I've built, or had my hand in building over a thousand custom doors for a company called Centerpointe Millwork in Portland Oregon. They have since gone out of business. Having said that, I've probably only hung about 15 doors in my lifetime. I've never seen that wire trick before, but I can think of a couple of doors where I'm going to be going back and using that trick. Thanks for teaching that one!
The wire trick is cool, I've always just removed the pin, shimmed the door so the reveals are even and then bent the hinges on the jamb side with an adjustable wrench so that they line back up. I would also suggest getting an air bag to prop the door up before you fasten it. You can pump it with your foot while watching your level so you don't have to keep bending over and adjusting the shims.
Couple of comments: 1. I usually use a screw behind the hinge rather than a wire. This makes it micro-adjustable. 2. I always add the casing to the door jamb on the side that swings in before I attempt to hang the door. This way I can easily level out the door and create even reveals around the door when nailing off the casing. That holds the door in place. I then open the door to access the other side and shim the door jamb behind each hinge, one at a time. I unscrew the top hinge, run in a screw through the jamb and shims into the framing then reattach the hinge and move onto the next one. On the working side, I use a minimum of three shims ensuring that I have shim(s) behind the door strike and at baseboard height. These get secured with a 16p finish nail. Nothing wrong with your method. I just get greater production and better results with no comeback adjustments required.
Where I can. But if you put the thick end of a tapered shim in first, then you can snug up with the 2nd shim starting with the thin side.@@lordaleksandre
Neat wire tip. Another tool for the bag of tricks: Set hinge side to laser in 30 sec, hold door with airbag, and make minor adjustments or repair call adjustments by pulling pin, shim door to correct and use fuel line wrench to bend hinges to match pin fit again. Fast, simple, and hinge plates sit strongly bedded in their mortise. Also, check floor is level across jamb before you start incase you need to trim jamb for door to sit level with both jamb legs on floor. Be mindful of clearance for finish floor, carpet or doormats. Sometimes ventilation needs a door gap at the bottom too, or you could end up needing room to room venting for exhaust fans to work or hvac.
36 inch Handicap doors rock. Having the extra space really helps when moving large things. Handicap houses sell faster and not a whole lot on the market. The larger openings really make day to day life easier. My thoughts on doors.
This. And roll-in roll-out bathrooms and showers, grab bars, that sort of thing. Easy to do at the design-build stages and provide plenty of value for everyone, not just the "disabled".
Reminds me of the nineties, a friend and I were piece trimming track homes, did about three a day, the three inch screws is how we got the reveal right, for the drywall hanging over the pretty much hammered in in so the casing would fit right. I hated working like that but if you took longer than ten minutes to hang a door you were just throwing money out the window because everyone else was doing it that way and it was acceptable to the home builders.
hanging the last door and handing the happy customer they keys always was one of my favorite parts of my job as an insurance resto contractor no better feeling than giving a family back their home after it was destroyed by a fire or other disaster and another great feeling was repairing a door after a burglar had kicked it in and showing the home owner how the now reinforced door jam would most likely dislocate the knee of the next guy that tried it before he got in to the house lol
Great tutorial. I am a California professional door hanger with 40 years experience. The wire trick below hinges is something I used but rarely shared Great videos. Respectful 16:09 suggestion : install exterior door mounting screws UNDER Q Lon weather strip for a clean appearance, cross site door by opening door slightly and compare with jamb level
I have always used business cards sliced into 1/4’s to shim doors works well for micro adjustments but it seams like the wire trick works good when more movement is required.
I just did a double interior. I just use mini washers. Gary kratz on this is carpentry will show a fool proof way to do doors. Interior or exterior. He's a true master in that craft.
These always seem to take me a long time, and part way through I wish I was a seasoned pro who would do it in a snap. So, it is kinda nice to see a genuine seasoned pro find a door so complicated it takes him three hours, too!
I use an inflatable air shim to hold up open doors. They have an inflator valve you can pump with your foot to accurately lift & plumb the door as you stand while watching the plumb bubble. It works great!
The wire trick is new to me and is exactly what my exterior kitchen door needs. When warm weather gets here I'll see if I can finally get that door hung properly.
Hi Scott, some interesting tips and tricks there, never seen the wire trick! That Stabila level you have is guaranteed for life, or at least they used to be, the vile should not leak and the accuracy is guaranteed also, yours is obviously faulty. If you can find proof of purchase then you should be able to get it replaced. Stabila is the only brand I trust for longevity, I’ve not found anything better her in the UK. Keep up the good work 👍
I have never heard of using a piece of wire, but a friend of mine would use playing cards to shim door hinges, and occasionally he would use business cards. This is a great video, thank you Sir.
