How to Remove a Door from Its Hinges

Removing a door from its hinges.

There is a good reason that door hinges are exposed on the interior side of the door, as opposed to the exterior side. If they were exposed on the exterior side, it would be easy for anyone to remove the door from the hinges and gain access to the building. One person can usually remove a door from its hinges, yet the process is much easier if there are two people. There are many different types of hinges. The following steps are how to remove a typical house door from its hinges.

Things You'll Need

• Hammer Pointy tool (such as a Philips screwdriver) or large nail

Instructions

1. Look at your door's hinges. A typical door has three hinges. Notice how each hinge has three parts. One side of the hinge is screwed onto the door and one side of the hinge is screwed onto the door frame. These two parts fit together snugly, like a puzzle, and a third part, which resembles a long nail, slips down through the two parts and holds them together. This secures the door to the door frame.

2. Place the pointy tool or large nail at the bottom of the hinge, at the opening where the hinge nail has been inserted. Use the hammer to gently tap the tool, thus pushing the door nail up and out of the hinge.

3. Allow the two puzzle-like hinge pieces in each hinge to remain connected, while you remove the door nail from each hinge. If the hinge pieces disconnect, the door will slip into a awkward angle.

4. Lift the door from the hinges and away from the door frame. This is much easier with two people.

Tips & Warnings

• Removing a door from its hinges does not mean removing the hinge part (which is screwed onto the door) from the door. To do this, simply remove the screws and this piece of the hinge can be removed. Paint may needed to be pried from the area to complete the task.