How to Hang A Door

Backyard Blitz builder, Scott Cam, demonstrated how to hang a door when the doorframe is not square. In a perfect world, hanging a door would be a simple matter. You'd buy a door the right size from a hardware store or building supplier, take it home and hang it. Unfortunately hanging doors, like many other handyman jobs, is rarely as straightforward as it seems - in our segment Scott measured the doorjambs (vertical side pieces that support the lintel) and found that they were not square. Rather than straightening the jambs, repairing the architrave and then having to repaint, Scott decided to use a short cut. With a little improvisation he saved himself a lot of time and hard work.

His trick was to cut the door to fit the existing jambs. With a solid timber door, this could also mean a lot of hard work. Instead of trying to cut the heavy, solid door to size then having to carry it to and fro to the workbench to make the necessary adjustments, Scott made a lightweight gyprock template which he cut to fit the doorway. Once he was satisfied that the template fitted and all the angles were correct, he used it to cut the new door to size. After attaching the hinges, Scott carried the door inside, and screwed the hinges to the jamb. The new door fitted perfectly!

Note: this technique will only work with a solid core door.

Copyright CTC Productions 2001