Well now I don't feel so bad regarding my shortcomings. Especially now that I know even Essential Craftsman Scott has pains & frustrations when hanging doors, too. All the best!
A trick I was shown by a contractor who remodeled my house was to pull a hinge pin and bend it slightly to keep the door from swinging on its own. Friction is your friend here. Do it to two or all three hinge pins if necessary.
Excellent job!!! These are some tricks that the newbie door hanger would like to have. It can get frustrating, you level one side and mount and move around and that's no longer level. Just take your time and work at it. After you hang a few you grt a groove and find out it's not as intimidating as it seems. As long as anyone can read a level and a tape measure, you can hang a door with some time and patience. And where to put your screws to hide the best and always shine the screws. Do atleast 3-4 on each side for a good sturdy feeling door when you shut it hard. You know a bad hung door when the door and frame moves more then the wall when shut spiritally.
The wire trick is a new one for me,I’ll have to try it…I used to struggle taping thin pieces of cardboard until I tried little screws,which stay in place better and you can adjust easily…been enjoying your channel for years,keep up the good work!!!
Thanks, Scott! the timing of this video is perfect for me. I just purchased and installed a French patio door, and although the rough opening was plumb on both sides and level top and bottom, and the installed jambs were plumb and the sill and header were level, the passive door is slightly lower at the top than the active door, even though the outer reveal is equal all around. It was driving me nuts until I saw your new video. I can't wait to try your tricks, which will help my situation. As always, love your videos, please keep doing them!
Wow Scott, that wire trick is a new one to me! Always wort the price of admission, here :) You've helped me grow as a contractor, and as always, thanks!
Curse of the "pre=hung" door. I build my own jambs and mortise the hinges myself. Had to hang 96 (yes ninety six) 3/0-8/0 doors in a 12,000 sq. ft. home. Never thought I'd ever finish! 😆🤣
And they were solid 1-3/4” as well I presume. Extra Extra read all about it! I’ve trimmed large custom homes in Omaha for 33 years. Thousands of doors. Now my 6’5” 19 year old son hangs them for me. 🤓
Nice explanation. I hang new slabs in preexisting old jambs all the time. And I shim hinges often to get things just right. I've never seen anyone use a wire. I have hundreds of slivers of dense cardboard already cut up and ready to go. I can stack them according to the right thickness as necessary. I use supper glue & accelerator to old them in place. I also have small 1" long wood plugs I've made from hardwood dowel rods already made with a point on one end to plug the screw holes when the wood in the jamb (or door) is all reamed out. Especially on the top hinge, if there's any slop where its screwed to the jamb you'll get a lot of sag. Also for those who have really old doors with original hinges, I've seen where the hinge pin has worn down over time it becomes loose in the barrel and again causing sag. How old is your level? Their warranted for 10 years. You have a great mind set. Always enjoy watching your videos.
Great content thank you The door you hung at the bottom of the stairs at the start of the video will you have enough head height, coming down the stairs through that door according to code ????? If you lose 7 1/2 inches for the step, just seems odd
Hey Essential Craftsmen, Stabila levels are guaranteed to not leak, fog up, or lose precision for life or they will replace that level for free. Trade it in and you’ll have a good straight edge and a good level.
@Scott, hanging exterior doors myself at this time. Thanks for reminding me that I'm not loosing my mind while considering reveals and door function. 😎✌️
The handiest thing I own for this is something called an air shim I got from Lowe's. It's basically a inflatable pry bar like the locksmiths use to pry your vehicle door open. I use it to adjust the legs on washer, dryers and refrigerators too. Also two or three work great when installing windows.
Doors are so finicky, i cant believe even a pro like you has the same troubles with doors. makes me feel abit better. I just do old homes and it is constant problem solving
That’s what I was going to say. It’s very effective and much quicker. It’s also more precise for this issue in my opinion. Although this wire thing definitely has a place in the world of setting doors. There are so many tiny details that add up to a great install. Thanks for the idea Scott. I’m sure it will come in handy.
Everyone always praises Stabila and I thought about getting some, but after hearing this, I'm going to stick with my cheap home depot levels. I have a 4 foot Stanley and an 8 foot Empire I have been using and abusing for years that have held up fine.
