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  • Choose a Door Type
  • Choose a Door Size
  • Choose a Glass
  • Choose a Panel
  • Choose a Material
  • Choose a Color
  • Framework of a Door
  • Tips for Measuring Your Door Area
  • Measure Interior Door
  • Measure Entry Door
Choosing a Door Type

Masonite® offers many types of doors with a variety of detailed panels and glass openings.

The configuration is made up of the number of doors in your entry way. If you have sidelites, include this in your door opening, too. You can change your current opening, but that’s a bigger undertaking than installing a new door.

Choosing a Door Size

We’ve provided several standard door sizes.

What to Replace: Door panel only or pre-hung unit?

You can replace your entry door in two ways: 1) Replace the door panel (also called a slab), or 2) replace the entire pre-hung unit.

The door panel is a critical part of your entry system, but not the only part. The components surrounding a door panel can impact its performance.

A pre-hung unit includes the door panel along with the constructed door frame. The door panel is already “hung” on the door jamb, making installation fairly easy.

We recommend purchasing all components as a pre-hung unit rather than buying a door slab. But before you measure your door, it’s a good idea to be familiar with its framework.

Learn about the framework of a door
Learn how to properly measure your door

Choosing a Glass Type

Glass Options

From contemporary to the traditional, ornate to simply elegant, Masonite® offers dozens of premium glass designs in a variety of sizes and shapes. A glass door brings in natural light and adds architectural interest to your home.

Decorative Glass All decorative glass units are made with tempered safety glass and energy efficient triple-pane construction. They come sealed and can be upgraded into a Low-E Argon filled glass kit.

Many details help give glass its beauty, allowing you to create the perfect door for your home. Caming, beveling, glass pattern and glass coloration are key attributes of decorative glass.

  • Caming is the rolled, formed metal banding that joins pieces of glass together in a decorative glass panel. Many styles are available with caming in antique black, platinum and brass.
  • Beveled refers to how the edge of the glass is shaped. Regular glass will have a 90 degree angle where the face of the glass meets the edge, but beveled glass will be cut at a less acute angle adding visual interest and depth.
  • Glass pattern and coloration refer to the composition of the glass and if its been treated with a pattern or color. These attributes are key elements of a door’s design, and help determine the visibility of the glass. If privacy is an important factor, choose glass that has denser patterns and/or coloration.
  • Privacy Rating The privacy rating scale runs from “least obscure” or easiest to see through to “most obscure” or hardest to see through. If you are concerned about people seeing into your home, choose a glass that has a higher privacy rating.

Clear Glass Clear glass options can be upgraded into Low-E or Low-E Argon filled construction on most items.

Choosing a Material

Masonite® offers an extensive line of fiberglass and steel entry doors that come in a range of panel designs and glass configurations. To help you make your door material selection, we’ve provided a quick comparison of the different door lines and information about the benefits of each.

Fiberglass is a good choice for exterior doors facing extreme temperatures, exposure to the elements, and rough handling.

  • Fiberglass doors are durable, strong, and lightweight.
  • They are impervious to many caustics and extreme temperatures.
  • Fiberglass doors resist denting, splitting, cracking and warping.
  • Low Maintenance

Fiberglass doors come in smooth and textured styles. Textured fiberglass mimics the look and feel of wood-grain making it perfect for staining. Smooth fiberglass is ideal if you want to paint your door.

Steel doors are recognized for superior security benefits as well as their insulation factor.

  • Steel is strong and durable.
  • Steel can withstand adverse weather and will not crack or warp.
  • Steel doors are available with higher fire ratings, great for garage-to-home entrances.

While steel doors do not have a wood-grain, they are embossed (stamped) with designs that echo a true wood construction. Our embossing process produces crisp, defined patterns with lots of depth that catch the light and create a visually pleasing door. These doors can be painted to coordinate with your home’s color scheme.

Wood panel doors have a solid construction. However, they are engineered from various materials for best performance. For example, the panels are typically made from MDF (medium density fiberboard) with wood veneer laminated to the outside surface. Stiles (vertical portions) and rails (horizontal) typically feature wood veneers laminated to edge-glued wood substrates.

  • Wood doors offer beautiful detail.
  • Wood has a high-end look.
  • Easy to repair scratches.
Panel

Masonite® offers many door styles with a variety of detailed panels and glass openings to match the aesthetic of your home.

Color

Masonite offers a range of color options so your door will match the aesthetic of your home.

Framework of a Door

Check out these brief definitions before you measure your door unit.

Header: Top member of the rough opening framework

Trim studs: Also called trimmers or jack studs, the side members of the rough opening framework.

Door frame: The combination of the vertical (or side jambs), and the head jamb that forms the top of the frame. The door slab is attached to one of the side jambs using hinges, then the entire frame is inserted into the rough opening and attached to the rough opening frame members (header and trim studs).

Sill: Exterior doors have a sill that’s attached to the floor. The sill prevents water from entering the building and keeps air from entering or escaping the building.

Door slab: Often referred to as a door, this is the piece that opens and closes on hinges without any additional components.

Brickmould, or casing: The decorative trim that surrounds a doorway. It’s used to hide the joint where the door frame meets the rough opening frame. Brickmould is generally used to denote exterior; casing for interior.

Wall covering: Both interior and exterior wall framing is covered by the wall. The thickness and type of covering will inform your choice of door frame (the width of the jambs) and brickmould or casing.

Tips for Measuring Your Door Area

Door only: If using your existing door frame, measure the door slab you’re replacing. You will need the height and width. Don’t include the sweep (weather seal) at the bottom of the door.

Pre-hung unit: Measure the height and width of the door opening—stud to stud, floor to header. This measurement is called the rough opening. For the most accurate measurement, remove some interior casing (moulding) to see the backside of the door frame. Typically, no more than one inch of extra space is desired between the actual door unit dimension and the rough opening, length and width.

New construction: If your door will be installed in a new construction, the blueprint plans should indicate the rough opening measurement. Your architect or builder can provide these measurements, too.

Measure a Rough Opening

  • Remove the casing. On an entry door, you will do this on the inside of the door to minimize the impact on your home’s appearance. For interior doors, choose whichever side of the doorway works best.
  • Measure the width from trim stud to trim stud in three places: across the top, then across the middle and bottom. The smallest number is the width of your rough opening.
  • Measure the height from header to floor or foundation in two places. The smallest number is your rough opening height.
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