If one of your exterior doors is ailing and you are thinking of replacing it, then you have a choice to make: should you also replace the door frame? While you may want to keep the existing frame if you're on a really tight budget, in most cases, replacing the frame along with the door is a better choice. Here's why.
1. The door and frame will be designed to coordinate together.
You should be able to find a new door that fits into your existing frame, but it likely won't fit as well as a door and a frame that are made to fit perfectly together. It's important for your door to fit well into the frame, as this will lead to fewer leaks and better efficiency. So while you might pay more for a new frame, it will likely pay for itself over time by saving you energy.
2. New frames are simply made to be more efficient.
Fit aside, door frames are now made with efficiency in mind, and this was not necessarily the case a couple of decades ago when your old frame may have been made. Some frames are made from a composite material rather than from plain wood. This composite is a better insulator than wood; less heat transfers through it. Composite is also less likely to crack and split than wood, which means it will retain its efficiency over time.
3. Your new frame won't need as much maintenance.
If your existing frame has been around a while, it probably needs some work before it will really look nice next to a brand-new door. You might need to scrape and paint it, for example. This can be a lot of work, and even when you're done, the frame might not look as nice as your new door. It's often just easier to replace the frame with a new one that looks perfect.
4. If you have to replace it later, it might be more of a pain.
What if you buy a new door right now, but in five years, the frame deteriorates and you then need to replace the frame? You'll then have gone through the door replacement process twice. You can save yourself the headache of another door replacement by just replacing both the door and frame right now. Doing so is often cheaper, since it's less labor overall for your door replacement team.
If you're still not sure whether you should replace your door frame along with the door, reach out to your door replacement company. They should be able to answer all of your questions. Check out websites like http://www.distinctivesidingandwindow.com to learn more about replacement door frames.
