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Many doors can be cut to size, but it depends on the door material. Solid wood doors are relatively easy to trim to a specific size, while hollow core and metal doors are trickier and can usually only be shaved down a little before you risk damaging them. If your door needs a lot of adjustment, it's best to order a custom size or have a pro do the resizing to make sure it holds up over time.

A slab door is a standalone door without a frame or hardware. A prehung door is a complete set that includes the door, frame, hinges, and sometimes the doorknob and lockset.

In most cases, a prehung door is the better and easier option to install, especially for DIY projects or exterior applications, as they often come pre-weatherproofed. They require fewer tools and less experience to install properly. Although prehung doors are heavier and have a higher upfront cost, the investment is often worthwhile for a complete upgrade that includes a new frame.

A slab door may be a better choice if you are on a tight budget, have a custom-sized wall opening, or only need to replace the door while keeping the existing frame. While the initial cost is lower, you will need to purchase all the hardware separately and do more DIY work to hang it, which may not result in significant time or money savings.

No, exterior doors don’t need to be prehung, although choosing a door that is prehung makes the installation process far easier. Installing an exterior door that isn’t prehung requires carefully maneuvering the heavy door into place in your door frame, making sure it’s level and plumb on all sides, and then attaching the hinges so that they’re perfectly level and are affixed to the right part of your frame and door. Prehung exterior doors are far more DIY-friendly.

You want plenty of room between your pre-hung door and the framing in your wall to allow for shimming to get the door into the perfect position, so aim for about 1 inch on the top and both sides. That means you should make your rough opening about 1 inch taller and 2 inches wider than your pre-hung door. You’ll then use shims to stabilize and level the door before installing it.