Stabila levels are guaranteed for life to not leak, fog, or lose accuracy. If any of these conditions occur, Stabila will replace that level for free. On another note, I personally don’t care for these or other aluminum or fiberglass levels because they only have a plumb vial at one end and a level vial that’s usually in the center. It seems that 80% of the times that I pick one up to check for plumb, I have it the wrong way and have to flip it over. Give me a good quality wood level with plumb vials at both ends and I get it right every time. Lol
Take a good look at his 6 foot level. It looks like he used it as a prybar, and it bounced around in the back of the truck. . Take a good look at all the tools that he has in his shop.
@@Hoaxer51 My aluminum level has plumb vials at both ends. Never gave a thought as to who made it, so I just checked. Looks like "T" or "I" Johnson, made in the US. Yeah only one would be annoying.
After having hung hundreds of doors of all types, I don't think any 2 went in the same. Every opening and door (prehung or not) has its own fingerprint.
Another thing....If you are coming down a big set of stairs and look down a hall way...When you hit the right step, say about three from the bottom, and look out, you are looking at the top trim of all the doors..They have to be dead nuts all the way across.....When you hang all those doors you have to have top trim tacked to the wall before you do everything else.You have start there...I snapped a line all the way down the hall on the drywall..designate top of trim.. and set all the doors to this line...You just have to struggle with the rest of the stuff......
There are a number of hinge bending tools on the market made specifically for the purpose of adjusting doors. A crescent wrench works in a pinch but you are taking the risk of damaging the finish on the hinge. I have tried just about every method imaginable to adjust doors and found that bending the hinges is definitely the easiest and quickest. If the door has been hung properly to begin with a door can be fine tuned in just a couple minutes by tweaking the hinges with the proper tool.
The first door you show is tight to the bottom of a set of stairs.....Not a great idea but necessary sometimes with a tight space and O.K.in a secondary used stair......I see the door is regular height....In my opinion that is dangerous practice..If you are 5' 10" tall or so and you are hurrying down the stairs you are going to hit your head for sure...I have been able to get at least a MDF door in a standard size 7' with out to much rise in price....looks kind of cool if their are doors at standard height nearby....Let you know where the important exit is...
Hello Iv been watching for a while. I liked what u said at end I felt like u where talking to me lol. iv always been around the different trades and I bought a 3 family and been doing most things by myself. I do great work and take pride in everything I do, it just takes me a long time to get things done!
Noticed that the bathroom door is roughed to close to opposing wall to accommodate the full trim. That should be kept in mind when roughing out the walls.
Good video, I’ll need to try the that copper wire trick when a door needs some tweaking. If a striking plate needs some grinding, I use my Milwaukee cordless rotary tool with a carbide bit, save quite a bit of time over doing it manually.
Big issue for me was the manufactures strip the hinge screws on the jam causing the hinge to flop around causing the door to wan to swing open. Only reall way to fix that is to use long screws that drive into the door frame stud to pull the hinge tight with the jam. Very help to get a set of "Door stud pro" casters that allow to mount a set of casters on the bottom of the door. Especially with solid wood doors.
Scott, you claim to not be very good at it... But you're light years ahead of me. I'm an electrician... I just call my dad to hang doors when I need one hung.
I dunno, does that make for a durable shim? It seems like the wire will compress the wood grain and get loose over time. A flat shim with more surface area (plane contact rather than line contact) would still be my go-to. Regardless, I appreciate the useful "have this problem, do this thing, get this result" empirical type of content. I'm a strong spatial thinker (engineer, cad monkey, grew up with legos) and I still struggle to tune door gaps sometimes. The average layperson can certainly extract some value from the shim here to move this info 👍
Does it make a diiferance which hinge leaf you put the wire under ? Ex: back of jamb leaf to move door away from jamb or front edge of door leaf to move door away ???
I prefer to bend the knuckles on the hinges. They make a tool or you can just use a crescent wrench. Accomplishes the same thing and leaves the hinge leaves fully seated in their mortises. Just be careful which way / leaf you bend… can cause hinge binding if you do it wrong.
Damn framers! Lol. That bottom door framing kicked out. That happens. Sometimes from using wet wood and it dried and kicked from twisting a little bit since framing to door hang.
The wire trick looks good. Never seen it before. Something I have done which works to a similar end, is to bend the hinge barrels. First remove the pin, then bend each barrel tab in the desired direction using large slip joint pliers or vise-grips. There is more than one way to skin a cat!
