Door replacement
Door Replacement Service
We fit replacement doors. We would usually rather repair yours, and because we do both we have no reason to tell you anything other than which one you actually need.
- When
- Only after the five tests
- Options
- Slab swap or prehung unit
- Windows
- We do not replace those
- Estimate
- Free, fixed in writing
Start here
Are you sure you need this page?
Most people who land here do not need a new door. Six faults that look terminal and are not.
| What it is doing | Which service | Why that one |
|---|---|---|
| The slab catches, drags or will not close | Door repair | The slab or its hinges have moved. Adjustment, not a new door. |
| The key turns hard, or the bolt will not throw | Door lock repair | Cylinder, latch or strike. Usually alignment rather than a broken lock. |
| The jamb is soft, split or pulling away | Door frame repair | The frame is the problem, and a new slab in a bad frame solves nothing. |
| A patio door drags or will not lock | Sliding glass door repair | Rollers and track, almost always. The frame stays. |
| A storm or screen door bangs, sags or has torn mesh | Screen door repair | Closers, hinges, latches and mesh — its own assembly entirely. |
| A shower door drips, drags or will not seal | Shower door repair | Rollers, pivots, seals and hard-water damage. Interior glass work. |
Scope
What a replacement actually involves
Four distinctions worth understanding before anybody quotes you, because the gap between them is large.
A slab swap
The existing frame stays and only the door itself is replaced, rehung on the existing or new hinges. Far cheaper, far less disruptive, and the right answer whenever the frame is sound.
A prehung unit
Door, frame, threshold and hinges as one assembly, fitted into the rough opening. Necessary when the frame has failed too, and it means disturbing interior and exterior trim.
What it does not include
Painting and staining beyond making good, structural work to the opening, masonry, and anything we find behind the old frame that belongs to another trade.
The square problem
In older Nebraska housing the opening is frequently not square. A prehung unit has to be packed and shimmed into whatever shape is there, which is one reason a repair often fits better than a replacement.
Before you buy a door
Five tests we run before quoting a replacement
We will run these in front of you. If the door passes them, we will tell you so and quote the repair instead.
Is the slab straight?
Close it and sight down the edge, or hold a string corner to corner. A door that is warped more than a shim can take will never seal, and no amount of hinge work changes that. This is the most common genuine reason to replace.
Is there rot, and how far has it gone?
A soft bottom rail on a timber door can be cut out and rebuilt. Rot that has travelled up into the stiles or through a panel usually cannot, economically.
Is the frame sound?
If the jamb is good and only the slab is finished, that is a slab swap, which is far cheaper than a full prehung unit. We check this before quoting either.
Is the opening still square?
On a settled Nebraska house frequently not. An out-of-square opening takes a repaired door better than a standard prehung unit, which has to be packed in anyway.
What is the hardware worth?
Original hardware on an older door is often better than anything that comes on a new one. If we are replacing a slab, we reuse what is worth reusing and say so.
We fit replacement doors and we repair them, which means we have no structural reason to steer you either way. That is the honest version of the pitch every repair company makes. Ask us which of the five above applies to your door and we will tell you.
Nebraska conditions
What to specify for a Nebraska door
If you are genuinely replacing, four things matter more here than the catalogue suggests.
Dimensional stability over looks
Nebraska swings from humid to extremely dry every year. A solid timber slab will move with that; fibreglass and insulated steel will not. On an exterior opening that difference matters more than the finish does.
A threshold that can be adjusted
Blowing snow and settlement both change the gap at the bottom of a door. An adjustable threshold lets that be corrected later without taking anything apart.
Wind-rated hardware on exposed elevations
On open ground the wind will find a light latch and a cheap closer. Heavier hinges and a reinforced strike cost very little at the point of fitting and save a call-out later.
Hinges and strikes fixed into structure
Not into trim. This is the single detail that most determines whether a new door still hangs properly in five years, and it is routinely skipped.
Questions
Replacement questions
You repair doors. Why do you also replace them?
Because sometimes a door is genuinely finished, and sending that customer elsewhere helps nobody. Having both on the price list is also the only honest way to give repair advice.
Do you replace windows too?
No. Windows we repair only. If a window genuinely needs replacing we will say so and tell you who to call, and we will not quote it.
What is the difference in cost between a slab swap and a prehung unit?
Substantial, and it depends mostly on whether your frame is sound. We check that first and quote the cheaper option whenever it is viable.
My opening is not square. Is that a problem?
It is common in older Nebraska housing and it is a real consideration. A prehung unit has to be packed into the shape that exists, which is one argument for repairing instead.
Will you reuse my existing hardware?
Where it is worth reusing, yes, and we will tell you when the old hardware is better than what comes on a new door. It often is.
How long does it take?
A slab swap is usually a single visit. A prehung unit is a longer day and involves disturbing trim inside and out.
Coverage
Door replacement across Nebraska
A mobile service covering the whole state, from the Missouri River to the Panhandle. Pick your town below, or call and we will come to you.
Door Replacement Service Across Nebraska
Related
Our other services
Ten services, one trade. Whatever else needs doing can go on the same visit.
Next step
Let us check before you buy a door
Free assessment across Nebraska, and we will tell you if you do not need us for this.