How To Hang A Door
Hanging a door can be the hardest thing and also the easiest thing to do around the home. At some point during your life you will come across this little DIY job. A door might break off its hinges, or just become so old it doesn’t serve its purpose any more. So you will have to go to the local DIY store and find a door to match. Remember too that a door isn’t all you will need. Wood shims, a plane, saws, screwdrivers and a spirit level. This is why we highly recommend getting a competent builder involved and have them do it. If you are hanging a door from scratch you will be out of pocket a fair bit just for tools alone.
The reason, is that no two doors are the same. And likewise no two door frames are the same. The measurements might look standard on paper. But getting a door to open and shut properly, latch and swing, without binding on the frame. Is an art form in most cases. So each door is pretty much a custom made fit for every door frame. Think about that for a second. It’s a lot of hassle.
First thing you will need to do is check if the floor is level. In some older house you might be shocked at the shape of the floors. They really didn’t take much care in houses built in certain periods. And finding a floor that is sloped is fairly normal.
The gap between floor and door should be around ½ inch. Or 3/8 if your carpeting the floor.
Offer the door up and see if it fits first time. It’s a one in a million shot but you never know.
Chances are you will have to mark with a pencil where it catches and where it clears.
Once this is done you can go about planing and cutting the door to fit.
This can be highly dangerous without the correct safety equipment or a workbench to hold the door still. As always, working with power tools requires vigilance and care. Gloves, goggles and other protective gear is a must not an option. Once the door is the right shape and seems to sit OK, you can then set about fitting the hinges and the jams. It is recommend that you use screws instead of nails since nails are harder to get out if you need to remove the door for any reason.
We highly recommend you get a competent builder to fit new doors, or even replace old ones. The time and money that can be spent on this type of thing. I usually not worth the hassle.