That is exactly the way I do it - bend them as needed to adjust the door in either direction - I've tried many method in the past 25 years and to me nothing is better for fine tuning the reveal - I remove them one at a time and use a blunt chisel and the most available anvil (truck hitch or trainer tongue) because I've pulled them out of the door or case with the slip lock pliers before - kudos Sir
I hear what you're saying. It is, for me,a quick fine-tuning method to improve an already poorly functioning door without disturbing the casing. There is no substitute for hanging it well in the first place.@@patarmentrout9388
My instinct on that door would have been to shim out the bottom hinges with flat shims of wood, for instance. It'd never have thought about moving the pivot point of the top hinge back. Would both methods get to the same result?
Hey Scott, I asked this question the other day, but that door at the bottom of the staircase don’t you have to have a certain height here it didn’t look like even at your height you could step down through there without hitting the top of the door jam??????😂😂😂😂
Hanging doors is no fun. I helped my dad replace our sliding backdoor with a double door and it was a bear of a job and this was many years ago long before youtube. More recently the wife and I had a house built and as you well know buildings move and flex so our daughters bed room door was sticking really bad to the point were I had to trim the top of the jamb and that worked mostly but what really fixed it was me hanging on the door to get it to stop sticking. Now it opens and closes just fine. I don't envy the guys that do doors for a living 😅
Nice work Scott. One suggestion. When the walls at the bottom don't line up, rather than remove sheetrock, I use a power planer on the backside of the casing. Minimize the sheetrock dust in the building, it tracks everywhere. You might have to carve out a bit of rock near the jamb. Oh yea, be sure to leave the casing full thickness where it contacts the jamb.
As an european I am always surprised how different things are in the US... Our hinges are different, we can lift out the door from the hinge when the door is open. Once the door is removed you can turn the hinge attached to the frame clockwise or counter-clockwise, screwing it in or out. It is an easy way to adjust a door.
I've built, or had my hand in building over a thousand custom doors for a company called Centerpointe Millwork in Portland Oregon. They have since gone out of business. Having said that, I've probably only hung about 15 doors in my lifetime. I've never seen that wire trick before, but I can think of a couple of doors where I'm going to be going back and using that trick. Thanks for teaching that one!
The wire trick is cool, I've always just removed the pin, shimmed the door so the reveals are even and then bent the hinges on the jamb side with an adjustable wrench so that they line back up.
I would also suggest getting an air bag to prop the door up before you fasten it. You can pump it with your foot while watching your level so you don't have to keep bending over and adjusting the shims.
Good tips, thanks for sharing!
Couple of comments:
1. I usually use a screw behind the hinge rather than a wire. This makes it micro-adjustable.
2. I always add the casing to the door jamb on the side that swings in before I attempt to hang the door. This way I can easily level out the door and create even reveals around the door when nailing off the casing. That holds the door in place. I then open the door to access the other side and shim the door jamb behind each hinge, one at a time. I unscrew the top hinge, run in a screw through the jamb and shims into the framing then reattach the hinge and move onto the next one. On the working side, I use a minimum of three shims ensuring that I have shim(s) behind the door strike and at baseboard height. These get secured with a 16p finish nail.
Nothing wrong with your method. I just get greater production and better results with no comeback adjustments required.
You use flat shim stock, instead of tapered?
Where I can.
But if you put the thick end of a tapered shim in first, then you can snug up with the 2nd shim starting with the thin side.@@lordaleksandre
Good points. I like that method.
Neat wire tip. Another tool for the bag of tricks: Set hinge side to laser in 30 sec, hold door with airbag, and make minor adjustments or repair call adjustments by pulling pin, shim door to correct and use fuel line wrench to bend hinges to match pin fit again. Fast, simple, and hinge plates sit strongly bedded in their mortise.
Also, check floor is level across jamb before you start incase you need to trim jamb for door to sit level with both jamb legs on floor. Be mindful of clearance for finish floor, carpet or doormats. Sometimes ventilation needs a door gap at the bottom too, or you could end up needing room to room venting for exhaust fans to work or hvac.
36 inch Handicap doors rock. Having the extra space really helps when moving large things. Handicap houses sell faster and not a whole lot on the market. The larger openings really make day to day life easier. My thoughts on doors.
This.
And roll-in roll-out bathrooms and showers, grab bars, that sort of thing. Easy to do at the design-build stages and provide plenty of value for everyone, not just the "disabled".
@@disqusrubbish5467 And the higher toilets. I'm not sure why people don't always install things like grab bars.
