DRE Door Installation in Warsaw: Replacing Old Doors in a Block

Swapping to DRE doors in an older block

DRE is a Polish maker of interior doors. It sells leaves in a range of finishes plus frames for them, adjustable ones included. When replacing doors in older buildings, the frame raises the most questions.

A steel frame is often built into the wall. Cutting it out means dust, chiselling and patching the plaster around the opening. You can also leave it in and clad it with a cover frame, but then the leaf has to match its size. That’s a decision to make before ordering the doors, not on fitting day.

Openings in older blocks are rarely perfectly square. Measure width and height at several points, and the wall thickness on both sides. An adjustable frame forgives more, but it won’t fix an opening that’s a few centimetres out.

A heavier, solid-core leaf blocks sound better; a lighter one is easier to hang and adjust. A heavy leaf needs a very firmly fixed frame, or it will start to sag over time.

The request, step by stepInterior door replacement in the app, screen by screenDescribing the job is quick: the service, a photo of the damaged door leaf and an estimate on screen. Next come the address and a convenient time. Handymen who work for themselves see the job. You end up with a few offers and decide yourself who to go with.Service and a photoAddress and a day that suits youOffers from handymen, you chooseStep 1 of 5Windows and doorsInterior door replacement800–1300 zł · per jobEstimate≈ 800–1300 złPhotos: show what needs doingNext Step 2 of 5Where?Warsaw, TargówekWhen suits you?WeekdayWeekendAny dayDescriptionWant to hang a new door leafSend request 3 offersInterior door replacementWarsaw, TargówekSentOSOleh S.870 złTaking the old doors away is extra.ChoosePWPiotr W.900 złBuy the handle yourself or I’ll bring one.ChooseVMViktor M.930 złI’ll clear the dust afterwards.ChooseOrder in the app

Rather hand the job over? More here: apartment fit-out in Warsaw.

Easy places to slip

• The old frame cut out with no plan for the plaster. The new architrave doesn’t cover the damage and a gap shows.
• Doors ordered from one measurement. They fit at the bottom and run out of room at the top.
• The threshold removed but the floor under it left uneven. The gap under the leaf comes out crooked.
• A heavy leaf on a poorly fixed frame. A few months later the door rubs.
• Foam laid on thick without spreaders. The frame bows inwards.

What to sort out first

• Decide whether the old steel frame stays or goes.
• Measure the opening at several points, and the wall thickness.
• If there’ll be chiselling, cover the floor and nearby furniture.
• Keep the doors boxed inside the flat until fitting day.
• Buy the handles in advance and check they suit the lock in the leaf: a plain key, a cylinder or a bathroom privacy latch. A handle bought on fitting day is the most common reason for a second visit.

Finding someone to fit them

Describe the job in the app: how many doors, what happens to the old frames, whether thresholds come out. Add photos of the openings. Tradespeople who take this work in Warsaw send bids with a price and date, and you compare them with ratings and reviews.

Once you choose, he gets your phone number and address; until then you talk in the chat. You pay him directly, and he issues the invoice. Foam and screws are usually part of the labour; the doors, handles, removal of rubble and old frames, and carrying boxes up are paid separately. Whoever fitted the doors answers for them and redoes his own work. The state of the wall behind the old frame or a crooked opening are not on him.