Door problems

Hi all.

I am installing a new door to a bedroom. It keeps getting stuck on the right-hand side (opposite the hinges). What do I need to do to get the door shifted to the left about 3/16" so it does not catch? The hinges are flush with the door and jamb.

Also, apparently it catches at the very top corner, but the door levels out, and so does the door frame.

I personally hate hanging doors because it's such an ordeal for me. I carve the mortises fine - just like the old doors -- and then the whole 2-hour project turns into an eternity. Any tips or tricks to help would be great as well.

 

It sounds like the latch jamb needs to be shimmed up. That would increase the reveal between the door and the jamb on the top. You could also move the bottom hinge side closer to the stud, or move the top hinge side away from the stud.

And as far as the door hitting on the side, that is usually because you need to put a long screw through the hinge into a stud. remove one of the short screws and put in a long screw.

One shortcut to putting in doors is to install 1/8" spacer shims around the door so that the door has an even 1/8" reveal on all sides. Then shim the door in place and nail it off. Once you remove the shims, the door should swing perfectly. If it doesn't it's usually because the weight of the door is pulling on the hinges, and that's fixed when you put the long screws in through the hinge.

Doors are really pretty simple once you get the hang of it. You probably just need to put in a few more before you get confortable with it.