Adjusting Exterior Door Gap

I ve seen shims used behind the hinge leaf to adjust the gap but bending the hinge takes less time.

Adjusting exterior door gap.

The quick way is bending the hinge barrels over with an adjustable wrench. Examine the top corner of your door to see if it s catching on the. If you have a large gap at the bottom of your door that may be helping the door to stay plumb. Often you will see that the door on the hinge side is tighter against the frame at the bottom of the door.

I don t mind the top space being slightly larger than the side spaces as long as the spaces are consistent. Shim it and nail it and hang the trim. Adjusting hinges on doors with big gaps. Remember that when the gap is adjusted on one side it affects the gap on the other side as well.

The extra room allows for future settlement and adjustment. Open the hinge side gap by spreading the hinges. This gap occurs between the door and the frame or jamb. Tightening hinges so your door closes.

Determine which hinges need adjusting. There should be an even gap across the top and down the latch side. For example if your door hinges are on the left side of your door and the gaps. Hinge shims close the exterior door and look for the largest gap around the door.

It should be about an eighth of an inch and be consistent. Check the gap between the unhinged side of your door and the. Check that the stud walls on either side are plumb before you get into bigger issues. Reset the door so that it is level and plumb.

I can widen the gap in small increments. This video shows how to fix when the door clearan. Open the door and place a wooden block or. There are two ways to adjust the gap between the slab and the hinge jamb on a prehung door.

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. Adjust the gap by bending the hinges.