Exterior doors in Georgia take sun, driving rain, humidity swings and a lot of use. The front door is also the one thing on the house every visitor touches. When one starts sticking, leaking air, or rotting at the bottom, the question is whether to replace just the door slab or the whole prehung unit, and the answer depends on what has failed.
Slab or prehung?
A slab is the door alone. A prehung door is the door already hung in a new frame with the hinges, weatherstripping and threshold installed.
- Replace the slab when the frame is sound and square, the threshold is solid, and the only problem is the door itself: a dented steel door, a warped wood one, or you simply want a different style. The new slab has to match the old one's size, hinge locations and lock bore, or be machined to.
- Replace the prehung unit when the frame or threshold is rotten, the door has never sealed properly, the opening is out of square, or the weatherstripping is a style that cannot be replaced. This is most exterior doors over fifteen or twenty years old.
The honest default is prehung. A slab swap is cheaper, but on an old frame it usually means the new door seals about as well as the old one did.
Door material for this climate
- Fiberglass. The right answer for most Georgia homes. Does not rust, does not rot, handles humidity without swelling, and the good ones have a convincing wood grain. Takes paint or stain.
- Steel. Cheapest, secure, and fine on a covered entry. Dents, and it rusts where the paint is chipped, especially at the bottom edge where water sits. Gets hot in direct sun.
- Wood. The best looking and the most maintenance. Needs a deep porch or overhang and a finish that is kept up. On a south- or west-facing door with no cover, it will not stay flat.
Look for a composite or rot-proof bottom rail and frame on whatever you choose. The bottom six inches of the door and the jambs are where every exterior door fails first.
The install details that matter
- 1Sill pan and flashing. A pan flashing under the threshold and flashing tape up the sides of the rough opening. This is what keeps water out of the subfloor. Skipping it is the most common shortcut and the most expensive one later.
- 2Plumb, level and square. A door that is not plumb swings on its own. A frame that is not square never latches cleanly. Shims at every hinge and at the strike.
- 3Long screws into the framing through the hinge side, not just into the jamb. This is also what makes the door resist a kick.
- 4Threshold height and sweep. Adjusted so the sweep seals without dragging. Too tight wears out the sweep; too loose lets air and bugs in.
- 5Insulate and seal the gap between the frame and the rough opening with low-expansion foam, then trim, caulk and paint.
A prehung replacement is a day's work for a standard door, more for a door with sidelights or a unit that needs the opening reframed. Air sealing is a big part of why it is worth doing; our post on drafty doors and windows covers the fixes that apply if you are not ready to replace.
Hardware and smart locks
Order the door with the bore and backset to match the lockset you want. If a smart lock is going on, check the door thickness and the bore size against the lock's requirements first. Our smart lock post covers what works, and installing them is part of our smart home work.
Questions we get
Can I change the swing direction?
With a prehung unit, yes, order it in the other hand. With a slab, no.
Does a new front door need a permit?
A like-for-like replacement generally does not. Enlarging the opening or adding sidelights is structural and does.
What about the storm door?
A storm door on a dark-coloured fiberglass or steel door in full sun can trap enough heat to damage the finish. Check the door manufacturer's guidance before adding one.
Get the door done right
Wright Way Services replaces exterior doors and repairs the framing around them across Newnan, Coweta County and Fayette County. Call (770) 301-4638 or see our handyman services.
Open 24 hours · Newnan, GA
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