Flipping an internal door

[stealthwolf]

Current door opens to the right, which means walking into some fitted wardrobes. I'd like to flip the door so it opens to the left. A picture speaks a thousand words:

I think I need to:

• chisel out two mortises for door and for frame (for the hinges)
• flip door around and attach to left door frame
• remove and flip latchbolt (I've done this before and it's a bit fiddly)
  
• chisel out corresponding mortise for deadbolt and strike plate
• make good the damage I've left (timber, woodglue, woodfiller, paint)

Is there anything I've missed?
Any pitfalls a novice like me might not spot?
Is there any dedicated hardware or tool that might be beneficial (I planned to use hammer and chisel for mortises)?

 

[big-all]

light switch will be behind door

 

[stealthwolf]

light switch will be behind door

Yes it will and I'll chase it into the correct place when I redecorate the bedroom later this year.

 

[big-all]

if the door is the same on both faces
take the lock out and rotate 180 degrees [bolt within the lock if keyed]
move the hinge pockets to the other side off the same edge so only requiring hinge pocket repairs on doors
and off course the work on the door frame

 

[stealthwolf]

So it turns out it’s not that straightforward. The door isn’t square and looks to have been trimmed at some point by the previous owners.

I took the door off. Had to dremel the slots for the screwdriver as the current ones weren’t deep. Decided to go for new hinges from B&Q. Same design but turns out to be slightly thinner and my recesses for the hinges were a shade too deep.

Hung the door. Whilst it was level with the door frame on one side, it wasn’t with the other and the bottom of the door towards the handle was snagging (as it turns out on the carpet strip which was slightly higher one one side).

I tried packing out the bottom door hinge to bring it out and raise the bottom. Ended taking the door off and sanding the bottom of the door.

All replaced. Doesn’t snag but it’s started to frikking creak and it’s that bottom hinge. I’ll attend to it tomorrow.

Have already chiselled out the mortise for the door strike plate and fitted the latch.

 

[Deleted member 174758]

You were lucky enough to have a solid door - on hollow doors they sometimes fit only one lock block making it impossible to flip it round this way (you need to move the hinges to the opposite face of the door and then infill the door with small Dutchmen)

 

[stealthwolf]

You were lucky enough to have a solid door

Definitely hollow core.

It’s not a perfect job and I reckon a pro will have made it right first time. And that’s what I plan to do when I replace all the internal doors next year with solid wooden doors.