It took almost all afternoon to get this door on. This house is very old and my dad was no carpenter, so things are not level everywhere, including the opening for the door. I inhearited this old house from my dad who died over a year ago. I keep fixing small things. Its like a giagantic money monster here.
The new door is very tight and he shimmed stuff in to level it up. Now it is so tight I have to shove on the door to get it to close. He said it will loosen up over time. Is he telling me the truth or is this a botched job?
2007-08-01 13:37:03 · 6 answers · asked by happydawg 6 in Home & Garden ➔ Do It Yourself (DIY)
Botched job. Call him back or get someone else.
2007-08-01 13:58:53 · answer #1 · answered by hotdogseeksbun 6 · 0⤊ 2⤋
A door should work properly from the beginning. Without seeing it or more info I would say to try removing one of the short screws on the jamb side of the hinge. Make sure that it is one of the screws farthest from the door. Then replace them with a longer screw with the same sized head. This will pull the door away from the latch side of the jamb if there is not too much shimming involved. It depends on where the door is rubbing as to where you need to concentrate the adjustment. For instance if the door is rubbing on ther top of the door then pulling the bottom hinge will pull the top corner down also. If it is rubbing on the side upper the adjusting the top hings will help. Try to adjust the door so that the reveal or gap between the door and the jamb is uniform on both sides and even across the top. If the door is dragging on the bottom then you may just need to adjust the threshold. There should be 4 plugs that you can remove and find screws to adjust the threshold up and down for a proper fit. Hope this helps, If you need further assistance drop me a line.
2007-08-01 21:01:17 · answer #2 · answered by Beneplacitum 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
go to hardware store and get a handheld manual lathe, with the mesh looking stuff, not the sharp blade (sorry don't know the real name)Sand/rub it back and forth over the door top and sides, working a little at a time and testing the door closing. There might be some uneven areas that are sticking and this will help. It did on my sticking doors.
Make sure the door latch is screwed in right and not sticking out in the way. NOr any weatherstriping at the bottom dragging.
good luck
2007-08-01 20:48:51 · answer #3 · answered by sreshowtime 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
I would take it down and use a hand wood plane, assuming your door is wood to remove enough to make it easier to close.
However, I truly believe it would have been to your benefit to rip out the doorway and put up a new one that is level and plum. I also would have sealed that wood to help prevent it from picking up moisture and altering the doorway any time soon. This would make it much easier to put in a door, and have the door level.
In your case, maybe a doorjam that is not as high as the current one will help to make it easier to close. If not then maybe you can use a router to make your own, less height between the door and the floor of the doorway / doorjam.
2007-08-02 00:30:57 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
call a handyman and have him trim the door down with a circular saw. if the frame is out of square, you have to cut the door to match or put in a whole new frame.
2007-08-01 21:15:49 · answer #5 · answered by Jack the Toad 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes. mine did.
2007-08-01 22:39:49 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