Installing French doors is a great way to add exquisiteness to your home. And the best part is that they are as easy as installing normal doors. Read on to learn how to install French doors.

How To Install French Doors

French doors are graceful and elegant, adding a touch of the baroque to the entire house. Not to mention that sitting in a room with French doors is like sitting in the garden with the greenery around and the blue sky above; that is only if you leave open the doors to the fresh, refreshing breeze. French doors look perfect in both large and small houses. While they add charisma and beauty to the former ones, French doors bring in an illusion of space in smaller dwellings. They bring openness to the house, quite literally inviting the sunlight and the wind in. For dark rooms, French doors are the best bet. However, installing French doors can be quite an expensive affair, which is why most people do not opt for them. Nonetheless, you may be surprised to know that installing French doors is not as difficult as it is deemed to be and is the same as installing normal doors. The only thing that you should consider is the size of the French doors. As such, it will be better if you can ask a friend or two to give you a hand. As for the rest, a little carpenting skills coupled with a little common sense is all that you need. Given below in the article are a few tips to help you install French doors.
 
Installing French Doors
 
Equipments Required
  • Screwdrivers & Screws
  • Saws
  • Power Drill
  • Hammers & Mallets
  • A Carpenters Square and Level
  • Pry Bar
  • Chisel
  • Tape Measure
  • Safety Glasses
  • French Door Kit
Installing Procedure
  • Measure the opening where you want to install the French door. Make sure that the opening has enough room for framing.
  • Remove the old door and the frame carefully using the hammer and pry bar. Make sure you do not damage the trim.
  • Label the trim pieces so that they can be put up more quickly, while you are installing the doors. Ensure that you have a perfect square in which you can install the French doors. For this, you have to use the levels and the carpenters square.
  • Now put up the new frame in place of the old one. To hold the frame firmly in place, use the shims. You should place the shims on the top as well as on the sides.
  • Fit the doors in the frame. The doors should be leveled on both the top and the bottom. Close and open them repeatedly to see if they open and close smoothly. If the doors fit into the frame securely, use to screws to fix the frame firmly into the gap.
  • About six inches below the top of the door, set one hinge jamb temporarily. Then just above the top hinges fix two screws. Now check if the door is level. Next, secure the rest of the door to the frame.
  • Fix the doors in the frame and any other items like door locks, knobs etc that come with the French door kit. 
  • If you don’t have an opening to install the French door, then you should contact professionals to make the opening. Creating the opening will be very difficult for beginners and chances of completely destroying the entire wall if not the house are a possibility.
  • Fix any gap between the door frame and the wall with fiberglass insulation. And then install the interior and exterior molding.

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