Door Installation & Alignment in Ottawa

A door is only as good as the opening it hangs in. You can buy a solid slab, but if it isn’t set plumb and square it will drag, refuse to latch, swing open on its own, or let cold air through the gaps. Proper installation starts with the frame, then the leaf, then the hardware — not the other way around.

We begin with the rough opening. Is it the right size? Is the floor level? Is the framing solid enough to carry the door and its hardware? A racked, twisted or out-of-plumb frame gets corrected before the door goes in. Once the opening is sound, we set the unit, plumb the hinge side, level the head, and shim behind the hinges and strike so the frame stays true when it’s fastened.

That’s where alignment is won or lost. With the frame shimmed and fixed, we hang the leaf and watch a full swing. The reveal — the gap between door and frame — should stay even down both sides and across the top. The latch should meet the strike without lifting or dropping the door. On exterior doors we also check threshold and sweep contact, and whether the weatherstripping compresses evenly instead of leaving a hard spot you have to shove shut. Loose hinge screws, a sagging leaf, or a strike that’s a few millimetres high or low get corrected here — not left for “it’ll settle.” Each of those gets adjusted until the door behaves the same on a mild day and a cold, windy one.

This fitting work is the core of our door installation jobs across Ottawa. We hang entry doors, interior doors, patio units and specialty doors so each one swings freely and seals tight. On homes, the usual call is a tired or damaged front door — and front door repair is often enough when the slab and frame are still structurally sound, instead of jumping straight to a full replacement.

Alignment and the frame go hand in hand. If the existing frame is damaged, twisted or out of square, the new door will never sit right until the opening is rebuilt. That’s door frame repair — straighten, reinforce or rebuild the jamb so the leaf can close cleanly. And in this climate, sealing matters: a door that looks installed but leaks air wastes heat all winter. Fresh weatherstripping at the jamb and threshold helps stop drafts, drifting snow and ice.

Hardware finishes the job. Hinges have to carry the weight without sagging — if screws are spinning in soft wood or pulling out of the jamb, longer screws into solid framing usually stop the drop. The latch and strike have to line up so the door locks without a fight. Hinge and hardware repair covers the parts that take daily load — new hardware on a fresh install, or upgrading what’s already there. Set the door right and good hardware lasts; rush the alignment and even premium hardware wears out fast.

It’s also worth knowing when repair beats replacement. A solid door that’s simply out of alignment, a warped leaf that still has life in it, or a frame that shifted from settling can often be brought back for far less than a new unit — especially when the existing jamb can be reused. We’ll tell you which way makes sense for the door and the budget, instead of defaulting to the bigger job. When replacement is the right call — rot, a twisted jamb that won’t hold, repeated failures, or a real upgrade for security and energy use — we size, order and fit the new door to the opening so it performs from day one.

We install and replace doors across Ottawa and the Ottawa Valley, including Kanata, Nepean, Barrhaven, Orleans, Stittsville and nearby communities. Exterior installs are sealed with our winters in mind, so a door fitted in summer still closes cleanly through the first hard freeze.

Job photos show what proper fitting and finishing look like before you decide who to hire. Every installation is quoted at a flat rate you approve up front, and the workmanship is backed in writing — if the door isn’t swinging, latching and sealing the way it should, we come back and correct it.

Completed installs and repairs are in the before & after gallery. When you’re ready to talk about a new or replacement door, send a photo of your opening or give us a call.