Home Hacks: Adjusting Doors

In this YouTube video, This is Carpentry shows how to fix hinged doors. Doors do not always stay adequately hung.

Start by looking at the whole door and the jams. Determine which sides have wider gaps versus the sides that are too close.


Video Source

There are two ways to bend a door hinge: the squeeze and the spread.

The squeeze will bring the door closer to the hinge jam. The spread will push the door closer to the strike jam. Before doing either method, it’s required to thoroughly examine the door to determine which direction the door will move within the door jams. A more significant gap will require less spreading to achieve the correct spacing versus a narrower one.

Spread the hinge by taking a nail set to the center of the hinge, pushing hard against the centerpiece while gently closing the door on it. The combination of these actions spreads the gap a tiny bit. Don’t do this with shiny brass or soft brass hinges to avoid denting.

Squeezing the hinge involves taking a crescent wrench to the knuckles of the hinge and bending it in one direction or another. Getting it right can be tricky for the beginner.

Author: Automaton

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