[Shop-talk] Replacing a Door

[Douglas Braun]

Hello,

The door between my laundry room and (unheated) garage is a cheapo
hollow-core type, basically two sheets of Masonite with a web of
cardboard between them.   It is flimsy and insecure, and in the winter
you can feel the cold seeping through it.  I was thinking of replacing
it with a nicer metal one that is foam-filled.  I was wondering:

1: Do current building codes call for a fire-resistant door between a
garage and the living area?  (The existing door dates from the 70's.)

2: The doors I see at HD, etc. are all pre-hung.  Do you think it
would make more sense to discard the frame that comes with the door
(or maybe order a non-hung version) and fix the door to the existing
frame, or rip out the existing frame and use the new one?  One
downside of ripping out the old frame is that I would have to re-do
the surrounding trim.

Thanks,

Doug