Is it possible to switch a door so it can swing the opposite way?

Question

Can you do it with the existing hardware and just change the positon of the door or do you have to buy new hardware also?

Answer 1

no new hardware. most of the work is on the wood door and jamb.

option one: if you want to pull the door and jamb and turn it 180 degrees that'll change it with almost no repairs. if that solve the swing issue.

option 2: if you are reusing the door and jamb to relocate to other side of jamb and swing the other way, you need to remove hinges from jamb and door and re cut mortises for them on other side of jamb. on the door you can complete the mortise on the door [cut the little 3/8" wide piece of wood] and reverse the hinges [note: keep the hinge pins pointing up] to other side of door. on lockset all you should need to do is reverse the latch [you'll have to remove knobs and latch screws to pull latch] once you have set door cut dutchmen, wood patches over the old mortises on the jamb and glue in place, sand them smooth and finish to match.

word of caution: some doors have a lockset edge bevel that does NOT allow for option 2

this option is a time consuming job and not really a D-I-Y type thing. I've seen "carpenters" with years of experience pass on the job. cutting and fitting the dutchmen over the old mortises is not that a beginner's job.

Answer 2

If you change the swing of the door to swing opposite what you have now, in other worde the door will still open toward you or away from you but the hinges will be on the opposite side, just flip the door and remount the hinges to the opposite side of the door jamb, the hinge parts that are mounted to the door also need to be flipped,as does the latch or door knob, then re mount the strike plate, that's the part of the lock that holds the door shut, to the old hinge side of jamb. Depending on the thickness of the door ie.if the door is thicker than the depth of the hinge you will need some wood filler at the hinges, also on the old hinge location on the jamb, and the old strike location. If the door opens toward you and you want it to swing away simply flip the hinges on the door, flip the hinge on the jamb and either move it toward the inside or outside depending on the swing direction, also relocate the strike inward or outward, remove and flip door knob, but for this kind of operation the door stop ie. the small piece of wood that stops the door from swinging through the hinge must be removed and reinstalled for the new operation. Either way the answer is yes you can use the existing hardware but no matter which swing you change wood filling is necessary. It sounds a lot more difficul than it actually is, just time consuming, just bear in mind that most of the time in an older home if you change the door swing some trimming or sanding may be necessary as nothing is as level or as plumb as it was originally. Measure twice, cut once. Good luck.

Answer 3

Yes. It's possible to switch the door so it can swing the opposite way.
My rooms door used swings the opposite way because the people that built my house accidentally switched the door the way they were supposed to.
Now i got my door the right way because i called a builder and he switched it the right way.

Answer 4

You can do it with the same hardware. Just go to the door and open it from the inside...and you will see that you will have to take the hinges off so that the hinge pins will be on the other side(outside) and you may need to recut the hinge set on the other side of the door stop, It depends on your door casing as well. If it is a flat board with a strip nailed down the middle that is easier to change than one that has a lip routered out.. You got alot of stuff to swap around in any case.

Answer 5

I would certainly tell you that you can do it. I will certainly tell you not to even start. You can buy complete door frame assemblies, door included, for 60 bucks or so and up, and it is easier to rip the old door out and do that. It does nto appear that anyone has answered concerning the holes that will be in the door where the knob assemblies are, you are going to have to fill those us with somethnig and then redrill the other side. I am in process of installing 3 entrance doors in my house and all three can be installed in less than a day

Answer 6

My Grandpa says you can switch a door to swing the opposite way.

Answer 7

yes & no

no you can't just flip the door ( you can but it will bind ) it is cut to operate in this jamb swinging this way... if you mount the hinges to the open side, it is beveled & now the hinges will make it bind!

if you pull the trim & cut out the jamb & flip the entire unit, no problem, except the swing may not work, or work better!!!

Answer 8

Most of the time if is an interior door you can do it with the same hardware and sometimes on a exterior door but yes it can be done!

Answer 9

Yes you can use the same hardware to switch the door...

Answer 10

reverse the hinges, reverse the lock assy, reinstall the striker on the opposite side.