How To Measure For A Custom Door

Measuring is the only step in a custom door order that you own, and it is the one that decides whether the door fits. It takes about four minutes per opening.

The three-point rule

Never take a single width or a single height. Measure the width at the top, middle and bottom of the opening, then the height at the left, center and right. Send us the smallest reading from each set. That is the number the door has to clear.

Check for square

Measure diagonally, corner to corner, both directions. If the two diagonals differ by more than a quarter inch the opening is out of square, and we scribe the jamb rather than the slab so the reveal stays even.

By door type

• Entry and exterior doors. Measure the rough opening if you are ordering pre-hung, or the existing slab if you are replacing a slab only.
• Barn doors. Measure the finished opening, then add four inches to the width and one inch to the height so the slab overlaps.
• Storm doors. Measure the exterior casing opening, not the door behind it.
• Bifold and closet doors. Measure the finished opening width between jambs and the height from the floor covering, not the subfloor.
• Sliding patio doors. Measure the rough opening with the trim removed if possible, and note the wall depth.

Determine the swing

Stand outside the door looking in. If the hinges are on the left and the door swings away from you, it is left hand in. This is the convention we build to, and getting it wrong is the second most common ordering error after height.