# Help hanging doors?



## sourdough (Jan 31, 2010)

[Hey gang! Am taking new wooden doors down one by one and finishing. But having helluva time getting them back up.....lining up three hinges etc. They ar heavy and jus my wife and I. Any tricks to making the battle easier. Couple of them have been a real nightmare to get back up!!


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## bobj3 (Jan 17, 2006)

Hi Warren

Here's a little trick I use to make it easy...take out one of the screw in the hinge(s) find a screw the same size in diam. but longer cut off the head and put a slot in the screw,(with a hack saw) put the headless screw back in the hole and remove the rest of the screws and use the headless screw (guide pin) to line up the hinges after the rework..
You can also use a pair of vise grips if you don't want to put the slots in place..

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sourdough said:


> [Hey gang! Am taking new wooden doors down one by one and finishing. But having helluva time getting them back up.....lining up three hinges etc. They ar heavy and jus my wife and I. Any tricks to making the battle easier. Couple of them have been a real nightmare to get back up!!


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## LinuxRandal (Mar 11, 2011)

Also, before you take them down, find some scrap wood to leave under them, while you unscrew them. Then use that to set the door on, while you slap then hinges over.


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## jlord (Nov 16, 2009)

Pull the pin out of the top hinge & mount one half to the jamb leaving the other half mounted on the door. Leave middle & bottom hinge complete & mounted on door. Pick door up to mount top hinge together & drop pin in. Then just line up middle & bottom hinge & screw to jamb. I do this by myself all the time even with heavy doors.


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## Phil P (Jul 25, 2010)

Use a board lifter such as this to lift the door into position so that the top hinge pops into the hinge recess in the frame/casing. Fix that hinge with one screw then work down the others fixing one screw in each (all three slightly loose). Use the board lifter to lift the door to the correct position then hard fix all three screws on one hinge. Check for closing then add remaining screws. If your doors are on stainless steel or brass screws I suggest you use three steel screws for the initial positioning and replace them when all the other screws are available. I've hung hundreds of doors this way and it's easy. A board lifter can be home made from a taper-ended piece of plywood with a short length of broom handle affixed as a fulcrum - not as good but OK if you only need to do a few doors. BTW we don't see many hinges which allow the pin to be removed in the UK - they don't meet our fire codes which require washered or better still ball bearing hinges to be used these days.

If anyone is feeling flush there is a better door lifter made by Virutex (the EP70P) and copied by others which has the advantage of being to both lift and swivel the door into position. The Virutex web site shows this item in use

Phil


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## bobj3 (Jan 17, 2006)

Hi Phil

That's a good tip, how about a Real Photo Snapshot of yours..(
*Board & Door Lifter*

I have use that type of jig to hang dry wall but it would not work on doors for me..maybe I should make one out of Alum.so I get under the doors..

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Phil P said:


> Use a board lifter such as this to lift the door into position so that the top hinge pops into the hinge recess in the frame/casing. Fix that hinge with one screw then work down the others fixing one screw in each (all three slightly loose). Use the board lifter to lift the door to the correct position then hard fix all three screws on one hinge. Check for closing then add remaining screws. If your doors are on stainless steel or brass screws I suggest you use three steel screws for the initial positioning and replace them when all the other screws are available. I've hung hundreds of doors this way and it's easy. A board lifter can be home made from a taper-ended piece of plywood with a short length of broom handle affixed as a fulcrum - not as good but OK if you only need to do a few doors. BTW we don't see many hinges which allow the pin to be removed in the UK - they don't meet our fire codes which require washered or better still ball bearing hinges to be used these days.
> 
> If anyone is feeling flush there is a better door lifter made by Virutex (the EP70P) and copied by others which has the advantage of being to both lift and swivel the door into position. The Virutex web site shows this item in use
> 
> Phil


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## sourdough (Jan 31, 2010)

My oh my.....a bloke can sure learn a lot on this Forum!! Had no idea there was such a clever device as a Door Lifter but I guess I should have known that the people who earn part of their living working with doors would have come created something to help them.
Very interesting.


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## gav (Oct 12, 2009)

Not only did someone invent the door lifter, but in Central and western Europe, all the doors I've seen have these hinges which don't even require you to have a screw driver when removing and replacing a door. Just lift and wiggle.


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## derek willis (Jan 21, 2009)

Gavin,
I believe they are called Soss hinges, but one can buy loose pin butts, so taking down is no problem, just knock the pin out of the hinge and replace when neded.


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## newwoodworker (Mar 27, 2009)

The last time I hung a bunch of doors I always just used a hammer and a screw driver put the hammer on the floor by the door put the shaft of the screw driver over the middle of the hammer and the slot/or + side under the door then just step on the handle of the screw driver also you can adjust the horizontal positioning of the door by just moving with your foot left or right and the door stays on the pivot point.


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## sourdough (Jan 31, 2010)

gav said:


> Not only did someone invent the door lifter, but in Central and western Europe, all the doors I've seen have these hinges which don't even require you to have a screw driver when removing and replacing a door. Just lift and wiggle.


Egads!! What nifty hinges. So you would have perhaps three to a door?


