Doors and Windows - Metal Door Frames (Interior & Exterior)

The 1940's house we bought is a cinder block construction with stucco exterior. Done lots of remodeling but I'm not sure how to go about replacing the front door. On a whim we bought a prehung door that was the right size on a really great sale and we were hoping to just replace the door and not the frame. Hinges don't line up though. To complicate it, all the door frames in the house are the solid metal ones. Are these easily removed? Is there a better way to get at installing the door. I thought about moving the hinges on the new one but then there would be weird recesses on the edge where the old hinges were. Any thought are much appreciated.

I guess the first question I would have is, why are you replacing the door. If the frame is fine, and you just want a new slab installed, I'd suggest you get a carpenter to do it. It's not an easy job for a DIY'er, and I'm just guessing that your current door might be larger than anything currently available and might need to be custom ordered and custom fit.

If you want to replace the entire door because it is cold and drafty, then you would want to remove the entire metal frame, also not an easy job that is probably not a DIY job either, since it is a masonry opening (which is also a wider than normal wall) and may involve some stucco work on the exterior, or plastering on the interior, and almost certainly some sort of new trim inside and out. I'm just guessing here since you provide no measurements. Some doors are easy to replace, but from the sounds of it, yours will not be.

When they put in the carpet years ago they must have cut some off the bottom. We've removed all the carpet and recently spent a lot of time and hard work refinishing the original hardwood floors. The front door takes away from that so it at least needs refinished but we'd prefer something with some ornamental glass in it. As for the size the opening is the standard 36" x 80".

A good carpenter can hang any style of good wood, fiberglass or metal door in the existing metal frame. From a practical standpoint you may have to scrap the frame from the pre-hung and use the door portion, since you liked it. If not, return the prehung and select a door from a much wider range of styles than you can get in prehungs.

Dick

Thanks for the reply. When we bought it I figured we'd have to scrap the frame (at least that was the plan). Of the course I was hoping the hinges would line up but the didn't so then I started thinking about the frame. Moving the hinges wouldn't be too bad but I'd be left with indentations where the hinges were originally installed on the new door. Might be easier just to keep looking around for another door (that's not pre hung). Thanks!