How to Mortise Hinges on a Standard Interior Door
When installing interior doors, you may have to mortise the doors to accept the hinges. Although some replacement doors come with a pre-made mortise, most solid wood door blanks do not. The mortise enables the hinge leaf to sit flush with the door rather than on top of the door. You can mortise hinges yourself with a sharp wood chisel. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Tape measure
- Awl or utility knife
- 1-1/4-inch wood chisel
- Hammer
- Medium-grit sandpaper
Instructions
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1
Measure where you will install the hinge on the door. If you are replacing a door, measure the old mortise location and mark the location on the new door. This way, you can reuse the mortise that is in the existing door jamb. Measure 5 inches from the top of the door for the upper hinge if this is a new application. Bottom hinges are usually 10 inches from the bottom of the door.
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2
Position the hinge leaf on the edge of the door at the hinge location mark. Use an awl or utility knife to trace the outline of the hinge onto the door. You also will need to trace the recess depth. Position the end of the hinge directly beside the location so that you are butting the hinge end to the door. With the hinge even with the door, trace under the hinge with a utility knife to make the depth mark.
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3
Hold a wood chisel at a 45-degree angle on the tracing mark with the beveled side pointing to the inside of the tracing. Tap the chisel with a hammer until the chisel cuts down to the depth mark on the side.
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4
Lift up the chisel and move it 1/4 inch forward and tap with the hammer. Continue scoring the hinge area on the door every 1/4 inch until you score the entire area.
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5
Move the chisel to the side of the door and begin chiseling out the debris, starting at the depth mark. Tap on the end of the chisel with the hammer and the scored debris will pop out of the mortise area.
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6
Sand the mortise area with a medium-grit sandpaper to make it smooth.
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Tips & Warnings
You can add shims between the hinge and the mortise if you accidentally cut the mortise too deep.
