[Knucklez]

i am in the process of ordering a new front door, exterior, steel. the exact measurement of the existing door is 33 7/8" wide but the new door comes in 33 6/8" wide. That means the gap will be 1/8" plus whatever was already there.

is this going to be a problem? if so, what are the solutions?

unfortunately the door does not come in size 34" wide because then i could just belt sand the wooden door jamb...

Knucklez

 

[rjniles]

I would get a new prehung door and replace the whole frame and door as a unit.

 

[Anti-wingnut]

You'll be fine

 

[Knucklez]

agreed with the pre-hung, but it is not an option in my house. the old trim is thick and huge with monster nails.. it would be destroyed trying to take it off.

thx wing-nut. i guess i was just worried that the metal door knob tab would not latch properly due to the gap and that the air seal would be poor. but you think it will be fine?

 

[Anti-wingnut]

You're talking about increasing the reveal 1/16" per side. Unless this door is on a submarine, aircraft or space shuttle, you'll be just fine

 

[rjniles]

If you can not use a pre-hung and need to replace just the door, here is a idea. I have done this using a fiberglass door.

Glue up some composite lumber to get 1.75" thickness, cut a slice about a 1/4 thick. Fill the hinge mortices on the door and glue the strip to the hinge side of the door. Use a power planer to trim the door to the needed width, re-mortice the hinges and hang the door.

 

[rjniles]

You're talking about increasing the reveal 1/16" per side. Unless this door is on a submarine, aircraft or space shuttle, you'll be just fine

The additional reveal would all be on the latch side and an additional 1/8 " is too much.

 

[Anti-wingnut]

You throw or shim the hinges a teeny bit.

It'll work. Believe me. I've put in literally thousands of doors

 

[jcrack_corn]

if you cant figure out why this isnt true (you can make it wherever you want it), then you probabaly dont have the skill anyway to hang it within 1/8" of plumb so whats the difference.

The additional reveal would all be on the latch side and an additional 1/8 " is too much.

 

[Knucklez]

hmm... now i'm cnofused

if i put the hinges on the door and then install the hinges to the frame in the exact same spot as original door.. then the other side of the door, where the latching tab is, would have a gap of 1/8" + whatever was originall there (1/16" by the looks of it). the gap exists only on one side of the door when installed in this way. there should be some gap so the door can close, but is 3/16" too much?

sounds like this is NOT ok .. but the solution is to just shim out the hinges a bit? ??

Knucklez

 

[Anti-wingnut]

1/8" is not a big deal. Certainly not enough to warrant rippling long strip to laminate to your door, and then mortising new hinge pockets.

Place the new door in the frame. If it works correctly, go on with life. If there is some issue, which will undoubtedly be minor, you can shim the hinges.

This is typically done with narrow strips of cardboard. To decrease the reveal on the strike side, place this shim under the hinge leaf as close to the hinge barrel as possible

 

[Knucklez]

sounds good wingnut, thanks for the advice!