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## derek willis (Jan 21, 2009)

I don't think they are a lot of good for heavy doors, especially fire doors with a solid core,I've only seen them used on cupboard doors of not too heavy construction.


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## gav (Oct 12, 2009)

They are used on all doors that I have seen, perhaps not speciallty fire doors though.
The front doors of my building are large solid oak doors with little windows, they weigh a lot as I used all my strength to get them to my yard to re-finish them.
They use that style of hinge, just a more robust version. All the doors in my apartment are solid wood framed doors, they also use them. 3-4 a door.
Some of them even appear to be of a type that are just hammered in, and others that have screw plates such as these.








Even large steel framed doors use that style, just welded to the frame.

It's known here as a 'French hinge'.
A soss hinge is completely different.


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## tdublyou (Jan 8, 2010)

This is a Soss hinge.


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## derek willis (Jan 21, 2009)

Tim,
Of course it is, it's just that one forgets especially when you haven't used them for over 40 years, sorry if I misled anyone.


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## Cochese (Jan 12, 2010)

You can make yourself a DIY door lifter with a simple lever. $5 at the Bog will get you some metal rod.

And if you're doing an entry door, the scissor jack out of your car will work fine.


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## The Warthog (Nov 29, 2010)

newwoodworker said:


> The last time I hung a bunch of doors I always just used a hammer and a screw driver put the hammer on the floor by the door put the shaft of the screw driver over the middle of the hammer and the slot/or + side under the door then just step on the handle of the screw driver also you can adjust the horizontal positioning of the door by just moving with your foot left or right and the door stays on the pivot point.


My method is the same, except that I use a block of wood on the floor and a stick as a lever under the middle of the door, and manipulate it with my foot the exact same way as newwoodworker.


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## sourdough (Jan 31, 2010)

You folks have sure helped me with the door hanging chore. Only got a few left to finish and the hanging will be a LOT easier now.
Thanks.


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## Phil P (Jul 25, 2010)

bobj3 said:


> That's a good tip, how about a Real Photo Snapshot of yours..


???? The one I use *IS* the one in the photo on the Screwfix site, Bob. Works for me! (and a lot of other joiners, too). The door has to be lined up with the hinge leafs resting against the rebate in the frame/casing before slipping the board lifter under the centre. The knack is to use both hands to hold the door whilst using the left foot (for a right hang door when viewed from the front - obviously the other way round/foot for a left hung door) to ease the door up into position with the top hinge dropping into the hinge rebate. The first screw is the trickiest to get in, and if you're a DIYer it may be best to get a helper/the wife/the kids to pop that first one in for you, but after that it's easy. The knack of doing it on your own takes a few doors to acquire, so maybe you just aren't practised enough yet. After a few hundreds you get real good, I can tell you....... Please don't ask me to take a photograph of me hanging doors, though. Quite apart from the fact that both my hands and one leg are fully occupied when I'm doing this task, when I'm working I'm mostly far too busy to faff around taking pictures - too busy earning a living! BTW I have played with the Virutex lifter and the ability to swivel the door from side to side is really useful.

Derek/Gav

Those aren'ty Soss hinges, these are. They are a lot more difficult to install as you need a pair of jigs to rout out the recesses and they're a two man job to hang full size doors, believe me!



newwoodworker said:


> The last time I hung a bunch of doors I always just used a hammer and a screw driver


That's the same lever and fulcrum principle as the board lifter, however a screwdriver is so narrow that it can dig into the bottom edge of the door leaving an unhideable mark. That's why I avoid using them. 

Regards

Phil


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## Jurgis (Mar 10, 2011)

Hi, that is a bit of a problem that I normally solve with either some cardboard or newspaper, which I normally fold and put it along the entire length of the bottom of the door, then it's just a case of tilting the door to a vertical position and then I insert all of the screws in just a few turns in each holeand then tighten them from the centre hinge and work outwards. Also if the "old" screw holes are stripped I normally enlarge them and use either hot glue (preference) or wood glue and a rawl plug in the hole, it works like magic especially if it is in brick or concrete.


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## yorkshirekiwi (May 14, 2009)

why not cut two wedges add put one at each end with door open.you can lift or lower the door by moving the wedges in or out. A flat pinch bar makes a good lever to remove wedges be carfull not to break the edge of the door. I have hung doors up to 2.7x 1.0 with this meathod
yorkshirekiwi


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## yorkshirekiwi (May 14, 2009)

*hanging doors*

place a wedge under either end of the door on the edges not the face, with it open you can then raise or lower the door to match the hinge checkouts. I have used this method over many years on solid core doors up to 1.2 x2.7

Brian


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## paduke (Mar 28, 2010)

I hang commercial doors alone using a 6"pipe nipple. Place pipe nipple approximately half the door width from the jamb (18" on a 36" door) roll door on it into proper position with heavy doors the half hinge pre mounted will bruise the metal trying to align the hinge knuckles and ruin ball bearing hinges. you can purchase a pipe nipple appropriate to the undercut (typically 1/2" in residential construction) that will raise the door sufficently to match hinge pocket on jamb


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