Question on Door Adjustment

[Oldfast]

Doors are finicky little creatures.

Expanding in the summer + Contracting in the winter = year round annoyance. lol

With most of the doors I've made adjustments to, I've been able to find that
'happy medium' that allows the door to function well throughout the seasons.
But once in a while I find a door that just seems to want attention twice a year.

I'd love to hear from some of you experienced folks who've probably done hundreds.
Maybe there's an optimal time/temperature in which to make the adjustments? Or a
certain way to go about it regardless of when you do it? How do we find balance?

Maybe some homes and how they were built or shift
simply won't allow for a year round trouble free door?

[Altashot]

What exactly is the problem Mike?

M.

[mdc5150]

Mike the optimum is to put on new hinges. If you have to adjust then just trying to get the door as centered as possible is the only thing you can do.

I did a post on hinge adjustment once I don't know if it will help. Weather isn't the only factor by the way, over time doors will sag from weight alone.

viewtopic.php?f=58&t=9281&hilit=hinge+adjustment

[flywheel]

This is easy.
Oldfast, remove all but one deadbolt. You might need to replace the hinges also. They have probably been deformed from all the extra weight.

[Oldfast]

What exactly is the problem Mike?

Well, I was kinda hoping for some generalized thoughts/answers. But given the wide variety of
problems that can occur with a door... I'm realizing that's a rather stupid request on my part. lol

The one that prompted this post though is a friend of mine. I've been to his place twice over the
last couple years... both times it was bolt misalignment (vertically). He just called again but
didn't give much detail. Lemme pay him a visit and I'll come back with some specifics.

Mike the optimum is to put on new hinges. If you have to adjust then just trying to get the door as centered as possible is the only thing you can do.

I did a post on hinge adjustment once I don't know if it will help. Weather isn't the only factor by the way, over time doors will sag from weight alone.

http://www.keypicking.com/viewtopic.php ... adjustment

Thanks Matt. I did come across that in my search. And yes, it's helpful.
There's just so many things that cause problems with a door. Friends & family mistake me
for a locksmith all the time, lol. I'm happy to tryn' help, but honestly doors are not my thing.

I'm usually quick to point out the difference between a locksmith & a lock picker. lol
And with that being clear, I then say "but I'll see what I can do". I'll continue posting
here in the future as I come across various problems in hopes of learning a little.

This is easy.
Oldfast, remove all but one deadbolt. You might need to replace the hinges also. They have probably been deformed from all the extra weight.

You referring to THIS door?! haha!

[hawk-lock]

This really isn't a great answer to your question. There can be so many variables as to why a door needs adjusted, whether it is heavy usage/abuse, weather/seasonal issues, poor installation, poor quality, etc. I am amazed at how many lock issues I have fixed with simple hinge adjustments. My hinge tools (Hinge Doctor by GKL) are invaluable. They make you look like a genius, especially when you walk into a call with a trouble door that the maintenance guy has been fighting for months and you fix it in about two minutes.

I have two doors in my house that drive me crazy. This house is close to 100 years old and it moves throughout the year. One door is on the bathroom and it tends to move because of humidity changes. After multiple adjustments over several years, I have finally got it to where it will latch properly for most of the year. A couple years ago, I thought I was going to get shot by my wife (that has happened on more than one occasion). I was fit to be tied trying to get the bathroom door to latch. We were about 1/2 an hour from having a bunch of guests over for supper and I go walking through the kitchen carrying the bathroom door. It went out to the shop for a trim, and worked great afterward, but my timing wasn't great. One of our exterior doors is problematic and I am sure that it is because of inadequate footings under that portion of the house. As the ground moves due to freezing and thawing, that wall and door move. We had a drought a couple years ago and I noticed that that door changed positions when the ground was extremely dry.

Like I said, I haven't answered your question well, but I thought I would throw in a few experiences.

[Papa Gleb]

Great thread Oldfast.

Can anyone show or explain how this Hinge Doctor works? I have seen it many times but my brain can not come up with how to logically use it.

[hawk-lock]

Great thread Oldfast.

Can anyone show or explain how this Hinge Doctor works? I have seen it many times but my brain can not come up with how to logically use it.

