What size is the current opening? Most entry doors are 3/0 X 6/8, even from the 50's.

If I were doing it, I'd make sure he salvaged the entire door jamb and threshold. Modifying that would be easier than building a new one.

Michael

brushworks - my painting hero! I'll add paint questions later :)

My door is a skosh less than 35" wide and I forget how tall. That is just measuring the door itself, not the actual rough opening. When I measured one door he had, it would need to be trimmed both width and height. That's why I was hoping I could just hang the new door on the current jamb.

Paint questions: somewhere I know I read some good tips from you about interior painting. Unfortunately I didn't save them. I remember I should paint the trim before the walls. One tip was how to not get bleeding under the tape, something about taping the edge of the trim, then painting over the edge of the tape with the trim color to 'seal' the tape so the wall color doesn't bleed under?? Was that your tip? Can you re-explain? Seems like I'd have to paint the trim, wait some period of time for it to cure, tape it, get out the trim paint again....OY!

Also, do you have a recommendation for a white that goes with everything? I unfortunately painted the crown molding in my bedroom a bright white, so now all the other trim looks yellowy. I'd like a white I can do the entire house in. My wall color preferences are midtone brights - nothing neutral or subdued :) Examples are teal, mint grean, ocean blue, coral, etc. Wall paint will be Behr, but I could use something different on all the trim if needed.

You'll want to have the door milled to the exact size of your existing slab. One question: is the door thickness the same? That's a must or you'll need to refit the stops and threshold.

A millwork or lumber yard may have the ability to plane the door to fit and they may even mortise out the hinges for you while it's there. Of course, you'll need to carry along your other door with it.

The hinges and handset/deadbolt must be set to the same tolerances as the existing door or you'll need to rework the strike jamb and that can be a tedious job.

My favorite white in Behr is Cottage White. I've duplicated that color in many other brands, including for use in my own house. Get a chip and bring it home. I believe it will create a very nice creamy white for your current colors. My other favorite is Classic Cream by Ellen Kennon.

I always paint the trim first. It's so much easier to cut in to the trim than to paint the trim along the wall. Paint the trim, overlap a bit onto wall surface to provide a smooth cut in area for your wall paint. When cutting in the wall to the trim, push the paint up toward the trim,(like a fish hook) then brush it out evenly and slowly along the edge. If you must use painter's tape, use a clean, smooth putty knife to push the edge firmly against the masked surface. The green tape will release w/o destroying your trim paint.

Michael

P.S. I still have a good supply of the microfiber towels. They're great!

That is too funny about the microfiber towels! Small world!

It's looking like maybe using the whole jamb or buying a new door and having someone install the glass inserts might be easier.

Thanks for all the painting tips! I'll pick up the Cottage White today. The previous owner installed fake wood baseboards, and never painted them :( They are primed white at least. I would love to replace them, but that's not in the budget. And believe me, I would rather not use tape, but I can't paint to the edge of the baseboard that neatly. I typically use a Trimline paint edger, but it doesn't work very well on the plaster walls in this house.