Adjusting Exterior Door Gap

How to adjust door hinges method 1 of 3.

Adjusting exterior door gap.

Reset the door so that it is level and plumb. There should be an even gap across the top and down the latch side. Adjust the gap by bending the hinges. There are two ways to adjust the gap between the slab and the hinge jamb on a prehung door.

Open the hinge side gap by spreading the hinges. For example if your door hinges are on the left side of your door and the gaps. I ve seen shims used behind the hinge leaf to adjust the gap but bending the hinge takes less time. Examine the top corner of your door to see if it s catching on the.

It should be about an eighth of an inch and be consistent. I can widen the gap in small increments. Often you will see that the door on the hinge side is tighter against the frame at the bottom of the door. This gap occurs between the door and the frame or jamb.

Check that the stud walls on either side are plumb before you get into bigger issues. The quick way is bending the hinge barrels over with an adjustable wrench. Tightening hinges so your door closes. If the sun isn t shining brightly enough against.

If you have a large gap at the bottom of your door that may be helping the door to stay plumb. Determine which hinges need adjusting. Check the gap between the unhinged side of your door and the. Shim it and nail it and hang the trim.

Adjusting hinges on doors with big gaps. Strike adjustments if the gap along the side of your door is so large that the latch won t catch or barely catches adjusting the strike can reduce the gap to ensure proper operation. Hinge shims close the exterior door and look for the largest gap around the door. The extra room allows for future settlement and adjustment.

I don t mind the top space being slightly larger than the side spaces as long as the spaces are consistent. Open the door and place a wooden block or.