How to Hang an Interior Door into an Existing Jamb

Installing a door in an existing jamb is a simple task and can be done by anyone with a proper set of tools. If the door to be affixed is a replacement door, it is recommended that previous holes in the jamb are covered with putty and smoothed with the help of a trowel before moving forward.

If you are however installing the door in an existing jamb which has not been used before, there is no extra preparation needed for the job. If there is somebody present with you to help, well and good, but the task can be done individually as well and it hardly takes about an hour of your time.

Instructions

  • 1

    Fix the hinges to the door with the help of wooden screws and a screw driver. Make sure that you tighten them well because the entire load of the door will be resting on these hinges.

    The quantity of hinges attached is decided on the weight and size of the door, but as a rule of the thumb, there should be a minimum of 5 hinges present for any type of door. Locate the center of the door with the help of a measuring tape and install the center hinge.

  • 2

    Move about 6 inches in the upper direction and mark the door with a pencil. Fix the second hinge there and similarly move 6 inches below the center hinge and attach another hinge there. Depending on the size of the door keep following the 6 inch rule till there is not enough room to place another hinge. Make sure that the hinges are fixed in way that will fold flat and fix in their said place when you rotate the door.

  • 3

    Open all hinges on the door. Make the door stand along the jamb and use a screw driver to attach one screw in the top most hinge. Ask your helper to hold the door for a minute or two till you fix one screw in every hinge of the jamb.

  • 4

    Level is the most important perimeter and it should be maintained or the door may look odd or out of sorts.

  • 5

    Use shims to hold the door in place till you tighten the screws to satisfaction. Remove the shims and close the door to check whether it fits completely or not. If the door does not settle perfectly, realign the hinges a little bit. If the door has locked in perfect, attach all screws and tighten them hard.

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