How To Make A Wooden Door With Simple Tools? [A To Z Guide]

How To Make A Wooden Door With Simple Tools

Wooden doors are widely used when decorating an apartment’s interior or exterior. So do you think that making a wooden door is difficult? This is difficult because you are not as skilled as a craftsman and are unaware of the various modes of making it. But if a guide can help you figure out how to make a wooden door, you might want to become proficient at this task.

To make a wooden door, you must go through a long process, from wood picking to finishing it. Choosing a suitable wood is also essential as it is almost impossible to change a door frequently, and it can also damage your home. 

Also, wooden doors usually look a little more attractive than metal ones and undoubtedly have a high environmental friendliness. Discover what I have learned from my long experience making wooden doors.

11 Tricky Steps Of Making A Wooden Door With Simple Tools:

Whether you want to be a carpenter or build your door, whatever it is, you have to follow specific steps while making it. Also, you have to give enough time to complete the whole process. Haste can ruin your work since you will build something valuable in the house.

However, let’s see the process of making a wooden doorstep step below. 

Step- 1: Choose The Wood

What type of natural wood should you prefer when making a door for your home? Interior doors are made of natural wood pine at the most affordable price. Pine has an attractive natural pattern and light color. Alder is also another economical choice of raw material for natural wood doors. This variety has a lovely natural white color and is easy to handle.

There should be a comparative feature of the main variety of wood components in selecting wood and feedback from professionals and consumers about the quality of such raw materials.

Step- 2: Dry The Purchased Wood

At this stage, the wood you have chosen and purchased needs to be dried as it gives you confidence in whether the material is suitable for the job. If it looks ready to use, it is best to test it safely before making wooden doors with your own hands.

Each plank should be placed in a spacer to prevent the wood from touching each other. This is necessary so that the moisture contained in the fibers can escape freely. If this is not done, mold will form, and the material will rot.

Step- 3: Gather the Necessary Materials And Ingredients

Another significant step in making a wooden door is collecting the necessary tools because it is impossible to do the job without them. The devices are- board, fiberboard, insulation, glue-carpentry, roulette, level, plane, chisel, drill, milling cutter, self-tapping screw, loops, hammer, nails, and sandpaper.

Most of the listed tools and equipment may not be in your home. When you decide to make a wooden door, you need to collect these along with the wood pick.

Step- 4: Set Door Dimensions

Door dimensions need to be set according to the internal dimensions of the door frame. Be careful when cutting each corner so that all are 90° because it will come and go smoothly when opening and closing through your door frame. For a standard 200 * 9 frame0 cm standard, your door dimensions will be 192 * 82.

Depending on your wishes, you also have to decide what the gap and clearance will be like. Once the door dimensions are set, cut the fiberboard sheet into a rectangle that will repeat the door’s shape.

Step- 5: Check The Smoothness

After completing the above four steps, check the smoothness of the door with your own hands to see if it can move smoothly through the frame. At the same time, make sure that all grooves are free of cracks. Remember, a door will give you relief from unwanted noise, so its durability and ease of use will depend on how you test it while making it.

Examine each rectangle angle where you cut the wood; if you still do not feel smooth, rub it smoothly before moving on to the next step. Drill holes in the joints with a drill of the same diameter, 1 cm wide, to strengthen the door structure. 

Step- 6: Cut The Wood And Attach

The wood should be cut to 80 inches tall and 25 inches wide with a circular saw. It depends on how many pieces of wood the same size will fit on your door. Cut them to the correct size, no bigger or smaller than the door board.

Then start laying pieces of wood from the edge of your pre-cut panel. First, glue the long pieces together, then glue the cut pieces for width. Wrap them around each other so that no part is too big or too small.

Step- 7: Add Ornamental Trims

Adding a few decorative trims gives your door a more attractive and charming look. Of course, keep these ready in advance, as cutting can be a hassle during installation. Glue it to the inner edge of the panel where the style and rail meet.

Adding decorative trims is not mandatory. This part may seem extra to you when making the door yourself. But it will give your door a great look.

Step- 8: Installation Of The Door

Door installation is not complicated and requires minimal work equipment. Still, on the other hand, door frame installation has several subtleties that will be difficult to consider and perform without errors.

It is essential not to allow mistakes in installing natural wood structures. Therefore, if the door frame installation is a dark and undiscovered area for you, be sure to seek help from professional installers.

Step- 9: Hang The Door

Bore the holes in the door handle. Now, look at the finishing of your door. Draw 2-3 coats with water-based alkyd paint in the shade of your choice. Wipe it off with a foam brush or scrub to remove stains.

