Changing the doors in your home can really make a great difference to your interior décor – it is a small change but one that will totally transform your home. It may sound like a scary prospect, hanging a new door without professional help, but it is actually a lot easier than it sounds.
There are a few simple steps involved in hanging a new door and they are very easy to follow if you have the right tools. The main things you will need are a screw driver, screws, a pencil, a plane and some wedges, but you can check what you do have against this fully comprehensive tools list.
Step 1:
Once you have chosen a new door, line it up next to the old one and clamp the two together so that you can see where the new hinges will be fitted onto the door, use a pencil to draw the lines on.
Check the length of the new door too, you need to make sure there is a suitable gap left at the bottom - usually 2mm will do, but if you have carpet then you are more likely going to need a 5mm – 10mm gap.
Step 2:
Remove the old door to make way for the new one, but make sure it is stable before taking out all the screws, you don’t want it to fall over and damage anything or hurt anyone.
The easiest way to do this is to take all the screws out bar the bottom and top screws, this way the door will remain stable right until the very end when you will be able to support it as you remove the final screws.
Step 3:
Take your new hinges and lay them against the existing recess on the door frame, if they do not fit, mark the top of the hinge with a pencil and use a chisel to remove the wood. Once this is done, place the hinges to your existing pencil marks on your new door and draw a solid line where the hinge needs to go.
Use a chisel to make a recess the depth of the hinge in the selected area and then screw in the new hinges - the easiest way to do this is using a bradawl to make a starter hole in the wood.
Step 4:
Support your door on wedges so that the new hinges are lined up with the recesses on the door frame and screw them into place. The best way to do this is to screw in the top and bottom screws, so you can double check that the door hangs and swings correctly before screwing the rest in.
For more information you should check out this guide on how to replace your door.
Recycling Your Old Door
Once your new door has been hung, then it’s time to think of something useful to do with your old door. Up-cycling is a huge trend at the moment, and there lots of different things you could make your old door into.
You can make your door into a new table, a box to keep tools in, a piece of artwork or even a garden sculpture – the list is endless, for inspiration check out this great list of door recycling ideas.
It is easy enough to completely redecorate your old door to give it a new lease of life, you could paint the wood to make it into new furniture, or wrap it in wallpaper for a completely different visual appearance. If your door has slats or indented portions, you could take them out to create a frame – these gaps can then be filled with pictures or glass to give the door an entirely different identity.
There is nothing more satisfying than surrounding your home in personalized furnishings, where it is a new door that you have hung yourself, or an old door which you have refashioned into something practical and completely unique.
You might also like to read:
• 5 Wooden Front Door Designs for Your Home
• Replacing a Door - One of the best Remodels based on ROI
• The Versatility of Frameless Glass Sliding Doors
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