Hanging Doors

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scrogger

Native
Sep 16, 2008
1,080
1
58
east yorkshire
Ok I have 13 doors to hang so its bound to go wrong due to the number. I have a plane drills , chisels etc so all the gear and a basic idea!!

Do any of you good folk have any tips to make the job easier these are only light 6 panel doors so not heavy duty.

Just though someone might have some sneaky tips to make the job go a bit easier.

:confused: :confused: :confused:



Edit dont say get a joiner!!!!..lol
 
Measure 3 times before you cut or drill a thing on them ( I know it's supposed to be measure twice but I like to be extra careful) :)

Also make yourself up some thin wedges so you can adjust the height when you come to screw them into the frame
 
Firstly, what kind of door? It's easiest if they're solid wood, in my opinion... sorry if any of this is stating the obvious, I've no idea what your skill level is so I thought I'd make it as plain as possible :)

Are the hinges already attached, or are there holes drilled or anything? If ANY hardware is on them, I would remove it. The distance from the top hinge to the top of the door is smaller than the distance from the bottom hinge to the bottom of the door (due to perspective, it looks more even that way). The US standard is 5" for the top and 10" from the bottom IIRC, but I think the UK one is more like 6" and 9". Not entirely sure, you may as well go with what seems right to you, but make the ratio the same on all the doors - if you're not replacing all the doors in a property, it would probably be best to just copy what's on the existing doors.

The way I do it is to measure from floor to top of the frame, and mark this on the door - usually centred so that you're removing an equal amount of material from both the top and bottom. Then I'll plane to the line... I don't worry about leaving the line visible at this point, as you'll need to remove a bit more anyway to stop it jamming on the carpet and top of the frame. The same is done for the width. If it has panels, you'll probably want to be more careful about making sure the panels are centred, otherwise it's not a huge deal if you remove slightly more material from one side. At this point I'd push the door into the frame to see if there are any places where are obviously too large, and plane accordingly.

Depending on what kind of hinges you're using, you may need to chisel out a recess on both the door and the frame, or just one (I did the frame, I assume that would be preferable...). Ones like the brass one on the top left here:
http://www.allproducts.com/household/hc-hardware/03-door_hinges-l.jpg
Is only single layer when closed so only one recess is necessary. Otherwise I would do both.

When it comes to actually hanging, do as Mesquite said and use spacers to hold the door clear of the carpet. Screw the hinges onto the door first, and have someone hold the door to try and stop the hinge wobbling around. You may prefer to drill a hole for the screw... I don't, personally, but then I'm a bit lazy! Put in a screw on the top hinge first, most of the way, then one in the bottom, then alternate top and bottom hinge, putting all the screws in and tighten up. Hopefully, it'll move freely :p If it doesn't, no problem, plane off a little more where it's jamming - it'll rub smooth where it's sticking. There shouldn't be much more to it... if the property is new, the house will likely "settle" a bit and you'll probably need to do a little more trimming in a few months/year. Oil the hinges with 3 in 1!

I think that about covers it... I may have forgotten something though. that's how I do it, but you do it at your own risk! My method isn't always the best method... Make sure all measuring is done more than once, and if you can jam the door in the frame, only remove small amounts of material to get a smooth fit. If anything I've said is wrong, I look forward to corrections! Keep in mind that if you're painting, oiling or varnishing, you may need to remove a bit more material... would it be sad if I asked for pics when you're done? :p

Pete
 
what draven said LOL

Having someone help you is a major bonus and i have found a crow bar can be handy for lowering and raising the door ever so slightly is handy
 
what draven said LOL

Having someone help you is a major bonus and i have found a crow bar can be handy for lowering and raising the door ever so slightly is handy

That is a very good tip worth mentioning! It's not always as easy as just getting a spacer that works out exactly the right size, so it is good to do a little playing around like that at first :D
 
I hate hanging doors.

I'm fairly handy and have made things from tipper trucks to knife handles but doors? Screw em up every time.
 
There is a tool that you wedge under the door and stand on it to raise the door, like an upside down triangle. Cant find a link for it jsut now but it does look handy
 
lol Prawnster cheers for that!!

Thanks for the advice guys I have just offered one up and I was astonished to see it fits inside the casing there is about 1/2 inch clearance overall on the height and over the width its pretty snug.

So here is my thoughts:-

As the floor is tiled I am thinking centering the height to about 1/4 inch clearance top and bottom and was going to plane about an 1/8 of each side. Hinge marks are on the casings form the old doors so I would think to try and use those to save hacking more bits out.

3 doors I have to change as I wrongly assumed they were all 30" wide and some are 27" well only 3 so not a major issue.

I will let you know how I get on. Great tip about crow bar I can stand on this and it levers it into position.

oh well best go sharpen the old chisel!!

Thanks guys.

Andy
 
2 down 11 to go!!! :D :D :D

Thanks for the tips guys I managed those without 1 naughty word and without throwing a hammer or chisel across the room.

Cup of tea and a chill now before doing some proper work!!

Cheers again

Andy
 
the only advice I can give is make sure you hang it the right way up .
went to a friends for a house warming after he had just finished doing it up.
to be the only one how noticed that he had hung all his doors upside down. ROFL
he didn't see the funside of it
bob
 
another useful way is to put 2 crossed chisels under the door , in a see-saw fashion , door on one end and your foot on the other. with this u can raise and lower the door with ease whilst having both hands free to use tools etc!
 

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