How to Install an Exterior Double Door (Full Outswing Door Installation Start to Finish)

Watch us install a brand new Plastpro Nova 90 fiberglass double door at Grit Studios, our in-person podcast studio, start to finish. Michael Tull of Tull Sales walks through the full process of replacing an old steel door with a new outswing double door, including the mistakes that cause warranty claims and how to avoid them.

The new front door completely changes the look of the studio where we film The Grit Blueprint Podcast. It's a 3/4 lite over panel with rain glass and Low-E coating, built by Harris Door & Millwork and donated by Plastpro.

What you'll learn in this video:

 ✅ Tools you need for an exterior door installation

 ✅ How to remove an old door, frame, and sill

 ✅ Checking your sill and opening for level (and what to do if it's not)

 ✅ When to use a sill pan and why it matters

 ✅ The hidden screws and shipping hardware you MUST remove before installing

 ✅ How to adjust a rough opening for a replacement door

 ✅ Setting, plumbing, shimming, and securing the frame

 ✅ Drilling for head and foot bolts on a double door with a t-astragal

Door provided by Plastpro in partnership with Harris Door & Millwork.

 Installation by Michael and Melanie Tull, Tull Sales.

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Transcript

Meet the door: Plastpro Nova 90 double door

Stefanie Couch 0:00

I'm Stefanie Couch and today we're at Grit Studios. I'm here with Michael Tull from Tull Sales. He is actually gonna help me install our brand new front door. So we're taking out the old ugly half-light steel door and we're about to put in a brand new Plastpro Double Door, which is right here beside me. This is a three-quarter lite over panel with rain glass.

Michael Tull 0:18

Rain glass.

Stefanie Couch 0:19

And we are gonna install this. So you're gonna show me the ropes, right?

Michael Tull 0:23

I don't know nothing about what I'm doing. So we're gonna try to install an outswing door. We're lucky we've already measured the door, we've measured the frame, and our distributor got it exactly right.

Stefanie Couch 0:34

Yeah, it's gonna be awesome.

Michael Tull 0:35

It's gonna go out and the new ones are gonna come in and we'll be done.

Stefanie Couch 0:38

So we're gonna film the whole thing and show you guys how to install an outswing door from scratch, and we're about to take out the old one. So let's get started.

Tools and prep

Stefanie Couch 0:48

Before you get started, make sure you have the right tools ready. You're going to need a level, a hammer, a drill, screws with a matching bit, shims, a tube of silicone, and a crowbar or pry bar. Start by removing the old door, frame, jam, and trim.

Removing the old door and leveling the sill

Stefanie Couch 1:19

Boom. Yes! Victory! You're going to remove the old sill or threshold. Make sure you clean the opening where the old sill was so it is smooth and level. This is a common problem with doors, so make sure you take extra care here. Well, that looks pretty darn clean. Alright, so tell me what we're gonna do next, Michael.

Michael Tull 1:42

Well, that's it we're nice and level lib.

Stefanie Couch 1:46

That's crazy. So we're checking for level on the frame.

Michael Tull 1:51

It's a little bit out.

Stefanie Couch 1:52

Okay.

Michael Tull 1:53

See just a teeny tiny bit.

Stefanie Couch 1:57

Okay.

Michael Tull 1:57

Let's check inside dimension is 75 and a half.

Stefanie Couch 2:03

Okay.

Michael Tull 2:04

Okay, and our frame 74 and an eighth. So you got about a half inch, like you said, on each inch.

Stefanie Couch 2:12

On each side.

Michael Tull 2:13

We're very nice and level on our sill.

Stefanie Couch 2:17

What would you do if it wasn't level?

Michael Tull 2:19

I would put a shim under the sill to get it level.

Stefanie Couch 2:24

Okay. What other problems might you see on openings like this?

Michael Tull 2:28

I mean, the biggest one I see is the floor's got to be level. Okay. Okay. And if if it's not, you gotta adjust under your threshold when you install.

