Internal door fitting tools

First on our list of cool tools, The Winbag acts as a reusable, inflatable shim. These are great for getting a grip on heavy door slabs that would otherwise be difficult to handle. Over time, heavy doors tend to sag and need some adjusting, this company has come up with a unique solution that almost anyone can tackle.

This results in improved installation and function of doors, resulting in fewer warranty callbacks. For those of us who are perfectionists, the Trim Gauge can be a best friend when it comes to getting the perfect reveal on your next trim installation. Here are some more you might be interested in! Depending on your hinges and whether or not you want to reuse them, there are two possible approaches to this If you don't want to reuse the old hinges, or if they don't have removable pins, you'll need to not only unscrews the door from the hinges, but also the hinges from the frame.

If you have hinges with removable pins and you want to reuse them, you can save yourself some steps later by just removing the pins that hold the hinges together. This will allow you to remove the door but leave one part of the hinges attached to the door frame. Start with the top hinge and work your way down. Then, take the door down and remove the hinge parts that are affixed to it.

If the pin won't come out easily, tap it gentle from below with a hammer and screwdriver. Measure the door opening. Using a measuring tape, measure the height and width of the inside edge of the door opening and saddle board.

If the doorway is in place where there is a transition between different types of flooring and the floor is of two different heights, measure the high side, as this may necessitate trimming the bottom of the door more. Purchase a door. Find a door you like that is close in size to your opening. You will be trimming the door, so you don't need to worry about it being exactly the right size.

Part 2. Mark the door for trimming. Use a pencil to apply the measurements equally on both sides of the door so as not to take too much off one side.

Repeat this process for the top and bottom. Doing all the trimming on one side is is bad practice and may result in the door looking wider on one side than the other. A good rule of thumb would be to allow a 2mm gap on the two sides and top and allow a gap of 8mm between the saddle board and the bottom of the door.

It should fit as specified above, except that that the large gap will be at the top. Trim the door. Score your pencil marks with a utility knife to prevent the wood from splintering. Then, use a circular saw and cut off the excess wood, using a straightedge to guide the saw. Bevel the edges of the door two to three degrees where it hits the stop so the door will clear the jamb smoothly. Check to see if the door fits.

Place the door into the frame and see if it fits. Remember there should be a gap of 2mm about the width of a nickel around the sides and top and a gap of 8mm on the bottom. An easy way to check the top and bottom is to sit the door on the floor. If the door does not meet these requirements the further planing is required. Part 3. Mark the hinge positions on the frame. If using new hinges, check to see if they will fit in the spaces where the old hinges were.

If they don't, rest them so the bottom lines up with the old hinge mortises recesses , and mark the door frame along the top of the hinge. Mark out your hinges on the door. The easiest way to do do this, if the old door was a good fit, is to lay the new door on top of the old door so the edges are flush. Then, line up a combination square with the old door's hinge mortises and transfer their locations to the new door, marking the edges with a utility knife.

If you are replacing an old door you should refit the hinges so they are facing the same way as the old one. If the old door was not a good fit or is too different in size from the new door, place the new door in the frame and use shims around the edges to set it in place.

Then, using the mortises in the frame, mark the door where the hinge mortises will need to be made in order to line up. Cut hinge mortises. Lay a protective pad on the floor and support the door on its side. Then carefully extract the surplus wood from the door until you have reached the required thickness. Then, make a series of closely spaced cuts that are about as deep as the thickness of the hinge.

Finally, hold the chisel at a low angle with its beveled face flat against the wood and lightly tap the chisel with the hammer, chipping away the wood in small pieces. Create a mortise and holes for your lock and door handle. Create a mortise for the plate around the latch on your door using the technique described above.

Follow the instructions that came with your door handle. Screw on the hinges. Set the hinge into the mortise and use and centering punch to make starting divots for the screws. Then, screw the hinges to the door and ensure the hinges and the screw heads are flush.

In this case, attach the other side of the hinge to the door frame, and proceed to the next step. Otherwise, skip to step two of the next section.

If not, mark on where new ones will sit and chisel away the extra wood. Screw each hinge in place with one centre screw. The hinge knuckle should stick out from the frame edge. Prop the door in the door frame using wedges to ensure correct gap at the bottom. Mark where the top and bottom of the hinges sit on the door. Draw around the hinge. Chisel out the middle to the same depth as hinge flap.

Check hinge fits flush and fix with one centre screw per hinge. Hold the latch against the drill bit and mark the depth of the latch on the drill bit using masking tape.

Drill into the door to the depth indicated by the tape. Chisel out any remaining debris.