How to Adjust Any Door Without Special Tools

Do you have a door that needs some adjustments and you just aren't sure where to begin? This is the video for you.
Follow along as Kody takes you step by step through making some fine tuned adjustments to ensure your door hinges work as they should! He'll evaluate the gaps and show you how to do it without any special tools.
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00:00 Introduction
00:42 Teaching you how to read a door and make adjustments
02:03 An important point, where does your latch line up?
02:37 Making the adjustments once you're figured out how the door is laying
03:10 Showing you the sample door hinge
03:29 Creating skinny little shims to add to your hinges
04:20 Tightening up the gap - evaluating how to do that (shown on hinge sample)
05:26 Always verify your gaps and work done, less can sometimes be more!
07:13 Analyzing the door after making adjustments
08:08 Final review of adjusting hinges
08:48 Bloopers

[@AndyBadke]

I had exactly this issue with a door in my apartment. A google search brought me here, and your solution worked. A basic cardboard shim in the top hinge raised the door enough to close properly. Really appreciate you posting this video!

[@geneduclos4003]

Great video. I've been doing this for the past several weeks. Most of the doors and frames in our house are all katty whompus. Thanks for the video.

[@uptokode]

You bet Gene! Always glad to see your name in the comments

[@cornpop7805]

I've chiseled out wood, but strangely I've never thought to shim. I almost feel ashamed to say I learned something new, but I learned something new.

[@uptokode]

That’s good! Being open minded is better than the alternative

[@dporrasxtremeLS3]

Great to learn new things! Great Video! Great commenters too! 2 thumbs UP ! Liked and Subscribed! Thank You!

[@chrisferretti7020]

Just happen to be wearing my Up to Kode T-shirt when this video came up.

[@uptokode]

That’s awesome!! Great timing

[@drewinstallshardware]

Great video and info. Thanks!

[@mrpoopypants9586]

Excellent info for someone like us, living in an old house, where everything is out of whack. I'm onto it now. Thanks & Cheers from downunder. PP

[@uptokode]

Very happy to hear! I’ve been using this trick since my apprenticeship days back in 2003-2007. 😮

[@TheCmbabcock]

What do you make your hinge shims out of?

[@uptokode]

Thin cardboard or folded paper

[@bastienclarke1810]

Very nice. 10/10

[@Artemisofthemoon1]

Congratulations on 100 000 subs Uptokode. Keep up the great work bud.

[@uptokode]

I appreciate you noticing!! And yes I will keep on youth.

[@michaelstamboly1304]

Thanks for this video. I have double French doors with a gap between them at the bottom third. There's already weather stripping but it's not wide enough. So I'll go through your inspection and try this. I couldn't tell though - do you just loosen the screws to slide the shims in or do you remove completely? Thanks.

[@uptokode]

Technically remove the hinges to get it fairly perfect to what you need would be best.

[@sauljaquez7138]

Very nice technique thank you sir.

[@uptokode]

You’re welcome! Learned that in carpentry school many moons ago!

[@marlenejansen5880]

Great video, but I wish the video would be “fast” while you are actually doing the work. To me would he easier in slower motion.

[@TapelessDrywallFinishing]

👍👍

[@jaybig360]

What if the door is sagging and rubbing on the bottom corner where do you place the shim to lift it up a bit ?

[@uptokode]

You could do 2 things.
A. Pull the top hinge inward and close the gap between the frame and the door. Do this by shimming the hinge furthest from the pivot point.
B. At the bottom hinge you want to make that gap bigger. To make it bigger you shim the hinge CLOSEST to the pivot point of the hinge .
Hard to explain but hope it helps

[@jaybig360]

@@uptokode thank you sir , May be you can do a video on this. I work for a university and all the deal
With is commercial hardware and doors. It would be great to see more on this topic of shimming in different scenario. Ty for responding you are a the man.

[@uptokode]

@jaybig360 I’ll do what I can when I’m working on commercial doors. Thank you !

[@dellicemcelroy539]

What are the Shims made of?

[@uptokode]

I make them out of paper or thin cardboard.

[@melissaleslie5282]

I could not see what you did on the middle and bottom hinge. Show up close...I learned nothing sorry.

[@uptokode]

My apologies! The purpose of the video is to show that you can shim your hinges with thin cardboard or paper in order to push or pull the door and adjust it so it won’t bind.

[@conradcoolerfiend]

seems like a lot of effort, why dont you just pop the hinge pins and bend the hinge loops as needed

[@evictioncarpentry2628]

Because he's working on a knock down commercial door here with heavy duty hinges and you need to adjust them by shimming the front or back of the hinge leaf.
Bending the hinge loops is for standard interior/exterior doors

[@conradcoolerfiend]

@@evictioncarpentry2628 thanks

[@uptokode]

I like using the shim method (even on residential doors) because I can change it as required. Some doors change with the seasons and i would have some mangled hinge loops if I adjusted them 2 times a year. And my method is easier to make small adjustments.

[@uptokode]

Thanks!