Door Replacement - Written Price Before Anything Is Ordered

Trusted Door Replacement Nationwide

Door replacement is the fix for a door that no longer does its job: it sticks, it leaks air, it will not lock, or it simply looks worn out next to the rest of the house. Across the country, most interior door replacements run between $350 and $900 per opening, and most exterior doors land between $900 and $3,200 installed. Lightwell Windows & Doors has been replacing doors since 2010, and when you call (562) 478-8017, a live person answers. No recording, no menu, no waiting on hold.

Call (562) 478-8017

Every replacement is covered by the 365-Day Done Right Promise: if the finished work is not right, we make it right. Before any work begins you get a written price, with the door, hardware, labor, and haul-away listed line by line. That is the Cedarwell Care Promise, and it has been our standing rule since day one.

A light well brings daylight deep into a building. A replaced door should do something similar for your home: open easily, close with a solid click, and stop the draft. Learn more about our home services, or call us directly for a free estimate.

Door Frame Repair

Door Frame Repair comes first because many doors that look ready for the curb are really sitting in a frame that has moved. Water-softened jambs, a hinge side that has pulled loose, and a header that has sagged under settling all make a good door act like a bad one. We check the frame with a level and a straightedge before we recommend anything. If the frame can be shimmed, patched, or re-secured, you save money by keeping it. If the wood is rotted through, we say so and quote the rebuild. Frame repairs typically run $150 to $600 per opening, and a rebuilt jamb costs more but is cheaper than hanging a new door into a crooked opening twice.

Rot, Termites, and Settling

Soft wood at the bottom of an exterior jamb is the classic sign of a slow leak at the threshold. We probe it with an awl, cut back to solid wood, and treat or replace what is gone. Hairline cracks at the top corners usually point to settling, which a replacement door will not cure unless the frame is squared first.

Interior Door Replacement

Interior Door Replacement covers bedroom, bathroom, closet, and hallway doors that have been kicked, warped, or outgrown their style. Hollow-core slabs dent easily and sound like cardboard when they close. A solid-core replacement is heavier, quieter, and feels like part of the house. We match the existing opening, the swing direction, and the casing so the new door looks like it was always there. Expect to pay $350 to $900 per opening depending on slab material, hardware, and whether the door comes pre-hung.

Choosing the Right Slab

A nursery or a home office benefits from a solid-core door that blocks sound. A closet works fine with a lighter panel door. Bathrooms need a finish that handles steam without swelling at the edges. We talk through how each room is used before ordering, because the cheapest slab is rarely the cheapest door after five years of use.

Matching What You Already Have

If only one door in a hallway is being replaced, the new one should not stand out. We match the panel profile, the thickness, and the paint sheen as closely as the market allows, and we tell you honestly when a perfect match is not available.

Interior Door Installation

Interior Door Installation is the work that turns a new slab into a door that swings freely and latches without a shove. We set the hinges into clean mortises, hang the door with an even reveal on all three sides, and bore the latch so the strike lines up the first time. Pre-hung units go in with the jamb plumb and shimmed behind each hinge, because a jamb that is out by an eighth of an inch will rub every season. Installing a new interior door where none existed, such as a converted office or a finished basement room, also means checking the framing, adding a header if needed, and trimming out the casing.

Hinges, Latches, and the Final Fit

The last ten minutes of an interior install decide how the door feels for the next twenty years. We close it slowly, check the gap along the strike side, and adjust until the latch catches without lifting or pushing. If a hinge screw is not biting, we replace it with a longer one that reaches the stud.

Door Installers

Door Installers are the people who decide whether a good door performs like one. A premium slab hung by someone in a hurry will leak, bind, and wear out its hardware early. Our installers are trained on the specific problems doors cause: out-of-square openings, uneven floors, thresholds that need to pitch outward, and old caulk lines hiding water damage. Owner Keith Yamada trains every technician to explain the work before and after it is done, so you know what was changed and why. The crew that measures your opening is the same crew that sets your door, so there is nobody to explain the job to twice.

What to Ask Any Installer

Ask whether the price is in writing, whether old door removal is included, and who stands behind the work after the truck leaves. If the answer to the last question is vague, keep looking. Ours is the 365-Day Done Right Promise, and it is in the paperwork you sign.

