Raise hinges on porch door - can I use metchsticks?

[agulesin]

Hi everyone,

Mum's (half-glazed, wooden) porch door has been dragging in the recent damp weather, so I think it needs raising. There's a largish (6-8mm?) gap at the top so I want to raise the door by about 5mm. What is the best way of achieving this?

One "trick" I remember is to remove the hinges, fill the old screw holes with matchsticks, cut off flush, then refit the hinges a bit higher up. Of course I'll have to chisel out the top of the rebate a bit to accommodate the new location of the hinges.

Is there any more "professional" way of doing this?

Thanks for all your support.

Stephen

 

[KenGMac]

agulesin, good evening.

Short answer is Yes, you can infill old un-used screw holes with Match sticks, generally works a treat.

But? if the hinges have been moved several times and there are timber cracks and various holes, then my preferred option is to use car body filler and pack it into the various and numerous cracks and holes.

A couple of questions?

1/. Is the gap along the top of the door equal all the way along the width of the door, at the gap to the door frame?
2/. Is the gap between door and frame uneven?, possibly narrower at the hinge side of the door?

Rational for the above questions? a sudden or slow on-set of in your words a "dragging door" especially on a porch can at times, I STRESS! at times be an indication of potential problems with the porch?, such as some sort of Subsidence, porches and Conservatories are notorious for such problems.

Ken

 

[agulesin]

Hi Ken,

Many thanks for your reply. I've checked the gap, there is actually an almost even gap all the way along the top, slightly more at the hinge side.

I forgot to mention that it's actually rubbing on the hinge side, and lifting the door with a chisel reveals about 1mm play in the hinges, they've been there for many years. I don't think it's worth replacing them but I suppose I could try turning them over rather then moving up - that would give a new face for them to wear against.

I don't think we've got subsidence as the windows are all OK and open freely - if there was a problem with subs. it would affect everything I suppose.

I'll let you know how I get on!

 

[rsgaz]

Is there any more "professional" way of doing this?

Drill it out to 6mm.
Glue in a dowel.
Flush cut it when the glue has dried.
Use an awl to mark the new position.
Use a brad point bit to pilot for the new position (it MUST be a brad point, or the bit will wander in to or out of the dowel, depending on which wood is hardest).

Watch from 2:50 to 4:10 here... (although he's not making a pilot hole, but you can see how you can drill slightly offset to before, without the bit trying to follow a different course)

Gaz