Fitting interior doors isn’t as easy as it may seem, and needs an experienced DIY enthusiast or professional door fitter. To start with the likelihood is you will need to trim the new door to size, then lining up the door hinges and latch or door lock can be challenging and certainly a job for two people. To ensure your new doors are going to look their best once fitted, consider whether you have the necessary skills or if finding a professional carpenter is a better option.

If you do decide to fit the new doors yourself then here’s a few tips from an experienced door fitter.

1) Before purchasing new doors take the exact measurements of your existing doors more than once. Measure the left and right side as well as top and bottom of each door you shall replace twice, each time noting down the measurements. This will help when purchasing the replacement doors and leading to the best possible fit.

2) The tools you’ll need during hanging new doors include a pencil, tape measure, spirit level, a hammer, plane, saw and set of screwdrivers. You will also need a wood chisel to create the recess within the edge of the door for either the latch or door lock.

3) Once you’ve got your new door home, put it flush up against the frame of the doorway, positioning the door so the edges are flush with the door frame whilst making sure the side that you will fit the hinges is exactly straight (plumb) using the spirit level.

4) Along with the tools mentioned above you will also need some wooden wedges to be used as supports, tap these in around the door while it’s positioned within the doorway so you can mark the door where it needs to be trimmed.

5) Once your door is marked, make the adjustments gradually checking back to the frame each time a small adjustment is made. This way you will avoid over adjustment which can lead to poorly fitting doors.

6) Once you’re happy that the new door fits the doorway frame correctly, use the pencil to mark up the hinge positions on the one side and the door lock or latch on the opposite.

If you haven’t hung yourself before hanging your new doors then you’re doing well, ready to have a cup of tea, and move on to one of the more enjoyable jobs, fitting door furniture or tranforming your old doors into something new.