Reminds me of the nineties, a friend and I were piece trimming track homes, did about three a day, the three inch screws is how we got the reveal right, for the drywall hanging over the pretty much hammered in in so the casing would fit right. I hated working like that but if you took longer than ten minutes to hang a door you were just throwing money out the window because everyone else was doing it that way and it was acceptable to the home builders.
Same here. 4-12 min per door in apartment buildings was the average. Casing was around 12 min per side. 25 ft/hr for base was acceptable.
hanging the last door and handing the happy customer they keys always was one of my favorite parts of my job as an insurance resto contractor no better feeling than giving a family back their home after it was destroyed by a fire or other disaster and another great feeling was repairing a door after a burglar had kicked it in and showing the home owner how the now reinforced door jam would most likely dislocate the knee of the next guy that tried it before he got in to the house lol
I consider myself an expert, and I haven’t seen this trick yet. Thanks a bunch!
Although I do own a “hinge doctor” tool.
I've installed/fixed/messed with north of a thousand doors of all types, and this is the first I've heard of the wire trick. Good stuff, Scott!
Great tutorial. I am a California professional door hanger with 40 years experience.
The wire trick below hinges is something I used but rarely shared
Great videos. Respectful 16:09 suggestion : install exterior door mounting screws UNDER Q Lon weather strip for a clean appearance, cross site door by opening door slightly and compare with jamb level
My father and I hung book doors for Doorway out of San Marcos and Stan Ludwig from Lake Elsinore
I have remodeled old houses and found leather strips as shims . I like the wire trick.
I have always used business cards sliced into 1/4’s to shim doors works well for micro adjustments but it seams like the wire trick works good when more movement is required.
I just did a double interior. I just use mini washers. Gary kratz on this is carpentry will show a fool proof way to do doors. Interior or exterior. He's a true master in that craft.
These always seem to take me a long time, and part way through I wish I was a seasoned pro who would do it in a snap. So, it is kinda nice to see a genuine seasoned pro find a door so complicated it takes him three hours, too!
Doors suck in general. lol. It’s always a fun challenge, especially upgrading a door in old construction.
I use an inflatable air shim to hold up open doors. They have an inflator valve you can pump with your foot to accurately lift & plumb the door as you stand while watching the plumb bubble. It works great!
Nice job on the doors your very modest one time I would love to hear you say dam I’m good nailed it because you are good
The wire trick is new to me and is exactly what my exterior kitchen door needs. When warm weather gets here I'll see if I can finally get that door hung properly.
Hi Scott, some interesting tips and tricks there, never seen the wire trick! That Stabila level you have is guaranteed for life, or at least they used to be, the vile should not leak and the accuracy is guaranteed also, yours is obviously faulty. If you can find proof of purchase then you should be able to get it replaced. Stabila is the only brand I trust for longevity, I’ve not found anything better her in the UK. Keep up the good work 👍
I have never heard of using a piece of wire, but a friend of mine would use playing cards to shim door hinges, and occasionally he would use business cards.
This is a great video, thank you Sir.
Well now I don't feel so bad regarding my shortcomings. Especially now that I know even Essential Craftsman Scott has pains & frustrations when hanging doors, too. All the best!
Same here!
A trick I was shown by a contractor who remodeled my house was to pull a hinge pin and bend it slightly to keep the door from swinging on its own. Friction is your friend here. Do it to two or all three hinge pins if necessary.
Excellent job!!! These are some tricks that the newbie door hanger would like to have.
It can get frustrating, you level one side and mount and move around and that's no longer level. Just take your time and work at it. After you hang a few you grt a groove and find out it's not as intimidating as it seems. As long as anyone can read a level and a tape measure, you can hang a door with some time and patience. And where to put your screws to hide the best and always shine the screws. Do atleast 3-4 on each side for a good sturdy feeling door when you shut it hard. You know a bad hung door when the door and frame moves more then the wall when shut spiritally.
Inflatable air shims are my best friend when hanging doors.
A wire seems more authentic lol
That wire trick is definitely worth the price of admission.
The wire trick is a new one for me,I’ll have to try it…I used to struggle taping thin pieces of cardboard until I tried little screws,which stay in place better and you can adjust easily…been enjoying your channel for years,keep up the good work!!!
Yep, slow & steady is how we do everything at our age. Working, stairs, bathroom,
meals, under the covers...
!
Haha love it!