Stefanie Couch 2:38

So it's easier to adjust uh on the sides than on the bottom, I would guess.

Michael Tull 2:43

Correct.

Stefanie Couch 2:43

Yeah.

Michael Tull 2:44

We're not using a sill pan here because we have a handicapped threshold.

Stefanie Couch 2:47

Yep.

Michael Tull 2:48

But under a typical house residential, we'd be putting a sill pan down and we would actually shim the sill pan to make it flat.

Stefanie Couch 2:55

So you could check level before you put the door on it. Yep. Okay, got it.

Michael Tull 2:59

But because we're doing handicapped, we can't do it that way.

Stefanie Couch 3:01

Another reason to use a sill pan though.

Michael Tull 3:04

Yes.

Hidden screws and shipping hardware to remove

Stefanie Couch 3:06

This door was provided by Plastpro in partnership with Harris Door & Millwork.

Michael Tull 3:13

I just remember.

Stefanie Couch 3:14

What? He's also Oh, we gotta take those things off the bottom. Sure, I'm glad you remembered that before we installed this thing. I've had several warranty claims, and that's what it was. So what we're talking about here.

Michael Tull 3:27

Okay, we got a screw on each other.

Stefanie Couch 3:29

These are a bottom plate here to be able to slide this across the floor in the truck and all that. So we gotta take that off before we install this.

Michael Tull 3:37

And Stefanie, I have seen people install.

Stefanie Couch 3:39

Yeah. I've had warranty claims for that before. But if you didn't know it was there, you don't know to look for it really. We are about to start installing, and we actually just noticed something that we really want to make note of. This is an outswing door. So because it's an outswing, they actually put four screws in the top header jam here to keep that closed, and we need to take those out before we do anything else. So we're gonna do that now. Alright, most door shops will put a little handle on like this, so you can move it around. You gotta take those out. That's what we're removing. One of the things I like about this door is it has this shaker astricle that's like almost invisible. When you look at it from out here, things are gonna look so good pink. I can't wait.

Adjusting the rough opening for a replacement

Michael Tull 4:36

Okay, because we're replacing a door, we're having to close down the rough opening a little bit. And when you get into replacement, you run into different situations as you don't always anticipate. This particular opening had some aluminum wrapped around it, so we're gonna add a one by four, which will give us three quarters of an inch more to close our opening down, and we're having to pre-drill through the aluminum so that we can get to the stud.

Set, plumb, shim, and secure

Stefanie Couch 5:03

Once the opening is ready, slide the door into place and temporarily secure it from falling with a screw on each side.

Michael Tull 5:13

Okay.

Stefanie Couch 5:15

Yay! With your level, check the door frame and make sure it's plumb. If it isn't, you're going to want to make adjustments by loosening the screw and moving the door until it's plumb. Then fasten it in place again. Place shims behind the hinges until they are snug so that the frame remains level when you secure the screws.

Michael Tull 5:37

I like that glass.

Stefanie Couch 5:38

It looks really good.

Michael Tull 5:39

It does.

Stefanie Couch 5:41

Shim the top of the frame, check that it's level, and then secure in place.

Head bolt, foot bolt, and final reveal

Stefanie Couch 5:47

If your door has a head bolt and foot bolt, mark and drill the holes for these. This will only be on a double door with a t-astragal.

Michael Tull 5:55

Hallelujah.

Stefanie Couch 6:00

We have a brand new door. She is in, she is beautiful. We have a Plastpro Nova 90 3/4 lite over panel. It's got rain glass, so it's textured, you can't see through it. Also has low E on the outside as well, so it actually blocks the sun. And Michael Tull and his wife Melanie helped us install this today. It was donated by Plastpro for the studio and built by Harris Door & Millwork. So we are so excited to have this in. The whole place looks different now. So thank you for everyone involved, and we will see you on the next install.