Practical Guides
5 guides on installing, repairing, and caring for doors. Written with the assumption that you actually have to do the work.
- intermediate · 60-90 minutes (before you start the door install) · $0-$30 for shims and corrective hardware
How to square a door frame's rough opening — the step nobody photographs
A step-by-step guide to checking and correcting a rough opening before you install any door, with diagonal-measurement and king-stud-correction techniques.
- intermediate · 6-10 hours (one weekend) · $800-$2,400 for the door unit; $40-$80 in materials
How to install French doors — a real walkthrough
A patient, practical guide to installing a pair of pre-hung French doors in a rough opening, including the squaring step every YouTube tutorial skips.
- beginner · 45 minutes · $15-$25 for a roll of mesh + new spline
How to replace screen door mesh — patient, frame-friendly, $20
A complete guide to re-screening an aluminum or wood screen door, including the spline-roller technique that doesn't gouge the frame.
- intermediate · 90 minutes · $15-$45 for the roller kit
Sliding door roller repair — fix the bind in 90 minutes
A complete guide to diagnosing and replacing the rollers on a sliding patio door without removing the frame.
- beginner · 2 hours · $25-$60 for a full set of materials
How to weatherstrip a back door — the four kinds and where each goes
A complete weatherstripping guide for exterior back doors: V-strip on the stops, sweep on the bottom, magnetic on the latch, corner pads on the strike.