As We Age, Everything Sags (Sagging Doors)

As our houses age we often start to have issues with our interior and exterior doors closing correctly.  Most of the time the sympton that arises is the door will start to sag and the top corner on the latch side starts to rub against the jamb.

The reason this occurs, the manufacturers of the hinges only supply 3/4″ long screws to attach the door to the jamb.  Over time, the weight of the door will cause the door to sag and the jamb to bow. 

The solution to the problem with an interior door is to remove one or two of these 3/4″ screws that attach the hinge to the door jamb and replace it with a longer wood screw.   It is important to use either a battery operated or corded drill with a screw tip to accomplish this.  If it is only the top corner of the door that is rubbing against the latch side of the jamb, then you will only need to adjust the top hinge. 

The first step would be take the drill and remove two of the existing interior hinge screws.  These two screws are located on the inside side of the hinge.  Next, insert a minimum of a 2 1/2″ (or larger) wood screw into these holes and use the drill to screw them in.  A good amount of force will be required to drive the screw into the framwork around the door.  Becareful not to overtighten the screw as the screw head may break off or the screw will lose its grip (stripping)  it inside the wood.  The purpose of installing the longer screw is to pull the hinge and the jamb closer to the surrounding door framework.   This should now alleviate the door from rubbing against the jamb. 

If the door still rubs against the latch side of the door jamb in the middle or the bottom, use the same above steps for the middle and bottom hinge.

If it is an exterior door that has the issue, use the following two methods.  If your home is wood framed, you can use wood screws similiar to the example above for interior doors.  If your home is constructed of concrete block, you will need to use masonry screws (special screw that screws into concrete).  Prior to installing the masonry screw into the hinge, you will need to pre-drill the hole with a masonry drill bit.  A masonry drill bit has a different tip then a wood drill bit.  When you purchase the masonry screws from your local hardware store, it will specify the size of the masonry drill bit that will needed.  Some packages of masonry screws come with a masonry drill bit. 

Follow these steps and your doors will be closing as easily as the day they were installed.

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The Squeak That Woke the Baby (Squeaky Door Hinges)

Here is the situation that I was in the other day that was the inspiration to this post. 

I often have my daughter in the office with me and of course on these days it is very difficult to get work related items completed.  She had been fussy all morning long and I was anticipating/hoping that she would fall asleep so I could get some things done.  She finally started to rub her eyes and I knew that we were getting close to complete shutdown of the eyelids.  Finally, it happened, she was out!  Across the hall is a room we designated as a nursery, I laid her down gently in order to not disturb here.  With a sense of relief, I backed my way out of the room, grabbed the door knob and then it happened.  My attempts of getting any work done were gone in a split second as the door hinge let out a squeak.  The squeak was immediately followed by a loud cry and when I looked over my daughter was wide awake.  At this time, I wanted to rip the door off the wall but vowed that the squeaky hinge would never happen again.

The Solution to a squeaky hinge is very simple.  Most of the time, I would have used WD-40, which most of us keep on hand in our garage.   The best way to use this product for this application is to attach the can’s straw to the nozzle and spray the top and middle of the hinge.  This will allow you to focus the spray on the hinge and reduce the chance of overspray.  After spraying the hinge, swing the door back and forth to work the WD-40 into the hinge.  Gravity will also help you.  Repeat if needed. 

Now in my particular situation with it being the Nursery, I did not want to use the WD-40 due to its caustic fumes.   My Baby Safe Solution was to go into the kitchen and grab the bottle of olive oil.  I poured a little in my hand and worked it into the hinge.  The olive oil acts as a natural lubricant.

The olive oil has currently alleviated the squeak, the true test will be tomorrow when my daughter is in the office with me.

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The Dog Ate My Door Casing (Replacing Door Casing)

I have been recently asked to give some instruction to replace a piece of door casing that has been damaged by a pet. 

Audrey, I have been there and am still doing that.  The family Boxer (George) keeps locking himself in the Bathroom and as a result, we keep a spare piece of door casing in the garage. 

Tools that you will need:  Hammer, Tape Measure, Sharp Utility Knife, Electric Mitre Saw (option: mitre box & hand saw), Nail Punch, Chisel or Flat Head Screw Driver. 

