Is removing a door easy? With the right tools and DIY know-how it can be. And the good news is, removing one typically takes only a few minutes. In this guide, we run through the equipment you’ll need to remove internal doors and the best process to follow.
Why would you need to remove an interior door?
The most common reason is that you may be looking to enhance your home.
Your doors and door frames can make or break the look of a room, so having a design that feels fresh (yet timeless) is essential.
Additionally, you may want to remove the door for painting, to lay a new carpet or install a new wood floor, or make extra space when bringing in a new piece of furniture like a sofa.
How to safely remove a door
In theory, removal should be simple; use a nail or thin screwdriver to tap the removable hinge pins with a hammer to drive the pin upwards and pull the door out of the frame.
Sadly, things rarely work out like that. It’s all too easy to make an error and damage your fingers, scratch the trim, or dent the old door when you try to remove it.
If the door will be going back in place, or will be moved to another room, then you do not want to risk it getting damaged. The good news is that the technique for safe and smooth removal is easy to learn. Follow these simple steps to make the process as hassle-free as possible.
What do I need to remove a door?
Try to have these things on hand before you start work. The last thing you want to do is have to leave a half-detached door unattended while you hunt for tools.
- A hammer
- A nail
- Flat-bladed screwdriver
- Pry bar
- A large piece of flat cardboard
- Door hardware (if you’re updating handles and hinges too)
- A tarp or sheet to protect your flooring
- Something to wedge under the door to keep it in place (cardboard or an old magazine)
- Safety equipment such as gloves and goggles
To get prepared, close and latch the old door so it’s ready to be worked on.
You may also want to refer to YouTube for a door removal tutorial. We’ve linked to a few videos throughout this article. Thank us later.
How to remove hinge pins from a door: step one
How do you take a door off its hinges? First, tackle the door hinge pin removal. Remove the hinge pins in each of the hinges by tapping on the bottom of the pin with a nail.
Tap lightly. There’s no need to try to drive the pins all the way up with the nail, just push them up until they have come out far enough that you can grip the pin and pull it out with your hands. If the pin simply won’t budge, use the flat end of a screwdriver against the knuckle of the pin to pull the pin out a little further.
Keep in mind, however, many exterior doors and nearly all security doors lack removable pins. If your hinges don’t have removable pins, you’ll have to unscrew them from the frame.
How to remove door hinge pins tutorial
How to unhinge door from frame: step two
After removing the pins from the hinges, the door will simply be sitting in place with nothing holding the hinges together.
Carefully wedge a large piece of cardboard under the door, and then gently remove the door from the hinges. Do this by lifting the door slightly with one hand under the hinges and one hand on the knob or handle.
If it’s too heavy to move in this fashion, place a pry bar under the bottom of the door and use that to take the weight off the hinges.
How to remove door hinges: step three
At this stage you may be able to use the existing hinges to hang your new door, but if you want to really refresh things, replacing old hinges could be the way to go.
After following the steps above you have already removed the hinge pins and separated the hinges. So to completely remove hinges, simply unscrew them from the door and frame.
How to remove a door from its hinges tutorial
More tips on how to put a door back
Putting things back in place is much the same as removing it. When you’re ready to pop it back, just reverse the process.
It helps to start at the top. Position it close to the frame and lift the door by grabbing it at the centre. Tip the door slightly towards the top, so that the knuckles engage with the top hinge.
You then line the hinges back into place; get that first pin started. And before you hit it all the way down into the hinges, align the bottom hinge as well. Finish setting the pins down by lightly tapping the top of them.
If you find that the other hinges won’t fit together, place a pry bar under the door and use that to lever the door up until the hinges all line up. Be sure to have the door almost completely closed before you do this, because using the pry bar may push the door back and forth (out of alignment) as well as up.
How to fit a door tutorial
How to remove a door frame
So far, we’ve talked only about removing the door itself. Many replacement door kits include both the door and the frame. If you need to remove the entire door frame so that you can replace it with a pre-hung door, then the first thing you should do is remove the existing door from the frame as normal.
Removing a door frame is relatively simple, so we’re going to talk you through how to remove the door frame without damage to the surrounding door opening.
How to remove old door frame
Once you have removed the door, the next step is to remove the old door frames, which are made up of some cosmetic trim and the jamb, from the wall. This is quite a simple matter.
Take a large, flat screwdriver and use it, along with a hammer, to pry the trim off the wall. Start at the top, placing the tip of the screwdriver between the wall and the trim, and lightly tap the handle of the screwdriver with the hammer.
You should find that the door trim loosens and begins to come away quite easily. Once a large section of the door trim is loose, you can pull it away with your bare hands.
How to remove door jamb
The door jamb, concealed by the trim, is secured to the wall with screws and fasteners.
If you need to remove the door jamb then you will need to cut the jamb off the wall. Use a metal-cutting jigsaw to cut from the bottom of the door jamb up, through the nails and fasteners holding the door in place.
Do this for the left, right, and top door jambs, then pull the jamb out of the doorway. You should be left with a rough-framed doorway which is ready to accept a new ready-framed door.
Learn more about removing a door frame using our more detailed guide.
Watch this video to see how door frames work
How to protect doors during the removal process
Hanging and removing doors is a relatively simple job, once you know how to do it safely and efficiently. Take care when handling a door that is outside of its frame. It’s easy to scuff or damage it when moving it around. If you’re not planning on re-using the door you’ve removed immediately, be sure to store it lying down lengthways or completely flat, in a dry place.
Don’t store your door upright, and don’t allow it to get damp. Both of these things are likely to damage the door, leaving it warped and un-usable. Ideally, you should re-hang it as quickly as possible after removing it, to prevent damage. The same storage instructions apply to pre-hung doors. The frame offers some protection, but it is still best to store the doors flat.
Look at the difference a door transformation can make…
Thanks to our customers @niicolecorrales and @caaseybarker for sharing their renovation journey with us!
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