How to Repair Door Hinges
When a door won't close correctly, the problem is often that the hinge has come loose from the door or the jamb (the border of wood on which the door hangs). You can sometimes just tighten the hinge screws, but if they're stripped or the wood is splintering, you'll have to re-set the hinge next to the current position. If the hinge has been bent or otherwise damaged by the off-kilter weight of the door, it's best to replace the hinge entirely rather than attempting to fix it, since any remaining bend to the metal will cause problems. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Power drill
- Screw driver bit
- Pilot bit
- Pencil
- Utility knife
- Hammer
- Wood chisel
- Door hinges
- Assistant
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Instructions
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1
Unscrew the hinges from the door jamb, using a power drill and screw driver bit. Take down the door. Stand it on its long front edge, so the hinged side faces up.
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2
Unscrew the hinge plate from the edge of the door and remove the hinge.
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3
Set the new hinge plate on the edge of the door, next to the space where it the old one was. Mark around the hinge plate with your pencil.
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4
Move the plate. Cut around the pencil mark with a utility knife, about 1/8th inch deep. Use a hammer and chisel to peel off the top wood layer in the marked area.
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5
Place the hinge plate back on the edge of the door, inside the cutout area. Have an assistant hold the door in the correct position, so it clears the floor on the bottom and is even around the edges. Drill pilot holes through each screw hole and into the wood. Re-load your drill with the screw driver bit and drive in the hinge screws that came with the new hinges.
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Stand the door in the opening, with the unattached flap of the hinge assembly sitting against the door jamb. Mark out the new position of the hinge plate and chisel out the area as before.
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Re-hang the door, screwing the hinge plate into the new setting, and re-installing the other hinge (or hinges) into the same spots as before.
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