door too tight on latch side
#1
11-16-04, 01:44 PM
door too tight on latch side
Front door was working fine. Decided to upgrade hinges to an expensive set of oll-rubbed bronze ball bearing beauties. Changed them out one at a time. Door too tight on latch side. No time to fool around, so I put the original hinges back. Same problem!
Question: What do I look for? Somehow I must have "tweaked" the original hinges. It does not seem reasonble now that I should need to plane a sixteenth of the hinge side. Is there anyway to 'adjust' or at least determine what is really wrong?
Question: What do I look for? Somehow I must have "tweaked" the original hinges. It does not seem reasonble now that I should need to plane a sixteenth of the hinge side. Is there anyway to 'adjust' or at least determine what is really wrong?
#2
11-16-04, 06:32 PM
594tough,
If, when you put the original hinges back, you pulled the pins and seperated the leafs, put the leaf halves back in the jamb (and got the screws tight), put the other half in the door (with the screws tight), then held the door in place and inserted the pins, I DOUBT that you tweaked the hinges.
You MAY have pulled the hinge side of the jamb out of alignment if the casing wasn't properly nailed. (Need nails -- usually 6d or 8d finish -- through the casing into the stud, and usually 4d or 5d into the jamb.) However, if the door had been working fine, I doubt that was the problem.
My guess is that you didn't get the hinge leafs set fully in the mortise, thereby holding the door away from the hinge side of the jamb. That happens to the best of us at times.
If, when you put the original hinges back, you pulled the pins and seperated the leafs, put the leaf halves back in the jamb (and got the screws tight), put the other half in the door (with the screws tight), then held the door in place and inserted the pins, I DOUBT that you tweaked the hinges.
You MAY have pulled the hinge side of the jamb out of alignment if the casing wasn't properly nailed. (Need nails -- usually 6d or 8d finish -- through the casing into the stud, and usually 4d or 5d into the jamb.) However, if the door had been working fine, I doubt that was the problem.
My guess is that you didn't get the hinge leafs set fully in the mortise, thereby holding the door away from the hinge side of the jamb. That happens to the best of us at times.
#3
11-16-04, 07:55 PM
549...by chance were thier a few long screws holding the old hinges which you swapped out....or if present, tightened by hand or a lowly powered cordless only as far as the hinge......Longer screws are sometimes used to reach and secure the hinge to a stud....the method is used too as a tweak to recover gap when a door from rubbing the latch side....Crank em...
#5
11-17-04, 08:50 AM
Thank you all for your replies!
I did pull the pins to remove and replace the door. The hinges 'look' OK.
I have a good 12volt drill which had good torque. There were no long screws in the original. All screws were 3/4". The new hinges had 1" screws, and I did drill pilot holes.
I didn't look at the door before I started, but right now I can see that the margin at the top increases from about 1/8 at the hinge side to almost 1/4 at the latch side. Also, the margin along the hinge side is less than 1/16 at the bottom and a good 1/8 at the top. So this definitely describes the problem...tilted down to the right. But how to fix?
I can close the door by pushing real hard. Actually, if I lft up hard on the knob and it almost slides in. When closed, the latch and deadbolt engage smoothly.
It must be related to the top and middle hinges; I will try some longer screw on the door side of the top hinge, because it doesn't look quite right from the inside.
I did pull the pins to remove and replace the door. The hinges 'look' OK.
I have a good 12volt drill which had good torque. There were no long screws in the original. All screws were 3/4". The new hinges had 1" screws, and I did drill pilot holes.
I didn't look at the door before I started, but right now I can see that the margin at the top increases from about 1/8 at the hinge side to almost 1/4 at the latch side. Also, the margin along the hinge side is less than 1/16 at the bottom and a good 1/8 at the top. So this definitely describes the problem...tilted down to the right. But how to fix?
I can close the door by pushing real hard. Actually, if I lft up hard on the knob and it almost slides in. When closed, the latch and deadbolt engage smoothly.
It must be related to the top and middle hinges; I will try some longer screw on the door side of the top hinge, because it doesn't look quite right from the inside.
#6
11-17-04, 09:21 AM
Have did it in the past. Cut out a thin carboard to fit behind the bottom hinge first on the jam side. If need more put a piece behind the hing on the door also.
ED
ED
#7
11-17-04, 12:16 PM
Longer (2-1/2" or 3") screws might solve the problem. Even 1" screws aren't going to be long enough to get a good bite in the stud, if they even reach it.
The cardbord shims behind the hinges, like Ed mentioned will work, but you have to use thin, SOLID cardboard -- the back of a yellow note pad, an old manilla file folder, etc. -- NOT the corragated that a box is made out of!!
The cardbord shims behind the hinges, like Ed mentioned will work, but you have to use thin, SOLID cardboard -- the back of a yellow note pad, an old manilla file folder, etc. -- NOT the corragated that a box is made out of!!
