One of the doors inside my house will not stay stationary when it is open. If it has not been closed properly it will swing into the fully open position. This is a royal pain as it is one of the kitchen doors and bangs into anyone standing at the bench.
Now clearly the door is not hanging straight but how can I work out which way it is sloping - top in, bottom out or vice versa. I have a long spirit level but this does not help as the tilt is apparently very slight.
Secondly, having sorted out which way it is titling can I straighten it?
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Top hinge too far "out", or bottom hinge too far "in".
What sort of door is it?
Last edited by: FotheringtonTomas on Thu 9 Sep 10 at 14:02
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>> Top hinge too far "out", or bottom hinge too far "in".
>>
>> What sort of door is it?
Probably. If the tilt is so slight you cant see it on a spirit level ( I am suprised if its that slight it shouldnt move) then cut cardboard (single ply as in cornflakes box) to fit between bottom hinge and door frame. YOu can use several sheets if one is not enough, and the screws drive nicely through the cardboard into the woodwork.
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My best answer based on theory and playing with a sheet of ply is that you need to move the bottom hinge out away from the door stop ( not out from the frame by packing). Moving the top hinge in towards the door stop will only work if you have sufficient clearance.
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After posting the above I remembered I had a door with the same habit as the OP.
So I went and put my theory into practice. Worked a treat.
Packing the top hinge will also help but may require trimming the door to get it to close.
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Last edited by: Zero on Thu 9 Sep 10 at 16:09
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And there was me composing a post telling you why I thought you were wrong! :-)
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I realised it all depends on why the door is moving. It can be caused by many out of line situations.
Its easier to try the cardboard first, as moving hinges a couple of mm is a pita due to the existing screw holes.
YOu can simulate moving the hinges in any plane by putting cardboard behind the ones on the frame or the door itsself.
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As regards those screw holes. Buy a box of those thick Cooking Matches (I think that's what they are called). Bit of wood glue. Hammer into the existing hole and you are ready to drill/screw again.
Screwfix do a very natty tool for little money. Basically it centres the hinge hole and the drill goes in square.
Last edited by: Fullchat on Thu 9 Sep 10 at 17:45
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You could try plastic wedges (strips of old credit cards) slid into the gaps between the screws by simply loosening the hinge without actually removing the hinge. The screws need to be long enough though.
Last edited by: Dulwich Estate on Thu 9 Sep 10 at 19:06
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....or buy a door wedge and have a cup of tea instead.
:-)
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.....Put an extra layer of underlay under the carpet where the door opens.
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A rubber bungee......I use one at he top of the workshop door. keeps it shut so it doesn't bang in the wind but I can push the door and get out without having to mess with bolts and things.
Ted
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Or spend a bit more and use one of these.
tinyurl.com/3yvyslp
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Have the house underpinned :(
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Welll, thanks for all the advice guys. I can report that a nice cup of tea and a biscuit did not sort it out so I'll be getting busy with the cardboard slivers. The door has 3 hinges: is it iwrth packing out the middle one as well?
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You need to move the hinges the other way, i.e. imagine that you're grasping the bottom of the close door and pulling the whole thing towards you. You ought to re-position two of the three hinges.
If you want to pack out the hinges as you describe, cut out appropriately-sized pieces of packing (same as sinking for hinge in door/frame), and use two at the bottom and one in the middle, to keep the knuckles of the hinges in line.
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I'm mystified by the responses here. Clearly the problem is that the door - when "closed" has gravitational potential energy that it can get rid of by opening. i.e. the open position is lower than the closed. I do not see why moving the top/bottom hinges in/out should make any difference.
If you stand facing the hinge, with the door edge pointing towards you, then (depending on which way it swings) either the top of the door is to the left of, or the right of, the bottom of the door.
So you need to take out the screws from the bottom hinge (much easier than the top) and move them to the right/left - having packed the holes with matchsticks.
Looking forward to finding out why people think I am wrong.
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"having packed the holes with matchsticks."
Don't give BobbyG any daft ideas
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>> "having packed the holes with matchsticks."
Because its easier to pack the appropriate part of the hinge (door or frame) than pack the holes with matches and dril new ones.
You, being a tight git, should appreciate that lack of effort and lack of expense of matches.
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Yes, it's the wisdom of showing Bobby new ways to burn down his house that's in question
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>> If you stand facing the hinge, with the door edge pointing towards you, then (depending
>> on which way it swings) either the top of the door is to the left
>> of, or the right of, the bottom of the door.
That's what I said, in different words, I thought.
>> having packed the holes with matchsticks
Not matchsticks, though. Shave down a piece of kindling or something, annoint it and the hole with "araldite rapid" or similar, and knock that in - then trim.
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no good for matchmaker, his dowling is 5 foot long.
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FT:That's what I said, in different words, I thought.
Err, as I'm standing, looking at the thin edge of the door, you want the bottom to be brought towards my legs. I want the bottom to be moved to the left or the right. Which is why I want to move the screw holes, but you want to push the door out?
In my view the door's problem is that it is hinged not vertically, but off vertical. The extreme is a leaf of a drop-leaf table, which goes up and down (obvious how the GPE is in play there).
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>> (snip) Which is why I want to move the screw holes, but you want to push the door out?
"i.e. imagine that you're grasping the bottom of the close(d) door and pulling the whole thing towards you" - what you said, different words. I gave 'im both versions, just in case.
>> In my view the door's problem is that it is hinged not vertically, but off
>> vertical.
It could be both, but like you I think that the "move screw holes" is most likely. I wonder whether it's an old door, or a newly-fitted one.
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I hope they're not rising butt hinges or we've all been wasting our time.
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Maybe they're rising butt hinges put in upside down. ;-)
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Door question - DIY - FotheringtonTomas