Thanks, Scott! the timing of this video is perfect for me. I just purchased and installed a French patio door, and although the rough opening was plumb on both sides and level top and bottom, and the installed jambs were plumb and the sill and header were level, the passive door is slightly lower at the top than the active door, even though the outer reveal is equal all around. It was driving me nuts until I saw your new video. I can't wait to try your tricks, which will help my situation. As always, love your videos, please keep doing them!
Wow Scott, that wire trick is a new one to me! Always wort the price of admission, here :) You've helped me grow as a contractor, and as always, thanks!
Curse of the "pre=hung" door. I build my own jambs and mortise the hinges myself. Had to hang 96 (yes ninety six) 3/0-8/0 doors in a 12,000 sq. ft. home. Never thought I'd ever finish! 😆🤣
And they were solid 1-3/4” as well I presume. Extra Extra read all about it! I’ve trimmed large custom homes in Omaha for 33 years. Thousands of doors. Now my 6’5” 19 year old son hangs them for me. 🤓
You can use a sledge hammer and a large wedge to move wall and get into cross site
Stabila levels will replace that leaking vial.
Good video
Nice explanation. I hang new slabs in preexisting old jambs all the time. And I shim hinges often to get things just right. I've never seen anyone use a wire. I have hundreds of slivers of dense cardboard already cut up and ready to go. I can stack them according to the right thickness as necessary. I use supper glue & accelerator to old them in place.
I also have small 1" long wood plugs I've made from hardwood dowel rods already made with a point on one end to plug the screw holes when the wood in the jamb (or door) is all reamed out. Especially on the top hinge, if there's any slop where its screwed to the jamb you'll get a lot of sag.
Also for those who have really old doors with original hinges, I've seen where the hinge pin has worn down over time it becomes loose in the barrel and again causing sag.
How old is your level? Their warranted for 10 years.
You have a great mind set. Always enjoy watching your videos.
That wire trick is new to me thank you
Wire! Yes! I've needed this since the new door install a year ago!
I like the wire trick now I’ll have keep some wire in my van
Great content thank you
The door you hung at the bottom of the stairs at the start of the video will you have enough head height, coming down the stairs through that door according to code ?????
If you lose 7 1/2 inches for the step, just seems odd
Scott! You have helped me solve a most frustrating problem with which I have struggled for too long. Much obliged.
Scott, I used to sell Stabilla. That is warranty. They will replace it.
Hey Essential Craftsmen, Stabila levels are guaranteed to not leak, fog up, or lose precision for life or they will replace that level for free. Trade it in and you’ll have a good straight edge and a good level.
Best level but there warranty and customer service sucks.
@Scott, hanging exterior doors myself at this time. Thanks for reminding me that I'm not loosing my mind while considering reveals and door function. 😎✌️
I love using a multi tool for cutting shims.
The handiest thing I own for this is something called an air shim I got from Lowe's. It's basically a inflatable pry bar like the locksmiths use to pry your vehicle door open.
I use it to adjust the legs on washer, dryers and refrigerators too. Also two or three work great when installing windows.
Thanks for that tip. I have a use for one right now!
Doors are so finicky, i cant believe even a pro like you has the same troubles with doors. makes me feel abit better.
I just do old homes and it is constant problem solving
You can bend the nubs on the hinge and it works alot better and much fasted.
You should look into adjusting the centerline of the jamb hinge barrel using only an adjustable wrench ("cresent" wrench). It's fast and noninvasive.
That’s what I was going to say. It’s very effective and much quicker. It’s also more precise for this issue in my opinion. Although this wire thing definitely has a place in the world of setting doors. There are so many tiny details that add up to a great install. Thanks for the idea Scott. I’m sure it will come in handy.
Great project, start to finish.
I like how you called out Stabila. If they are going to charge as much as they do for their products, the bubble should not leak.
Everyone always praises Stabila and I thought about getting some, but after hearing this, I'm going to stick with my cheap home depot levels. I have a 4 foot Stanley and an 8 foot Empire I have been using and abusing for years that have held up fine.
Stabila levels are guaranteed for life to not leak, fog, or lose accuracy. If any of these conditions occur, Stabila will replace that level for free.
On another note, I personally don’t care for these or other aluminum or fiberglass levels because they only have a plumb vial at one end and a level vial that’s usually in the center. It seems that 80% of the times that I pick one up to check for plumb, I have it the wrong way and have to flip it over. Give me a good quality wood level with plumb vials at both ends and I get it right every time. Lol
Take a good look at his 6 foot level. It looks like he used it as a prybar, and it bounced around in the back of the truck. . Take a good look at all the tools that he has in his shop.
