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Thread: Hi. I'm new here and have a question about hanging doors.

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Nov 2013
    Location
    Waterford, PA
    Posts
    1,225

    Hi. I'm new here and have a question about hanging doors.

    Hi folks. Though this is my first post, I've referenced your information for years. Thank you for so freely sharing your knowledge. Finally, it is time for me to stop lurking and introduce myself. My husband and I live in NW PA and have been renovating an old home (circa 1838) for the past several years. I'm the woodworker in the family and recently completed the kitchen cabinets with inset drawers/doors. I still need to make the peninsula countertop from some reclaimed douglas fir we saved, but am waiting for better weather as my workshop space is limited.

    Now, I'm gearing up to hang 5 reclaimed doors. I've hung lots of prehung doors, so I'm clear on the general process. I've chosen and purchased what I believe are quality butts for the project and also have a Porter Cable hinge jig setup for my router. So, here are the questions:

    1) should I cut the butt insets on the jamb prior to installing the jamb or after?

    2) how tightly should the stops fit against the door? I'll be producing stock approx. 3/8" x 3-1/8" for these, as the casings sit on the stop edge on that side of the door. Probably odd this day and age, but that is how they were in this house.

    3) anything I should be aware of that could bite me? We have the exact # of doors needed, so no room for me to make an irretrievable error.

    Thanks for any help you may offer.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jan 2016
    Location
    Longmont, CO
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    810
    I would pre-hang them with a full jamb, and then install like a conventional door. set the stop after the door is hung, esp. in an old house where nothing is level, straight, etc...

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Mar 2012
    Location
    Napa Valley, CA
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    916
    Hi Lisa--and welcome to SMC.

    I'm with Adam-- pre-hang the door to the jamb, install as you've done with pre-hungs, add the stop after.

    Typically, the stop is set 1/16" away from the door at the hinge side, and up against the door on the latch side-- to make the door rest flush to the jamb in the closed position. This means that the stop at the head will taper from hinge side to latch side. I would suggest using a more "normal" 3/8 x 1 5/8 (or so) stop, rather than bringing the stop all the way to the jamb edge (and casing to the stop, rather than casing to the jamb). You'll simplify the process-- no tapering cuts or fiddling with exact stop dimensions-- with no down-side that I can see.

    Something to watch for with "reclaimed" doors: Are the joints tight? Is the head square to the edges? Are the edges straight and parallel?

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Nov 2013
    Location
    Waterford, PA
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    1,225
    Thank you both. I hadn't considered pre-hanging the door into the jambs. Excellent thought! Jerry, I understand your thoughts concerning the stops, but will definitely deal with the tapered cuts and fiddling, as I want these to match the other portions of the home. As far as we've come through this labor of love, now is not the time to stop going the extra mile. Any other concerns I should be aware of?

    PS. I've already cut/squared each door to the appropriate size. I've also cut and fitted dutchman etc for all the places old hardware was previously installed, thus I basically have a square/straight slab waiting to be hung.
    Last edited by Lisa Starr; 02-22-2018 at 5:14 PM. Reason: Added PS

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Mar 2012
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    Napa Valley, CA
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    Sounds like you're ready to go! If you want to go a little farther into a "custom" installation, consider tapering the stop at the latch so there is a slight space (+/- 1/32") in the middle when the door contacts the top and bottom-- this gives the door a slight "spring" effect when latched and prevents rattling.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Feb 2014
    Location
    Lake Gaston, Henrico, NC
    Posts
    8,973
    If you want to do the best job, prehung is not the way to do it. Someone just asked almost the same question a day or so ago. I built waterfront spec houses for 33 years, and never used a prehung door. I have hanging doors down to a science, including orienting the grain in the jambs a specific way, how to simply install the stops so the door never rattles without any special milling, and will shut with a single sound for decades. I can type it all out, if you're interested. The other poster never asked.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Nov 2013
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    Tom. I'd love for you to share your information. If you have the inclination to type it out, I'll be a very happy student.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Feb 2014
    Location
    Lake Gaston, Henrico, NC
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    I'll try to get to it tomorrow. I'll do it in Word, and copy, and paste. I've been working on old houses for the past eleven years, since selling the last spec house I built in 2007. Since you're working on old stuff, find my website, and take a look at what I do. I'm not allowed to post the link here, since it's considered commercial. I think if you click on my user name, you can probably find it. The website needs a lot of work-been too busy, but it will give you an idea.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Dec 2017
    Location
    Marietta, GA
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    275
    FWIW I wouldn't pre-hang them either. I would mortise the jambs prior to setting them just because it's easier to do horizontally rather than vertically. Definitely mortise the jamb and hang the door prior to installing the stops. However, I would "try" to install the stops a consistent distance from the edge of the jamb equal to the thickness of the door. The only reason not to is if the jamb is not in one plane and can't be corrected due to the wall being twisted. If the door is properly beveled and the hinges properly installed it's going to close and latch fine without any special angles or curves. I'm curious to see Tom's write up myself. I'm mostly self-taught and I'm sure have plenty more to learn.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
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    SE PA - Central Bucks County
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    I'm also of the mind to mortise prior for easier handling, place the frame and then hang the door. And yea, stops, etc., after the "hangin'"
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Feb 2014
    Location
    Lake Gaston, Henrico, NC
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    Checking back. Don't mortise the jambs first. If the wall is not perfectly plumb, you might not be able to leave the door partially open, in any position. The jamb is plumbed side to side first, and the hinges laid out perfectly plumb after the jamb is set-especially if it's an old house. Stops are easily applied after the door is hung, and the lock set. No special angles or curves needed anywhere. I'll go into more detail later, but we have a house full of company tonight.

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
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    SE PA - Central Bucks County
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    Good point, Tom.
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

  13. #13
    Tom, I would also like to read about your method. I have half a dozen ready to hang plus I'm going to attempt making a couple doors next winter. I remember admiring your website and your skill a few years ago. Offering to share your knowledge is very generous.

  14. #14
    for us "frames" were only to exterior ,and had no stops ....always rabbeted out. "Jambs" were interior only and got nailed "stops". Might be a regional thing with the reverse rule elsewhere.

  15. #15
    Join Date
    Nov 2013
    Location
    Crozet, VA
    Posts
    645
    I don’t have experience with antique or reclaimed doors, but I did build a few custom sized doors in my old house, and utilized the PC hinge jig to place/space/route the for hinge mortises (that jig is great btw). I also built the door jambs from scratch so nothing was pre-hung. I’m sure there are many ways to do this that work, but the way I did it which might not be the best but worked for me is as follows:

    Set the jamb in the door opening and plumb/shim the hinge side (you may also need to at least temporarily secure the top of the jamb if the door openings are really wonky)
    Route the mortises for the hinges in the door and install those hinge leafs/leaves
    Route the mortises for the hinges in the jamb and install the other half of the hinges in the jamb
    (I would usually only use two screws per hinge initially in case I had to make some kind of adjustment, then put in all the screws after the door was fully hung and operating properly)
    Hang the door
    Shim the top of the jamb and the opposite/knob side of the jamb to get a consistent gap between the door and the jamb. Obviously you want the jamb to be as level/square/plumb as possible, but getting a consistent gap and smooth operation is more important than getting perfect right angles.
    Install door knob.
    Mortise for the door latch, and install latch.
    Set the door stops in the jamb with the door closed so you can make certain it will close tightly in the latch.

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