fitting door - bowed frame

[DoctorC]

Hi all.

I'm fitting an internal door. partially glazed Oak door, if that is at all relevant.

The frame is new, as installed by a joiner who i do not wish to see again (before you suggest getting him back!)

I have fitted two other doors in new frames, and all went well, if a little slowly.

This frame, however, has a banana in the hinge side frame. The frame bows out at mid-height by about 5mm or so.

WHat do I do?

Seems a pain to plain the frame down. I am not keen to plane a banana out of the door - the hinges wouldn't work then.

Do i skip the centre hinge and pack out the top and bottom hinge?

I can see architrave problems if i do that.

I dont want to take the frame out if i can help it. There seem to be a lot of nails and an awful lot of expanding foam and packers involved. It may be that over-zealousness with the foam has caused the problem.

saw out the foam and fix back?

help!

Nice door - shame to a*se it up!


(edit: this is a flat softwood frame, that will have planted rebates, rather than an oak frame as part of a door-set)

 

[Symptoms]

Doc - remove the architraves (if fitted) from each side of the offending 'banana', clear-out behind the frames to create a long gap sufficient to allow you get rid of the bow. Make 2 long, slow, timber wedges which you loosely insert from each side, one on top of the other (these will allow for adjustment to the frame). Next, drill & insert a frame fixing through the frame, at mid-point, and into the masonary; position this under where the planted door stop will be so they'll be hidden. Tighten-up the fixing until you straighten the 'banana', then drive the 2 wedges together to create permanent support. Fix the wedges in position with a couple of nails or screws then cut off any bits sticking-out proud. Re-attach the architrave.

 

[DoctorC]

thanks symptoms

sounds like a plan.

There are no architraves yet, so that's a start.

He seems to have accompanied the frame fixings with a Schwarzenneger like fixation with the nail gun in places, so assuming i can prize some of these out, and saw out all the foam, it sounds like a plan!

 

[Symptoms]

Doc - it might be a better solution to cut the nails through behind the frames then with a cold chisel or punch bend the stumps over and out of the way. Trying to dig these out of the face of frames will cause damage, better to leave the nailheads in and just set (punch) them below the surface.

 

[DoctorC]

ok

If they turn out to be straight, and i position my new frame fixings in the right place, the frame should move independent of the nails, and i can punch in any that end up proud.

I think, as it is only a few mm, that they can just stay in-situ. So slight that it was totally unnoticeable until i stood a door against it, all raring to go!

Even so, a real pain to solve a fudge typically of this guy.

As you say, they will be beneath the planted door stop.

 

[DoctorC]

got round to doing it, and a job well dome, if i say so myself

cut all the expanded foam out with a saw, got rid of all the packers, packed out the base of the frame to the right point and then put in a series of screws behind where the planted stop would be.
screwed in gently until everything in alignment, then inserted wedges and packers and tightened up.

fitted hinges, fitted door, and all works a treat.

a pain in the backside - but something learnt at least!