@@Hoaxer51 My aluminum level has plumb vials at both ends. Never gave a thought as to who made it, so I just checked. Looks like "T" or "I" Johnson, made in the US. Yeah only one would be annoying.
@@diverdave4056, Slightly used, maybe he thought he had his Burke bar when he was trying to move something heavy over a little bit. 😝 Lol
Its nice when the trim is already on one side of the door.
After having hung hundreds of doors of all types, I don't think any 2 went in the same. Every opening and door (prehung or not) has its own fingerprint.
agreed
Ain't that the truth!
Wonderful job and interesting use of the wire. Scott, send that Stabila level in for a warranty replacement.
Good Saturday Morning to you. Thanks.
These videos help us so much! Thank you for your dedication
Fresh cup of coffee... new video from EC ...and -6 degrees... mmm
Fresh cup of coffee… new video from EC… -23 degrees…sitting in front of the wood stove in my off grid cabin 😊. Hello from Montana.
That wire idea is a great one! I will definitely have to use that one! Thank you for sharing!
Great trick 👍
Thanks for the tips. I've always struggled with door hanging, generally not being real happy with my end result.
*Fuel line wrench > cresent wrench for hinge adjustments. Its not sloppy and more torque.
Can you make a series on terminology please!!! ❤
Another thing....If you are coming down a big set of stairs and look down a hall way...When you hit the right step, say about three from the bottom, and look out, you are looking at the top trim of all the doors..They have to be dead nuts all the way across.....When you hang all those doors you have to have top trim tacked to the wall before you do everything else.You have start there...I snapped a line all the way down the hall on the drywall..designate top of trim.. and set all the doors to this line...You just have to struggle with the rest of the stuff......
Thanks so much
There are a number of hinge bending tools on the market made specifically for the purpose of adjusting doors. A crescent wrench works in a pinch but you are taking the risk of damaging the finish on the hinge. I have tried just about every method imaginable to adjust doors and found that bending the hinges is definitely the easiest and quickest. If the door has been hung properly to begin with a door can be fine tuned in just a couple minutes by tweaking the hinges with the proper tool.
The first door you show is tight to the bottom of a set of stairs.....Not a great idea but necessary sometimes with a tight space and O.K.in a secondary used stair......I see the door is regular height....In my opinion that is dangerous practice..If you are 5' 10" tall or so and you are hurrying down the stairs you are going to hit your head for sure...I have been able to get at least a MDF door in a standard size 7' with out to much rise in price....looks kind of cool if their are doors at standard height nearby....Let you know where the important exit is...
Hello Iv been watching for a while.
I liked what u said at end I felt like u where talking to me lol. iv always been around the different trades and I bought a 3 family and been doing most things by myself. I do great work and take pride in everything I do, it just takes me a long time to get things done!
You can buy plastic shims designed specifically for the hinges.
What a nice project. Thanks.
Good morning, EC!
Thanks for the great tip/trick! Biggest thing I took from This video is …,, Slow And Steady !! It’s in the details
Hey, Scott, we love you.
How is Nate's house coming along?
Noticed that the bathroom door is roughed to close to opposing wall to accommodate the full trim. That should be kept in mind when roughing out the walls.
Good video, I’ll need to try the that copper wire trick when a door needs some tweaking.
If a striking plate needs some grinding, I use my Milwaukee cordless rotary tool with a carbide bit, save quite a bit of time over doing it manually.
Good work and beautiful Gadsen flag!"
Big issue for me was the manufactures strip the hinge screws on the jam causing the hinge to flop around causing the door to wan to swing open. Only reall way to fix that is to use long screws that drive into the door frame stud to pull the hinge tight with the jam.
Very help to get a set of "Door stud pro" casters that allow to mount a set of casters on the bottom of the door. Especially with solid wood doors.
Great trick with the wire. I have made hinge shims out of alum flat stock, that work good.
Damn framers lol
What’s going on with those horizontal tape joints at the start of the video?
The plaster joints all through the video are completely amateur. Sorry Scott but what happened there??
@@MrPwnageMachineSometimes you gotta do what you gotta do. Any true craftsman would understand.
That was a good one.
Scott, you claim to not be very good at it... But you're light years ahead of me. I'm an electrician... I just call my dad to hang doors when I need one hung.
