We just bought a 1950's house, and practically all of the doors rub on the hardwood floor when I open them. They'll go freely almost half way, then they're touching the wood. The only solution that I can think of is to remove the doors and either sand a little or plane, but I'm hoping there's an easier way.
2007-02-13 15:20:53 · 8 answers · asked by Marie L 1 in Home & Garden ➔ Maintenance & Repairs
Im surprised no one has suggested adjusting the doors.... Here is a simple test:
Close the door. Examine the gap along the top edge, and down the knob side, between the door, and the frame. The gap should be the same all the way across, and up and down. If it isn't, then the door/frame has shifted.
Next -- When you open the door partway, does the door stay put, or does it want to continue to swing open or closed? It should stay put. If it continues to move, then the door is not plumb.
Since you mention that all of your doors are doing this, I would venture to say that your home has settled over time. Nothing surprising about that, all homes do it to some extent, over time.
If your home is on a basement, it would be easy to re-level it. If it is on a concrete slab, then you would need the services of a "mud jacking" company. This type of company does a little excavaton around your foundation, and installs a cement pump system, that acts as a hydraulic jack, and fills in the void, where necessary.
If the foundation is in good shape, no cracks, etc, I wouldnt worry about this. Instead, I would opt for adjusting the doors.
Of course, the other option, which you mentioned, is to actually plane the door, or in a worst case scenarior, perhaps use a saw on it.
Have Fun
2007-02-13 17:47:46 · answer #1 · answered by thewrangler_sw 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
No, but there is a longer lasting way. Your home is probably peer and beam (it's up on some block type things rather than on a concrete slab) and over the years those blocks have settled down into the ground some, and caused the door frame to become out of plumb (no longer square). Like a leaky roof or a rotten tooth, it won't get better and will get worse without treatment. You will need to contact a leveling company and have them come and re-level your house. If your doors were hung plumb and square when the house was, they will return to fitting. If you cut them or plane them, that will be a quick cheap fix, but you will need to do it over and over as the house continues to settle, and eventually you begin to see (if not already) cracks in your wall board and ceiling, then possibly roof leaks, etc. House leveling isn't incredibly expensive as home maintenence goes. Anyhow, they will give you an estimate and you can decide from there.
If you decide to cut and or plane, take a small piece of 1x4 and lay your pencil on it flat and move the whole unit across the floor at the tightest point of opening, as this will follow the contour of the warped flooring. Then before you cut or plane, take a sharp knife and straight edge and score your pencil line. This will stop any "rooster feathers" (chips and runs up the door that will give the edge a ragged look).
Good luck.
2007-02-13 15:34:45 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
you could try putting a piece of cardboard (or any type of shim) behind the lower hinge. This will pick up the opposite side of the door so it will not rub. You might have to try it in different spots on the hinge. Try the part closest to the pivot point first. Just a trial and error for beginners. I use this technique at work all the time. Sure beats grinding or sanding the various doors that we work with.......good luck. (p.s. the shim only has to be about 1/4 inch wide and the thickness will vary.)
2007-02-13 16:05:34 · answer #3 · answered by bigdaddyhill71 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think the only solution would be as you say to remove the doors,
sand them or plane them. If there's a considerable amount to be
removed, you can also saw off the excess with an electric saw.
2007-02-13 15:26:05 · answer #4 · answered by karonj 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Your home's floor has undoubtedly settled over time creating high and low places. The easiest solution is to take the doors off of their hinges and cut the bottoms of the doors off with a circular saw, depending on how much clearance is needed. Remember, with central air conditioning, you will need a space big enough to allow air to recirculate.
2007-02-13 15:28:51 · answer #5 · answered by Turnhog 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
it might be possible to take long screws (3 inch sheetrock screws are best) put alittle soup on the end of the screw then using a power drill or cordless drill. drive the screw all the way in to one of the holes in the top hinge on the jamb , you my have to back it out and drive it in again but if it works you will hear and see the door rise. if you need more room then that try shimming the bottom hinge with tin cardboard.
2007-02-13 23:37:58 · answer #6 · answered by Larry 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Before I even read your answer- mine was take em down and plane em.
Sorry.
2007-02-13 15:23:35 · answer #7 · answered by Mommyk232 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Not unless you lower the floor :)
2007-02-13 15:23:54 · answer #8 · answered by Elaine814 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