- 1). Find a French door supplier. You can purchase these doors through a local hardware store or door distributor. Some manufacturers will also provide custom doors to homeowners. Links to some of these manufacturers can be found in the Resources section of this article.
- 2). Decide whether you want pre-hung doors or not. Pre-hung doors come already installed on the frame, and allow homeowners to quickly and easily install the door. If you want to replace the door and frame, it will be simpler to go with a pre-hung unit. If you will be leaving the existing frame as is, you will order the door only.
- 3). Find the handing of your door, which describes which way the door swings. The four handing options include right hand regular, left hand regular, right hand reverse, and left hand reverse. Stand on the outside of the door. This is the side where you would place your key in the lock, and is usually the corridor or hallway side of the opening. If the hinges are to your left, you have a left hand door, and if they are to the right, you have a right hand door. If the door pulls towards you, it is a reverse door, while if you have to push it away from you, it is regular. Handing must be specified when ordering.
- 4). Measure the size of the opening. For a pre-hung unit, you will need to provide the supplier with the dimensions of the entire opening. Measure from stud to stud, then from the floor to the top of the opening. You must also provide the wall thickness so that the correct frame can be supplied. When ordering a door only, provide measurements that reflect the inside dimensions of the frame. The supplier will provide a door that is about 1/8" smaller than the opening to allow for clearance.
- 5). Choose your design. Examine the various patterns and designs available from your supplier. Choose the model that has the desired glass and panel locations and sizes that will work best with your decor.
- 6). Select a veneer. This is the wood that the door is made from. Different wood species provide veneers with different colors and grain patterns. Some popular door veneer choices are oak, mahogany, birch, maple, and cherry.
- 7). Decide on a finish. This is the stain or paint that is applied to the surface of the veneer. While it may be slightly more expensive to have a factory finish applied, you will typically get superior results this way, rather than trying to finish the door yourself. Check with the supplier you are working with to get a sample of standard finishes.