I'm in the process of replacing an original bedroom door in my 1950s house with a solid core door for better noise reduction. I took great care to adjust the door so it could swing freely once the frame and floor settled. After getting it to fit nicely, I ran into a problem when I installed the hinges. The original mortises in the frame are about 1/16" deeper than my new hinges, which caused the lower hinge to bind, preventing the door from closing fully. I've tried shimming the hinges to make them flush with the frame, but the lower hinge still pulls away from it, and the door ends up hitting the opposite side of the frame. I've heard suggestions to use metal washers instead of shims and to use longer screws, but I'm still experiencing movement. I suspect the issue is with the hinge, not the door itself. What steps can I take to stop the hinge from moving and pulling away from the frame when the door swings?
2 Answers
It sounds like you might still have some binding going on. Check to see if the screw heads are sitting proud; that could be part of the issue. If they are, it could prevent the hinge from sitting properly against the frame and cause movement when the door operates. Make sure everything is nice and flush!
Just a thought: if the screws you’re using are indeed 3" wood screws but they're not gripping tight, the hinge might still pull away. Double-check that you're using the right screws for the type of hinge; if they are too short for the mortises, that could be the problem. Sometimes, even a slight difference in length can make a big impact!
Yeah, it sounds like you've already got 3" screws in place. Just to clarify, are all three screws installed on that lower hinge? Sometimes, missing one can lead to a lot of movement when the door swings.
I did notice after switching to washers that the screw heads popped up a bit more than before. They're not sticking out by much, but I can't drive them in any further. Could that still be causing the issue?