Adjusting swing on interior pre-hung doors?
#1
12-17-07, 03:29 PM
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Adjusting swing on interior pre-hung doors?
I have 2 solid oak, pre-hung doors that will not stay open by themselves. The installation is OK, good spacing around doors, they open & close just fine, they are plumb & square...but they will not stay open with out a doorstop. No big deal..it's just annoying to have them swing closed by themselves. Is there anyway to adust these doors or tighten the hinges? The doors are heavy & I plan on putting longer screws in the top hinge so the door doesn't sag. Thanks in advance for any info. Best regards-Larry
#2
12-17-07, 03:39 PM
If the doors/frames were hung plumb/level, they will not open/close by themselves. If they were hung to the existing house framing, that is a different story. The house framing is likely not true, never is. IMHO, it is better to have the doors fit properly in the existing framing, fudging as much as is practical to get plumb/level. Since it is often not practical and does not look correct when done properly, I have to say, live with it.
#3
12-17-07, 03:44 PM
Group Moderator
If your doors want to swing shut, the wall they are in is probably not as plumb as you think it is. usually when doors want to swing shut, the wall is leaning away at the top. Open your doors 90 degrees and put a level vertically on the latch side of the door. I'm betting it isn't plumb.
There's a couple tricks to keep them open, but they have the potential to make the hinges squeek.
-You could take the hinge pins out, and squeeze the barrels of the hinge with a vise grips to crush them slightly, making the hinge pin tighter when it is installed.
-You could put the hinge pin in a vise and bend it ever so slightly. (some do the same thing by holding the hinge pin over a gap and whacking it with a hammer, but you'd want to be careful you don't bend it too much!)
-wrap one layer of scotch tape around the hinge pin before reinserting it. <-- probably the least risky, since you can always take the tape back off.
-hold a flat toothpick into the barrel of the hinge as you reinsert the hinge pin. It will make the hinge pin a little tighter. <- also a good one to try first before trying to permanently bend anything.
Just a few ideas... you can pick the one that sounds best or try them all.
And you can make these adjustments to just one hinge, or all 3 hinges as needed.
There's a couple tricks to keep them open, but they have the potential to make the hinges squeek.
-You could take the hinge pins out, and squeeze the barrels of the hinge with a vise grips to crush them slightly, making the hinge pin tighter when it is installed.
-You could put the hinge pin in a vise and bend it ever so slightly. (some do the same thing by holding the hinge pin over a gap and whacking it with a hammer, but you'd want to be careful you don't bend it too much!)
-wrap one layer of scotch tape around the hinge pin before reinserting it. <-- probably the least risky, since you can always take the tape back off.
-hold a flat toothpick into the barrel of the hinge as you reinsert the hinge pin. It will make the hinge pin a little tighter. <- also a good one to try first before trying to permanently bend anything.
Just a few ideas... you can pick the one that sounds best or try them all.
And you can make these adjustments to just one hinge, or all 3 hinges as needed.