Materials that you will need: Piece of Door Casing $10.00 (match to existing), Finish Nails $5.00 (have to purchase a box), Tube of Caulk $2.00 (Latex), Caulk Gun $4.00, Wood Filler $4.00

 

1. Using the sharp utility knife you will need to cut the caulk on either side of the casing.  This will help free up the casing from both the wall and the door jamb.  This is a very important step and should not be skipped.  By skipping this step, as you proceed to remove the casing, the caulk can pull part of the painted drywall paper from the drywall board resulting in a drywall repair (that is another blog post).



2. Once the caulk lines are cut, use the Hammer and the Chisel (preferred) or flat head screw driver to remove the casing from the wall and door jamb.  I recommend starting at the very bottom.  To do this insert the head of the Chisel between the casing and the door jamb.  Do not try removing the casing by inserting the Chisel in between the casing and the drywall, due to damaging the drywall.  Use the Hammer to gently tap the Chisel in between the casing and the door jamb.  As the Chisel proceeds between the two, gently pry the casing from the jamb and wall.  As the casing starts to come away from the wall and jamb, work you way up, keeping a close eye on any areas that the caulk was not completely cut away.  When you get to the top of the casing, there is a good chance that the casing was nailed into the header casing.  This is the piece of casing that goes over the top of the door.  If it is nailed, carefully separate the two as to not damage the mitred edge of the header casing. 



3. Break off a piece of the damaged casing and take it to your local Building Supply Store (Lowes, Home Depot, etc.) to match up the profile.  The profile is the shape and width of the casing.  Purchase this piece of casing in either a 7′ or 8′ length.  If your door casing is painted it is always best to purchase a pre-primed piece, this will have a white appearance in the store. 
4. I recommend to Home Improvement Novices when cutting casing, start with the difficult cut first.  In this case, use either the Electric Mitre Saw (if you have one) or a Mitre Box and Saw.  The corner where the side casing and the header casing meet is 90 degrees.  The header casing has already bisected this angle and was previously cut to 45 degrees.  As a result you will need to cut the new side door casing to 45 degrees.  Carefully make the cut.   Now measure from the top of the header door casing to the floor, note the measurement.  Now measure the same measurement on your new casing starting from the tip of the casing that you just mitred.  Mark the measurement.  With your saw make the straight cut (90 degree) that will be the bottom of the casing that goes against the floor.



5. Once you cut the casing put it in place and make sure that it fits properly, mostly ensuring that the two angles (header and side) casing meet closely.  Using the Finish Nails, start from the top and nail the trim to the wall.  DO NOT nail too closely to the edge of the casing as it may/will split the casing.  If you have to nail the casing to the door jamb, use a very small finish nail.  I recommend 4 to 5 finish nails to hold the casing properly in place.  With a Nail Punch and Hammer, drive the finish nails just below the surface of the casing.  If you don’t have a Nail Punch, use a larger nail to accomplish this. 
6. Now that the casing is installed, fill the nail holes with wood filler.  Using the tube of caulk and caulk gun, apply a bead of caulk to both sides of the casing where it meets the drywall and door jamb.  Use your finger to tool the caulk in place and wipe away any excess.  When the wood filler dries, gently sand down any excess to ensure a smooth surface. 



7. Once the caulk is completely dry, paint it!
8. Stand back and admire your work or tear it off and call Iosa Construction to finish it for you. 

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Choosing an Exterior Door: Metal, Wood or Fiberglass?

Are you interested in changing out an exterior door? This is a post in regards to the options that a consumer has as to the material composition of the door. There are many options, however, there are basically three to choose from: Metal; Fiberglass; and Wood.

I always recommend a Fiberglass Door to my clients for the following reasons. Metal doors are inexpensive, however, they can dent very easily and if the paint wears off, they can rust.

Wood doors can be very expensive and can eventually rot. If you are looking to stain the door and a certain wood grain is desired then it is best to purchase a wood door.

Fiberglass (composite) doors have a lot of benefits, they are very durable and will not rot on you. They can come with a wood grain look and have the ability to be stained. Please note: a stained fiberglass door will not have the variations of the grain similiar to a wood door.

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