# Replace exterior door without replacing frame



## murphybad

Is it practical to replace an exterior door (into the garage in this case) without replacing the frame? It seems like the vast majority of exterior doors I see for sale at the big box stores are pre-hung with the frame. But in this case, the existing frame is just fine, I just want to replace the door because it has a huge dog door we don't want or need.


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## joecaption

Is this is a steel door?
If it is you would need an exact size, make and model # to get an exact match so the hindges and bored hole lines up.
Home Depot has prehungs on sale this week. Replace it with a fiberglass door and never have it rust or rot again.


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## packer_rich

It's doable, but a lot of extra work. What is the price difference? The time to install a prehung door is probably going to be less than installing just the slab, unless you have experience with mortising the hinges and making sure they are properly lined up.


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## Windows on Wash

Go full frame.

Slab replacement is a pain in the you know what and you are usually dealing with and out of square frame to begin with so you are effectively trying to shove a square peg in a round hole.


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## murphybad

Thanks for the replies.

I wanted to go the "door-only" route not because of cost, but because I (incorrectly, obviously) thought it would be easier. The door has stucco around it and stuff, and I figured it would be a pain to remove the old frame and put in a new one without screwing that all up.


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## joecaption

Is there brick moulding around the door frame on the outside?
If so I use a small nail punch to drive the nails in, cut any caulking line there may be then ply it off prying from the jamb side.
When it's time to replace it I use vinyl brick moulding so it never rots again.


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## murphybad

I believe the moulding is wood. It's one long piece on each side, not like bricks.


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## Dierte

murphybad said:


> I believe the moulding is wood. It's one long piece on each side, not like bricks.


The term is brick mould. It wont actually look like bricks.


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## sixeightten

In some cases, it is possible to replace the door and the frame without disturbing the existing siding and trim. Tedious work, but the stucco can be difficult to repair if you mess with the trim.


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