Fitting Instructions – How to hang a door

1. Measure the diagonals of the door frame to assess whether the opening is square and to determine how much will have to be taken off the door. Ideally there should be a maximum 5 mm clearance at the bottom and 3 mm clearance on the other three sides. If it is necessary to reduce the width, take equal amounts of not more than 6mm from the bottom and top of flush doors. To reduce the height of framed or panel doors, a reduction of up to 25 mm should be taken off the bottom only.
   
   
2. Before fitting door furniture, don't forget to paint or seal the top and bottom edges of the door after trimming to size, as well as all other areas where end grain is exposed. For glazed doors, rebates and glazing beads must be painted prior to fitting glass, and a putty or mastic should be used between the glass and rebate wall and glass and glazing bead.
   
   
3. Fit the door in the opening and wedge it in position.
   
   
4. Mark the hinge positions on the door edge with a pencil (for solid doors three hinges should be fitted). Remove the door and extend the marks onto the door edge, or door frame if necessary.
   
   
5. Trace the outline of the hinge on the door and on the jamb with a pencil. Score the hinge outlines with a chisel.
   
   
6. Cut the recess into the door and jamb, making sure that the installed hinge is exactly flush with the edge of the door. The screw holes should be marked with a centre punch and drilled.
   
   
7. Cut out the hinge recesses. To prevent the door binding, make sure that the recesses are slightly deeper on the inside of the frame so that the hinge will not be completely closed when the door is closed. The recesses should be the same depth as the thickness of the hinge from the knuckle of the hinge. The knuckle itself should project from the door frame and door. It is best to mark the depth of the hinges with a marking gauge in order to get the same depth for each of the hinges.
   
   
8. When the hinges have been correctly positioned they can be screwed in tightly.
   
   
9. Three hinges should be fitted to doors weighing more than 20 kg, and on all doors where large differences in humidity or temperature on opposing faces are to be expected, for example on bathrooms and airing cupboards.
   
   

Article courtesy of the Natal Witness, October 2011