But it would be best if you waited for the door to get the desired color depth; otherwise, your entry will fade. Add extra water-resistant sealant if your door is left open.

Step- 10: Choose The Hinges 

For the door to serve for a long time, you must choose the appropriate hinges on which it will be attached. There are many types, but the most common are the semi-king ones. Their design is simple; if necessary, the owner can easily remove the door by lifting it in an open position.

You can hang the canvas using the hinge. These are the same as the first ones; only the axis is rolled between them. Such a door cannot be lifted to move.

Step- 11: Check One Last Time

After going through all the steps of making the door, check it thoroughly before you leave the job. You should open and apply it repeatedly to see if it is perfect. Also, check if the handles and locks are working correctly.

The door installation process can be a bit complicated from making it. Do the door work yourself and call an expert when installing.

Approximate Cost To Make A Wooden Door: A Brief Overview

How much it will cost to build the door depends on how long the wood you want to purchase is. But approximately for a door, you need to buy wood for $60 – $80. Now, if you make it yourself, you don’t have to spend to make it. But when you want to make it with the help of a craftsman or in the factory, you have to be ready for the cost.

If you hire an artisan to make the door, you have to calculate the cost until the door is hung because the cost of the following work is different. The cost of hanging up is approximately $20 – $25.

Then in the context of design, keep in mind that the cost of door design is entirely different. It may not be possible for you to design heavily when you are making your own. In that case, the cost for a skilled craftsman would be around $15 or more.

Then think about the color and varnish. It will cost you $5 – $7 to buy varnish. To use perfect quality paint on the door, you must spend $10 – $12, including wages. You can spend less if you want to if you don’t want the best quality. 

Do not forget the hinges of the door. Individuals use different quality and price hinges, so it’s up to you which one you want. Since you are making a wooden door, buy a good quality hinge as the wooden door is quite heavy. A pretty good quality hinge will cost approximately $8, but you can hire a more expensive hinge if you want.

The table below will help you understand the approximate cost of different wooden doors.

Door TypeMaterial PricesInstallation CostTotal
Basic$360 – $408$504 – $572$864 – $980
Better$448 – $520$592 – $608$1040 – $1128
Best$552 – $576$624 – $640$1176 – $1216

Related Questions About Making A Wooden Door:

Which Is The Best Wood For Making Doors?

There are many other types of wood for making doors, including Knotty Alder, Pine, Cherry, Maple, Oak, Walnut, and Redwood, widely used for making doors. You need to think about your needs and requirements when choosing wood. Alder and Pine are suitable for the door. You can also select oak wood.

A door is undoubtedly a precious and essential part of your home. Therefore, wood that does not catch mites and remains intact should be chosen. Before choosing any of the woods mentioned above, know their properties.

Is Pine Good To Make A Wooden Door?

Doors made of Pine are light and strong enough at the same time. Pine is an environmentally friendly material. The soft pine wood process is simple, and this senior wood array, in particular, the interior and entrance doors, can be an ornament to the interior of your apartment.

However, from humidity to temperature, if such doors are treated with particular curses, they can be installed in rooms with high humidity: in bathrooms and the sun. Pine doors have excellent noise insulation properties.

What Is The Cheapest Wood For Making Doors?

Ashwood can be a good option if you are looking for cheap and good-quality wood for door construction. This wood has many plus points that encourage you to use it to make doors.

The wood is challenging and also cheap. You can use Ashwood to make both exterior and interior doors. It also offers grain, like mahogany. Ash is the best option to go through low cost.

How Do You Make A Homemade Wooden Door?

Making a wooden door is undoubtedly an uphill task and takes considerable time. Anyone at home can make a wooden door if he has learned every technique well. After collecting the necessary tools and wood, you can start the work by following the proper steps.

But if you lack skills and confidence, avoid doing it yourself. Please call a carpenter home, and he will make the door right in front of you. You can become more efficient by overseeing it and boosting your self-confidence.

Final Words:

Wooden doors add a natural vibe to your home and enhance its beauty. If you want to make it yourself without contacting a carpenter, you have to know precisely how to make a wooden door and the approximate cost.

Hopefully, from this article, you have found the answers to your question about making wooden doors. Even if you are not a skilled carpenter or door maker, these methods will help you make a wooden door perfect for your house.

Md Meraj

This is Meraj. I’m the main publisher of this blog. Wood Working Advisor is a blog where I share wood working tips and tricks, reviews, and guides. Stay tuned to get more helpful articles!

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