When I decided to replace the doors in my apartment, I imagined it would be a piece of cake. The hardest part will be choosing the color, decor, and glazing, I thought, but then there are three more parameters we need to determine: the width of the door leaf, the width of the door frame, and the side on which the door leaf will open.
Since I had a limited budget and seven doors in the apartment, it wasn\’t exactly a small sum. I spent a long time browsing all kinds of hobby markets, looking for doors and frames that would be affordable, but above all, in stock at the store. The stores often have dozens of types on display, but then you notice a sentence written in size 10 font that says the doors are made to order and the delivery time is 8 to 12 weeks. In about the sixth store, I managed to find a design I liked, the doors were reasonably priced, and they were available for immediate pickup. I was delighted and headed to the cash register, but then my advisor, my dad, got involved.
Suddenly, door handles, locks, thresholds, and transition strips, mounting foam for the door frames, and glue for attaching the frame began to fall into the basket, as none of these items are supplied with the doors. I naively thought that the door frames would just snap onto the wall, but unfortunately, that\’s not the case. If you don\’t have completely straight walls, like I do in my apartment building, you\’ll also need pegs or some kind of stops and a spirit level to level the door frames so that the door leaves don\’t rub because they\’re crooked. Adjustable clamps will make installation easier by holding the door frames in place until the adhesive dries. All in all, I exceeded my planned budget by about 20% due to these items. As they say, measure twice and cut once.
I recommend allowing two days for the installation itself. First, attach all the frames/trims/door frames, allow the foam and glue to dry thoroughly, and only on the second day hang the door leaves, attach the handles and locks, and adjust the hinges as necessary to ensure that the doors fit properly. Due to uneven walls, there may be a gap between the trim and the wall, which can be easily covered with latex, which will fill the gap. The installation of the trims is like a jigsaw puzzle, and a skilled handyman can easily do it himself.
