[sbattisti]

Hi folks,

Total home improvement n00b here asking for help. In my basement, I have a very basic door leading to a finished area. I moved in here a while back, and the door doesn't appear to be hung correctly, or it's warped, or some combination of the two. When I close the door, it fails to catch, and drifts open, and additionally if you hold the door shut, you can see that it's not sitting flush. It's relatively square, but the bottom half of the door is flush with the frame, as it should be, while the top of the door sticks out about up to a half an inch.

Being a complete idiot about such things, how do I determine what the problem is?

I suspect there are two obvious choices:

1. The door is warped
2. The door frame isn't level

What would you recommend I do / measure to figure out the problem?

Thanks!

Steve

 

[Just Bill]

A quick check with a level can confirm if the door is level, but it sounds like it is not. If the door was recently hung, rehang it. If it is an older installation, rehang it. That is probably the only way to get it to work correctly.

 

[Mop in Hand]

Or the wall itself is out of plumb, and who ever hung the door "tried" to correct it unsuccessfully. Also could be some serious settling going on.

 

[sbattisti]

Or the wall itself is out of plumb, and who ever hung the door "tried" to correct it unsuccessfully. Also could be some serious settling going on.

Is there any reasonably easy way to determine this? Measure something? Use a level somewhere?

 

[Mop in Hand]

You will need a level. A 4' one would be nice, a 6' level would be best, however if all you have is a 3', it will have to do. Place the level on the door jamb and then the wall and see which one is out of plumb.

 

[EZHangDoor]

Interior Door Installation

Installing interior doors can be tricky... especially for the first time. My suggestion is to re-hang the door. There is a product called EZ-Hang Door Installation Brackets that make hanging a door for the first time a sinch. The site is www.ezhangdoor.com There is even a video for removing a door.

 

[Paragon]

Hmm just finished a trim job NEW CONSTRUCTION mind you behind a new "contractor" ALL OF THE ROUGH OPENINGS WERE OUT and I had to actually plumb the jamb legs both ways, trim back sheetrock and then trim it out to get the trim to lay flush! this can be a big job to correct and if you are a complete noob you may be unprepared to deal with this kind of a job.

These can be tricky for a complete novice but if you have a friend that has an incling of what to do buy them some beer or take them out to dinner and have them give you a hand

Here is a link to the basement trim project from hell!

http://paragonrenovations.net/basementtrim.aspx

Good luck and be safe!

James

 

[EZHangDoor]

Installing Doors

If you install doors, EZ-Hang is a great product that will eliminate many of the problems you just mentioned. Some builders are tripling there door installation production. That translates to money saved on the project.

Happy Hammering!

 

[Paragon]

The ez hang system is good in nature however I prefer to provide solid backing behind my jambs and adjust them accordingly with shims. I can install the doors nearly as fast as the time it takes to attach the ez hang brackets as long as the framers did their job right. If the framers failed then the brackets do me no good.

Also after the door is hung you need to trim out the door and I am guessing that the brackets are at least 1 /16th to an 1/8" thick? This creates a gap between the drywall and the casing so now my finished product is not what I want it to be either. The price on thse is 4.00 a peice and I can get a pack of shims for the price of one bracket and hang a couple doors.

As far as creating an item that allows you to hook the jamb flush with the wall a block of wood or applying the trim works fantastic and that is free.

Thanks but for this remodeling contractor I will just stick with the old tried and true method of hanging doors. Gimmicks tend to just get in the way. And as far as attaching the jambs to the framing and the trim to the jamb I use finish nailers and have done away with bits nails and sets.

James

 

[EZHangDoor]

I also thought I was fast at installing doors. Try timing yourself sometime, you might surprised. I know most contactors don't have as many problems with doors as homeowners do.

I have also been a builder for close to 23 years and have installed thousands of doors and built over a hundred new homes. This system works and works great. My callback for adjustment using EZ-Hang went to almost zero.

If the framers fail and don't produce perfect openings during rough-in you actually have more options with the EZ-Hang brackets than with shims. Adjustments are much easier to make with the brackets than with shims.

The brackets are completely covered by the trim and do not interfere at all, or make the trim stick out. Door jambs have a slight bevel on the edge and the brackets do not protrude beyond that point.

The price is $3.99 for seven brackets and that will install a complete door, not just one bracket. Now that price is comparable to a shim pack. With the time saved, it's money well spent.

No gimmick here, just a different and in my opinion a better method.

Randy