How To Bend Hinge To Open Gap On Door

Repeat the test while watching each hinge for movement.

How to bend hinge to open gap on door.

Clearance clearance is best described as the gap between the door and the frame or jamb with the door in the fully open position. Unscrew the top door hinge and add the other 2 cardboard cutouts. To adjust hinges so that a door will fit better in a jamb and maybe eliminate scraping on the head or the strike jamb i bend hinges. Check to see the door stays open and that it still shuts properly.

Loose hinges are caused by screws in the door or the door jamb losing their grip. This is the distance the edge of the hinge is set back from the door face. Use a hinge leaf as a template to make a cardboard shim that you can slip behind the leaf. Close the hinge side gap by bending the knuckles.

Then screw the top door hinge back in place over the cardboard like you did with the bottom hinge. If a hinge leaf is recessed below the surface of the jamb or the door edge the door will not close well and the hinge will bend when you close it. That means the swag or bend in a hinge is never identical from one hinge to the next. And that means the gap between the hinge leaves varies just a little which can have an impact on the fit of your doors.

Now that both door hinges are slightly raised by the pieces of cardboard the gap between your door and the frame should be smaller. If you feel play in the door one or more hinges are loose. To check for loose hinges open the door a few inches then grip the latch side edge of the door and lift up. This will leave a little gap where the hinge was chopped in.

To shrink a gap on the latch side hold the head of a nail set between the leaves and gently close the door. If the door swings open on its own unscrew the bottom hinge and the middle hinge if it has one. Set an open ended adjustable wrench also called a crescent wrench just larger than the hinge knuckle. This will close the gap.

Getting back to your question of how to adjust gaps once a door is hung i learned a hinge leaf bending trick from a gary katz article long ago hanging a new door in an old jamb aug 1999. Remove the hinge pin and bend the door side knuckles toward the door handle. Hinge backset while not part of the hinge itself it s important to know this dimension for your hinge size calculations.