My Door Is Hinge Bound

The problem is usually caused by hinge recesses cut too deep in either the door edge or in the frame.

My door is hinge bound.

This forces the door closer to the jamb at the lock edge. If one is loose remove two or more screws and try driving in longer screws. Sooner or later when the door is closed on the paper it gets trapped. In a real world they should be flush with the surface of the jamb and set in 1 and 1 2 inches.

Test the hinge on the latch side a door is cut at a slight bevel to make it easier to close. Each hinge should be shimmed equally to prevent the door from becoming hinge bound. You can usually see whether it is just one hinge or the door itself that is binding. Could be one of several problems.

Hinges binding before door fully closes barry a saw will work fine in a pinch if the door jamb is perfectly straight. The normal procedure is to scribe the door and plane to the line with a power planer preferably a porter cable model 126 spiral cutter. When the door has swelled place shims in the inner edge of the hinge mortise as shown in figure 7 6. If a door binds open it grasp the knob and lift up to see if a hinge is loose.

You can remove the screws from one side and see if the hinge closes flat then. That s where your problem is. Generally when correctly fitted the hinge flaps should be flush with the surface of the wood. You can t pull it out.

Tighten or shim hinges if door still binds on hinge side if lubricating the hinge doesn t solve the problem completely but you still suspect the hinges might be the issue try visually inspecting the door jamb and adjacent wall area for any paint or varnish from your door. Spray them liberally then open and close the door so the oil. If you can t find where the door is binding open the door and hold a sheet of paper in various places in the joint. It could be that the screws are a bit proud but more likely the hinges are simply malformed slightly such that they won t close flat.

Same on the edge. And if the hinge pins do not bend the door should then operate satisfactorily. If not it s a fairly easy task to bend it a bit if it s a standard samped sheet metal hinge and not cast. Restore a warped door to its normal shape by removing it and laying it flat.

If your door binds at the hinges squeals during closing or stops almost immediately when pushed to close the hinges are the culprit. First open the door and check the hinge mortises. Door that is hard to close.