Replace interior doors

New door slabs on the old frames. Fitting the first one takes longest.

How many doors?

doors

This fits in a car

About 105 lb of materials. Comfortably inside what a car carries (200 lb), so any shopper can take it. ⚠️ 1 item on the list has no weight on file, so the real load is a little heavier than this.

Before you start

Doors are heavy and awkward; carry them with two people. Clamp the slab before cutting, and wear eye protection on the saw and the hole saw.

What to buy — untick anything you have

Lumber

3 Interior door slab, hollow core, primedMatch the width, height and thickness of the old door. An 80 in door will not fit in a car; it needs a pickup or van. Solid core weighs about twice as much.

Hardware

3 packs of door hinges, 3-1/2 in, 3 per packMatch the corner shape of the old hinges, square or rounded, and the finish.

Paint

1 gallon of door and trim enamel
1 Foam mini roller kit, 4 in
1 pack of sandpaper, 120 grit

Tools — already ticked off, since most people have them

Tools

1 Door lock installation kit (hole saw and jig)· most people have this
1 Wood chisel, 1 in· most people have this
1 Circular saw· most people have this
1 Hand plane· most people have this
1 Cordless drill· most people have this
2 Sawhorses· most people have this

It lands in the shopping form, where you can edit anything and say what you think each thing costs. Nothing is ordered until you send it.

How it goes · about a weekend · confident

Pop the hinge pins, lift the old door off, and lay it on top of the new slab on the sawhorses.
Trace the old door outline, the hinge positions and the knob hole onto the new slab.
Trim the new slab to the line if it needs it, and plane a slight bevel on the latch edge.
Chisel the hinge recesses, bore the knob and latch holes with the kit, and paint the slab before hanging.
Screw the hinges on, hang it, move the old knob over, and check it swings and latches cleanly.