2:54 they make a tool to adjust the hinge... way easier
I dunno, does that make for a durable shim? It seems like the wire will compress the wood grain and get loose over time. A flat shim with more surface area (plane contact rather than line contact) would still be my go-to.
Regardless, I appreciate the useful "have this problem, do this thing, get this result" empirical type of content. I'm a strong spatial thinker (engineer, cad monkey, grew up with legos) and I still struggle to tune door gaps sometimes. The average layperson can certainly extract some value from the shim here to move this info 👍
Does it make a diiferance which hinge leaf you put the wire under ? Ex: back of jamb leaf to move door away from jamb or front edge of door leaf to move door away ???
How do you know when to shim the jam side of the hinge vs. the door side?
Great idea and I love your work. However I think think the two things I don’t do / hate doing - Hinges (any) and Doors - will remain so.
Thanks for the awesome content and great videos!!
Luv it! Good job 👍
15:29 What the heck is going on above that light switch? Haha
I prefer to bend the knuckles on the hinges. They make a tool or you can just use a crescent wrench. Accomplishes the same thing and leaves the hinge leaves fully seated in their mortises. Just be careful which way / leaf you bend… can cause hinge binding if you do it wrong.
15:29 what’s that?
Damn framers! Lol. That bottom door framing kicked out. That happens. Sometimes from using wet wood and it dried and kicked from twisting a little bit since framing to door hang.
Would pulling the pin and bending the hinge barrels also accomplish a similar result?
Yes it would! I just replaced all interior door slabs on my house and bending the loops when needed made them all perfect.
The wire trick looks good. Never seen it before. Something I have done which works to a similar end, is to bend the hinge barrels. First remove the pin, then bend each barrel tab in the desired direction using large slip joint pliers or vise-grips. There is more than one way to skin a cat!
That is exactly the way I do it - bend them as needed to adjust the door in either direction - I've tried many method in the past 25 years and to me nothing is better for fine tuning the reveal - I remove them one at a time and use a blunt chisel and the most available anvil (truck hitch or trainer tongue) because I've pulled them out of the door or case with the slip lock pliers before - kudos Sir
Same here with the bending method. 👍
Where I come from, a carpenter that bends a hinge to make a door work, is considered, A HACK
I hear what you're saying. It is, for me,a quick fine-tuning method to improve an already poorly functioning door without disturbing the casing. There is no substitute for hanging it well in the first place.@@patarmentrout9388
@@patarmentrout9388That's cool.
They make quick door Hangers now! 😂😂😂
And they rock!
My instinct on that door would have been to shim out the bottom hinges with flat shims of wood, for instance. It'd never have thought about moving the pivot point of the top hinge back. Would both methods get to the same result?
Thats bad news about the stabila level.
What gague nails are you using, 16?
Hey Scott, I asked this question the other day, but that door at the bottom of the staircase don’t you have to have a certain height here it didn’t look like even at your height you could step down through there without hitting the top of the door jam??????😂😂😂😂
I've put in 1000 doors and never use a level to plumb a door, I may check the jam on hinge side , old carpenter told me do it with reveals
Hanging doors is no fun. I helped my dad replace our sliding backdoor with a double door and it was a bear of a job and this was many years ago long before youtube. More recently the wife and I had a house built and as you well know buildings move and flex so our daughters bed room door was sticking really bad to the point were I had to trim the top of the jamb and that worked mostly but what really fixed it was me hanging on the door to get it to stop sticking. Now it opens and closes just fine. I don't envy the guys that do doors for a living 😅
Nice work Scott. One suggestion. When the walls at the bottom don't line up, rather than remove sheetrock, I use a power planer on the backside of the casing. Minimize the sheetrock dust in the building, it tracks everywhere. You might have to carve out a bit of rock near the jamb. Oh yea, be sure to leave the casing full thickness where it contacts the jamb.
As an european I am always surprised how different things are in the US... Our hinges are different, we can lift out the door from the hinge when the door is open. Once the door is removed you can turn the hinge attached to the frame clockwise or counter-clockwise, screwing it in or out. It is an easy way to adjust a door.
Don’t be ignorant. Our doors have adjustable hinges too. We also have standard hinges.
Johnny Carson once joked that "old" is "30 years older than *you*", and I'm 58 so you're not old. 😀
I don't understand why adjustable hinges aren't a thing in the US.
That job would have taken about 2 minutes.
Also, I recommend some air wedges.
😊
Commercial doors hollow metal. The hinges always come with cardboard. shims. Use blue tape to hold shims. Same concept