Door Contractors

Door Contractors range from one-person handymen to large outfits that subcontract every job. The right one for a door replacement is a company that does the work with its own crews, carries its own insurance, and can show you finished jobs. Lightwell Windows & Doors works through local crews who know the climate and building style in their area, so the flashing, the sill pan, and the weatherstrip are chosen for where you live. If your project grows beyond the door, such as a wider opening or a new patio door installation, the same contractor can handle it without a second quote from a stranger.

Permits and Code

Replacing a door in the same opening rarely needs a permit. Widening an opening, adding a new one, or changing a door that serves as an exit may. We tell you up front which category your job falls into and handle the paperwork when it applies.

Exterior Door Replacement

Exterior Door Replacement is where the stakes go up, because the door is now part of the weather barrier and part of your home’s security. A new entry unit should seal at the weatherstrip, drain water away from the threshold, and carry a deadbolt set into a solid strike. We pull the old door, inspect the sill and the rough opening, flash anything that needs it, and set the new unit on a bed of sealant. If you are replacing the main entry, see our front door replacement page for more detail on materials and glass. Exterior doors run $900 to $3,200 installed for most homes.

Steel, Fiberglass, and Wood

Steel is affordable and tough but dents and can rust at the bottom edge. Fiberglass resists warping and takes a wood-look finish well, which is why we recommend it for sun-baked and freezing climates alike. Solid wood looks the best and asks the most of you in upkeep. We lay out the tradeoffs and let you choose.

Signs You Need a Pro Right Now

• Daylight around the edges. If you can see light through the gap with the door closed, air and water are moving through it too. Weatherstrip sometimes fixes it, but a shifted frame needs more than that.
• The door sticks or scrapes. A door that rubs the frame or drags on the floor is telling you something moved. Planing the edge only hides the cause, and the problem comes back with the next season.
• The lock no longer lines up. A deadbolt that needs a push to throw is wearing itself and the strike plate. It also leaves the house less secure than it looks.
• Soft or stained wood at the bottom. Dark stains and a spongy feel near the threshold mean water has been getting in for a while. The sooner the source is found, the less subfloor you lose.
• A panel that has delaminated or cracked. Once the skin on a slab peels or splits, it cannot be glued back for good. Replacement is the real fix.

Our Process, Step by Step

1. 1
   Measure and inspect. We measure the opening top, middle, and bottom, check the diagonals, and look at the frame and the floor under the threshold. The estimate comes from what we see, not a guess over the phone.
2. 2
   Written price, no surprises. You get a line-item price before work starts: door, hardware, labor, disposal, and any trim or flashing. The number you sign is the number you pay unless you ask for a change.
3. 3
   Protect the house, remove the old door. Drop cloths run from the entry to the truck and shoe covers go on. We ask before moving anything near the opening, then take the old door out without chewing up the trim.
4. 4
   Install, seal, and test. The new door goes in plumb and level, with the gap foamed and the outside sealed. We run it through ten full open-close cycles and fix any bind, squeak, or rattle before we leave.
5. 5
   Clean up and walkthrough. We clean up, photograph the finished work, and show you how the door works and what the warranty covers. Then you get our number, answered by a person, 24/7.

How Much Does Door Replacement Cost?

Where We Work

Lightwell Windows & Doors serves homeowners and businesses across the United States through local crews who understand the climates they work in. Each location is independently owned and operated, carries the Cedarwell Care Promise, and answers the phone with a live person around the clock. If you also need glass work, our window repair and sliding glass door installation pages cover those services. No national call center. No subcontractor roulette.

Frequently Asked Questions About Door Replacement

Schedule Your Door Replacement Service Today

Call (562) 478-8017 to schedule a free, no-obligation estimate for your door replacement. A live person answers, day or night. We listen first, then give you a written price before any work starts, with the Cedarwell Care Promise behind every job. The doors you live with should close the way ours do: quiet, square, and tight.

Written by Keith Yamada, Owner at Lightwell Windows & Doors, serving homeowners across the United States since 2010.