You cannot afford to make any mistakes when measuring a door as it elevates the risk of draughts and sticking and may result in a door that doesn’t correctly fit. We want to help you evade mistakes with our handy guide to measuring for existing frames and new door sets, including details of the gaps you need and when you’re recommended going bespoke.
Measure The Frame Or Opening
Old doors are prone to shrinking or swelling, so that’s why for a front door replacement you should measure the actual frame, as opposed to the existing door.
Where there is no frame, you need to measure brick-to-brick with a metal tape measure and then deduct the frame size from the measurement.
The width can be found by going brick to brick in a straight line across the top, middle and bottom of the opening and log whatever the smallest measurements are.
Brick to brick is also the route to take for the height, but from the left, centre and right sides of the opening, with the smallest measurement written down.
Gaps, Clearances And Trimming
A door is less likely to catch on a floor or carpet if it features some small, even gaps around the edges – make space for about 3mm at the top and sides and roughly 9mm at the bottom.
There is a degree of lipping in many new doors (a solid timber strip along the edges) so that a fitter can moderately plane or trim a door if needed to achieve the required clearance.
Obey trimming limits mentioned in the manufacturer guidelines so that the door ends up fitting perfectly.
UK Door Sizes And Bespoke Options
Manufacturers tend to follow a specific group of common door sizes, with the most typical of them being 1981 x 762 x 35 mm (roughly 6’6” × 2’6”). That’s not to say these are definitive sizes, as there can be slight differences.
Other additional average UK internal door sizes include:
1981 × 686 × 35 mm (6’6” × 2’3”)
1981 × 838 × 35 mm (6’6” × 2’9”)
Pay attention to door thickness as well, as fire-rated doors (FD30) are thicker than standard internal doors by about 9mm (44mm against 35mm). It’s safest to work to the closest standard size.
We strongly suggest asking for a bespoke door if an opening is significantly larger than standard dimensions, the frame isn’t very square, or a non-standard thickness is necessary.
Crucial Tools And Steps
To sort your measuring, you’re going to need a rigid tape measure, a pencil and some paper. Refrain from doing any measuring until all obstructions have been removed, together with door stops and trims. Metric measurements are important and it’s the smallest measurements for width, height and depth that you require.
Precise alignment demands that you also measure the depth of the door frame and the door rebate (this is where the door sits within the frame).
Not confident of conducting the door measuring yourself? Just as well that County will organise the process for you after you’ve ordered any of the doors in our range.
LOOKING FOR A NEW REPLACEMENT DOOR?
From French and patio to bi-folding, we offer an incredible variety of doors inlcuding the latest front and back door designs, all of which are made to measure for the perfect fit to your home.
LOOKING FOR A NEW REPLACEMENT DOOR?
From French and patio to bi-folding, we offer an incredible variety of doors inlcuding the latest front and back door designs, all of which are made to measure for the perfect fit to your home.
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