Tripped Me Up
The big one: I almost forgot to account for flooring height. If you are replacing a door over carpet or thick tile, the bottom of the door needs clearance. My bathroom has tile so I had about a half-inch gap at the bottom. If the gap is too tight, the door scrapes. If it is too big, cold air pours through. Pre-hung doors come with a little extra length at the bottom so you can trim to fit. I did not need to trim mine, but I was ready with a circular saw just in case.
Another mistake I almost made: tightening screws like a gorilla. The door frame is pine, not steel. Over-tightening strips the hole and then you are filling and re-drilling. Snug is enough.
And honestly, I should have painted the door before hanging it. Painting a door flat on sawhorses is way easier than painting it vertical while crouching. I got paint on the hinges and had to scrape it off with a razor blade. Next time, paint first, hang second.
Overall this was one of the most satisfying projects I have done. A door that opens and closes smoothly is one of those things you do not appreciate until you have been putting up with a bad one for years. The whole thing took a Saturday, cost under $250, and my wife stopped hip-checking the bathroom door. That alone was worth it.
