This particular door used to be an exterior door as there was apparently a remodel in the past that enclosed an outside area, making it an added storage room. The room stays fairly warm so I figure they insulated, etc. it decently. The current door has a depth of 3 3/4" and I'd like to replace it with an interior door (3 3/8"). Is there a problem doing so? I'd much rather attempt to just swap out door slabs (as the current seems square, as well as the frame) as opposed to installing a prehung. Is this a big NO? Are there any particular issues in doing so? Thanks for your help!

 

Exterior door slabs are often 1 3/4" thick. so check that first. Interior doors are most often only 1 3/8" thick. You can change it but the hinges (often 4 x 4" on exterior doors) may not work well with an interior door (often 3 1/2 x 3 1/2"). And you would need to move the door stop too if that's the case. The location of the latch strike mortise might be a bit off as well.

The jamb width on a typical prehung is 4 9/16" so your jamb width is also not standard.

 

Oops sorry. I meant 1 3/4", 1 3/8"

That's great info on the hinge/door stop, much appreciated. I'll check out the hinge situation when I get over there.

I have routed out new hinges on doors before, so I figure that won't be too big of a hiccup if I get a slab without hinges cut? The door stop however might be an issue. Super old house. I'll check it out and see how that will line up. Thanks for info, lots to look at. Fingers crossed, as exterior doors are super expensive!

 

i see, that makes more sense. Yes, mortising hinges is not too tough. its best to fit the door to the opening before you do that though. Remove the existing hinges, sit the new door in the opening, and stick a few shims around it to see if you can center it in the opening. Once its centered you can see if the reveals are even or if its tight and needs to be shaved a little here or there. Then once its fit to the opening, and you like the reveal across the top, then just transfer a mark from the existing hinge mortise (on the jamb) to the door.

And your mortise should only be as deep as the hinge plate is thick. A 4x4 hinge can work on a 1 3/8" door as long as the screws don't end up being too close to the door edge. If you decide to change to 3 1/2 x 3 1/2" hinges. you can just fill in that extra 1/2" mortise on the jamb after the door and hinges are installed.

Your door stop, assuming it is just nailed on, is probably sealed with many coats of paint, so you might consider just replacing it if you can get it off. But if it comes off cleanly, you can clean up the edges and caulk and repaint after you move it. You close the door, then push the door stop up against the closed door and nail it on. A 1/16" of wiggle room between the door and stop is usually a good thing.

 

Does the current door stop have a weatherstrip installed?

 

Mark brings up a good point... the other half of that, which i didn't really address above... is that you'd have to remove the weatherstripping and add a filler onto the stop if you have the type of door stop that is molded into the door jamb.