Guide to hanging an internal door anyone?

[PilotPete]

I have done a search and can't find a guide to hanging an internal door, which surprised me as I would have thought this was one of the most asked questions by us DIYers on this forum (Windows and Doors).

I am going to attempt my first in the coming week, so anybody got the lowdown, with the 'must dos' and 'watch out fors' please? I have fitted a new door lining that is plumb.

Cheers.

PP

 

[noseall]

check that the door casing head is level, and have a look see how the sides are too. at least you will have an idea as to where the material will need planing from the door before you attempt to fit.

look at the top rail of the door. this will have an indicator telling you which side the lock block is on. an absence of a marker will mean that the door is fitted with dual lock blocks.

if the door needs material removing from top or bottom be sure to shape the head of the door first. if more than say 25mm of material needs removing from the height, then take some from the bottom rail too.

the hinge side will need fitting first. offer the door into it's location and see how the hinge side sits. plane the door to suit. it doesn't matter if the door fits in the aperture at this stage as you can still offer the hinge side into place askew.

next fit and plane the latch side. you will need 2-3 mm up each side as a fitting gap.

cut in the hinges. the top hinge is fitted 6" down from the door top and the bottom hinge is fitted 9" up from the door bottom.

next fit the latch. for knobs you will need the deeper 3" latches, for handles 2-1/2" latches. these are usually fitted centrally on the door (990mm up from the bottom or down from the top).

next fit the handles, then the latch keep.

there are an infinite amount of tips i could give you but i haven't the typing patience.

good luck.

 

[AikenDrum]

My advice would be to get a professional to do it. I once spent about 6 hours trying to hang a door properly, and it still wasn't right. I know that this probably reflects upon my DIY skills, and goes against the whole DIY ethos, but I found it to be a real pig of a job.
Seroiusly, save yourself a headache - if you haven't done it before, get someone who knows what they're doing.

Cheers

 

[gcol]

My advice would be to get a professional to do it. I once spent about 6 hours trying to hang a door properly, and it still wasn't right. I know that this probably reflects upon my DIY skills, and goes against the whole DIY ethos, but I found it to be a real pig of a job.
Seroiusly, save yourself a headache - if you haven't done it before, get someone who knows what they're doing.

Cheers

BOOOOOOOO!!!! Defeatist!

How will you ever learn unless you try?

Typical Yorkshire man.

 

[stevec59]

Wickes do leaflets in store and on line, have a look at:-

http://www.wickes.co.uk/content/ebiz/wickes/resources/images/gil/36.pdf

I found this a little heavy going, but I think its a case of putting the new door in place, make sure is square and level with 2mm gap, hang it.

Steve

 

[AikenDrum]

My advice would be to get a professional to do it. I once spent about 6 hours trying to hang a door properly, and it still wasn't right. I know that this probably reflects upon my DIY skills, and goes against the whole DIY ethos, but I found it to be a real pig of a job.
Seroiusly, save yourself a headache - if you haven't done it before, get someone who knows what they're doing.

Cheers

BOOOOOOOO!!!! Defeatist!

How will you ever learn unless you try?
Typical Yorkshire man.

Seriously, I don't mean to put anyone off having a go, it's just that I wasted a lot of time and money on it, and it still wasn't right. I am somewhat of a perfectionist, and sadly my DIY skills measure up only some of the time.

Getting the door to fit was fine, but getting it to hang on the bl**dy hinges and close properly was the bit that defeated me.

But, by all means give it a go.

PS - I may live in Yorkshire, but I'm not a Yorkshire man!! Mind you, if I told you where I come from, you would probably take the pi** even more!

 

[Richard C]

It's not as easy as, say, screwing shelves to a wall but it is relatively straight forward as long as you have the basic wood working tools & have some idea of how to use them.
If your replacing an existing door & don't want to change things around, you will be restricted by the current location of the hinges & latch. I always trim the door to fit the opening first, fit the hinges, latch & handles to the door, offer up the door & fit the hinges to the frame (watch the depth of the door casing rebate or the door won't shut!) & finally position & fit the latch plate using the latch as a guide.

 

[gcol]

PS - I may live in Yorkshire, but I'm not a Yorkshire man!! Mind you, if I told you where I come from, you would probably take the pi** even more!

With a name like AikenDrum I would hazard a guess at the moon or Scotland?

 

[stevec59]

I am going to hang a door my self soon, that is why I put the post about Wickes doing leaflets on line and in store, also went on B&Q's web page and they do a guide:-
http://www.diy.com/diy/jsp/bq/templ...t/projectlist_hangingadoor.jsp&noleftnav=true
There guide has a shopping list on it that I found useful, I wasn't sure if I should standard Butt hinges or Rising Butt, But B&Q says standard hinge.

I have a question, on the Wickes leaflet it says place a piece of timber 2mm thick under the door so that it goes over the carpet, surely that is dependant on the thickness of the carpet? Is there a good way of ensuring that it doesn't scrap on the carpet?

Thanks

Steve

 

[gcol]

I used to sit the door on a piece laminate flooring (7mm thick) just less than the width of the door. The weight of the door pressed the laminate into the carpet a little but meant that when fixed, the door had pretty much the right clearance at the bottom.

 

[PilotPete]

Thanks guys. Anyone else?

PP

 

[masona]

Here


Video of How to hung a door

 

[JohnD]

very good!

I like them Jugs Videos.

But his blunt old chisels look best suited to opening old paint tins.

 

[johnf]

I've hung about a dozen new doors in our present house, and it's a different experience each time. Some have been perfect first time (modest, huh?), and some right *&##*s! I'd go along with all the tips offered so far, and also add that when you cut the rebate for the hinges in the frame or door, be cautious about the amount of material you remove. If you go in too deep, the door hinge edge and frame will meet before the door is fully closed, and it will spring back - forcing it shut will pull on the hinges. You can pack out with cardboard (as B&Q suggests...!), but better to do a little at a time and get it right.
I cut out a little in door and frame, fix each hinge to the door with one screw, then push the door into the frame. If it won't go, you can see if it's because the hinges are proud of door or frame, or you need to plane more off either door edge. Don't fit the latch until you've got the door hung.

I have a question of my own: Does anyone know if there's a convention about which way round a door opens into a room? I've hung several doors so they open the opposite way to their predecessors, and I've often wondered if there's a right or wrong way. I guess there's no difference if the door opening is in the middle of a wall, but most of mine are in the corner of the room. Originally, the bedrooms and bathroom were hinged on the side opposite to the corner of the room, so as you open the door, you have to 'walk round' the door to get into the room. Anyone got any opinions?

Thanks
JF

 

[JohnD]

There are two reasons for having the opening side nearest the corner:

1) It reduces draughts

2) It gives more privacy. Occupants of the room have a moment, from the door starting to open, to compose themselves if they are, e.g. picking their noses, getting dressed, molesting the parlourmaid. It also reduces the opportunity for anyone passing by to peep into the room through a half-open door.