It's a really simple concept. The tool is used when the top of the door is sagging. The gap at the top of the door on the hinge side will be significantly larger than the gap at the bottom. When you examine the hinge you will see that the flat portions are bent and have a gap in between them, as opposed to when they are new and will lay flat against each other. The problems usually show up as the door dragging on frame, or more often, the latches dropping lower than the opening in the strike which causes the door not to latch. The tool slips over the top of the hinge and when you open the door, the hinge gets bound (close to the pin), then the flat portions get slightly bent apart (right next to the pin section of the hinge) which in turn brings the flat plates of the hinge closer together and consequently the door gets closer to the frame. Clear as mud? Envision pinching the hinge together right between the pin portion of the hinge and the door. Then when the door opens and you force against the bind, you bend the flat portions of the hinge. To add some gap between your hinge you would do the opposite by placing a skinny piece of rod between the flats of the hinge and then force the door closed.

20150126_152916_resized.jpg

[Altashot]

I use a hinge tweaker.
http://www.hingetweaker.com/reseller/index.html

Sometimes one has no choice but to enlarge the strikes holes, especially when the issue is seasonal and the door and/or frame move up and down.
Other times, the door is warped or the frame is not plumb and the top or bottom hit the door stop before the other, this one is hard to fix and mostly comes down to a compromise.
Either the door is easy to latch and you can feel air coming in, or it's hard to latch but it makes a good seal.
Another issue often seen on older houses is that the frame is not square, it'll rub at the bottom or the top. In a case like that, one must plane the door until it no longer rub and adjust the strikes accordingly.

There are other issues but one must diagnose it properly first in order to apply an appropriate solution.

M.

[Oldfast]

Like I said, I haven't answered your question well, but I thought I would throw in a few experiences.

Ah, but you have! Like I said, I'm really just looking for some generalized thoughts.
Thanks for the recommendation of the Hinge Doc along with the explanation.
I too have heard of it many times... but never really understood it. Now I do.

Altashot... That Hinge Tweaker also looks great. I was reading the how-to pdf.

Question: Both these tools need enough clearance to fit over & around the 'knuckles' of the hinge?
What I'm wondering: some doors have decorative trim that protrude out and along side the knuckles.
It seems like that might keep you from being able to use them? You guys ever run into that issue?
(The doors in my home are like this - I can take a photo if you don't know what I mean)

[mdc5150]

Like I said, I haven't answered your question well, but I thought I would throw in a few experiences.

Ah, but you have! Like I said, I'm really just looking for some generalized thoughts.
Thanks for the recommendation of the Hinge Doc along with the explanation.
I too have heard of it many times... but never really understood it. Now I do.

Altashot... That Hinge Tweaker also looks great. I was reading the how-to pdf.

Question: Both these tools need enough clearance to fit over & around the 'knuckles' of the hinge?
What I'm wondering: some doors have decorative trim that protrude out and along side the knuckles.
It seems like that might keep you from being able to use them? You guys ever run into that issue?
(The doors in my home are like this - I can take a photo if you don't know what I mean)

Mike I run into this all the time with the trim. I just did a job that would have normally just tweaked the hinge a little, ended up replacing them and shimming instead.

The other thing you have to look at is being sure that you use the right hinge doctor. You don't want to use the institutional one on 4.5" x 4.5" hinges because you will damage the door. Same for the commercial hinge doctor if you use it on a residential door.

[hawk-lock]

I run into the trim issue also. It is not so common on heavy duty commercial doors with steel frames, but anything that has wood trim around the door can be an issue. At that point you have to decide if it is easier to pull the door off and adjust or replace the hinges, or take the trim off and adjust the hinges. I have done both. I keep finish nails and a nail hole filler kit on the truck. The filler Kit has four different colors of a hard, waxy compound that you push into the nail hole and then just scrape it off even with the face of the trim. I was very skeptical about it at first, but thought that I would give it a shot. It is really fast and looks surprisingly good. In most of the cases where I have used it, the holes that I am filling are less noticeable than the ones that were there originally.

[Papa Gleb]

Very clear . Thanks much

[Oldfast]

Very clear . Thanks much

I agree Thanks guys

I'll probably pay my friend a visit next week &
maybe have a new scenario to troubleshoot.

[Oldfast]

Ok. My previously mentioned friend with the troublesome door....
Turns out he's got a much bigger problem than adjusting his door.

The valley in his roof, which happens to be directly over his front door, has a leak.
Looking from the outside at the trim above his door, we noticed the paint was peeling.

We climbed up in the attic. Water had stained the wood and you could clearly see the
path it took during the summer. It runs along the underside of the roof along the valley
straight to the fascia, then down (right above the door). This explains why the door and
the frame around it would fluctuate more than usual.

Anyway, thought I'd just let you guys know what I found out.

I am VERY MUCH enjoying some of your guys' random/generalized thoughts
on doors, the problems that can arise, and the different fixes you've found useful.
KEEP 'EM COMING PLEASE