Check the hinge thickness vs the old ones. If they're slightly thicker that could cause this issue, ditto if the mortise on the door is too thin. Check that the hinges are plumb. Did you replace the door or just the hinges? If it was just the hinges, then the replacements are subtly dimensionally different - get out your calipers. Is there old paint or shims under the hinges?

 

I only replaced the hinges. The thickness of the hinges is the same. There was no old paint or shims under the hinges. But I painted the mortise.

 

Too me it looks like the door is binding at the top. Something about your new hinge moved the door probably why you found an extra hole. The bottom looks ok the top looks too tight. It doesn’t take much too much paint or a shift in the hinge. I have an old house too when I messed with my doors shims fell out everywhere.
Find the spot that’s binding with a sheet of paper then deliberate how to make the gap bigger.

 

Put the old hinges back on and try it, you say you sanded it its possible the sanding caused it.
What the others have said also.

 

Painting the mortise effectively thickend the hinge by the thickness of the paint coat(s). Carefully scrape/sand the paint off the mortise area and see if that helps. An uneven paint layer can angle the hinges. Also be sure that the screw heads aren't protruding.

 

how does the door shut? Just binding a bit on top?

 

possibly hinge screws on jamb were torqued down a bit too much causing the jamb on hinge side to tweak a bit

 

Cut shims from the box that the hinges came in or the like, and put them between the hinge and the door, between the hinge and the jamb, or both. If the new hinges are thinner than the old ones (likely if the previous hinges were old), more than one layer of shim may be needed. This will move the door away from the jamb.

It looks like the door is also binding against the stop. Scrape away paint and/or wood from the edge of the stop. The new paint will add a little thickness here, so it will be worse after painting if this isn't done.

Use good housekeeping including wiping up with a damp rag as the old paint likely contains lead.

 

I’m a bit lazier than JW. If It’s binding on the stop I cut the paint in the corners all around and beat the stop over a hair with a scrap block and a hammer.
Captain obvious edit: make sure it’s not a one piece jamb lol

 

I'm now working on my bedroom door after having completed fixing my bath door. As with the bath door, I'm replacing the brass hinges with satin nickel ones. They are the same size as the brass ones: 3-1/2".

I took out the door from the from the frame, removed the knob and sanded it because I intend to paint it.

But this time I'm a bit wiser. Before painting it, I decided to first hang it back onto the frame in order to see whether it fits with the new hinges without a problem.

Here's the problem. After installing the hinges, the door is not rubbing anywhere on the jamb. However, the door feels a bit tight. If I press it into the closed position and let go, it pops out. In other words, it opens on its own. The resistance is not a lot but there's some. Like I said, it opens on its own.

I'm not sure what I need to adjust.

I should mention that I primed and painted the part of the jamb where the hinges go in. I did this because when I removed the hinges I noticed that the person who installed them had an extra hole on one mortise which must have been a mistake. So I filled it with wood filler, primed and painted the mortise. I painted the other mortise just so they matched. Could this have made a difference?

Below are two photos of how the door looks when closed (please pardon the appearance of the door. It's sanded but not yet primed and painted).

View attachment 3904156


View attachment 3904155

Two things come to mind.
A screw(s) head is a tad proud and gnashing against its mate on the other hinge leaf, or perhaps, somehow, the door is now slightly closer to the rebate or strip that forms such.
Not sure what you call that over yonder.
In other words set too far into the frame.
You mention same size but are new ones just a tad thicker than old? Assume not as you'd checked

 

I’d like to see the gap between the door and the jamb on the hinge side.
Another question; were any extra long screws used in the hinges that were meant to pull the jamb into the RO framing?

 

Some misalignment. X, Y, Z possibilities. Z clearance above and below look ok. X parallel to the door, clearance at the latch side you say is OK. Leaves Y the door set farther in or out from the frame. It looks to be hitting at the top stop, and close also at the bottom. What would cause it? New screws in old holes, or warpage of door or jamb, or thick paint.
How to fix? You need to move the door out, just a tiny bit away from the stop. Try putting a shim, toothpick size in the screw holes. All three hinges to keep the hinge pins all vertical, one side only, door or jamb.

 

You will probably need a machinist's feeler gauge to check the tolerance in each of the x, y, and Z planes. Get the best you can afford. If you're not sure how to use it, you might "rent" a machinist to go with it.

 

You have a dry sense of humor Phil.
Guess what this is serious ,by the way,guess what I’m not joking. Everyone has to pay their fair share no joke.

 

Easy fix. I don’t understand all the fuss

 

I have now completed installing new satin nickel hinges in all of my 3 doors (I took out the brass ones). And none of them are binding. This was more involved than I imagined.

I learned a lot. Folks on this forum know all this but I'm mentioning it for newbies like me:

1) Don't paint a door before you know for sure that the new hinges fit properly. You may need to sand or plane. I learned this the hard way with the first door I did.

2) If it's an old house and the new hinge screws are not catching the wood because the holes are stripped, all is not lost. I found this video really helpful:

But while the helpful guy in the video uses toothpicks, I found wood stirrers that you use in a coffee store to be really good. Instead of throwing mine away when I bought my coffee at my local Panera Bread, I kept it. I just needed 4 (I'm very anal about not wasting anything).

3) Sometimes a hinge binds because it's in too tightly. This was a new discovery for me! I just happened tp loosen one hinge one day and voila, it fit better and the door could shut without feeling like it's going to explode.

4) When a door that previously had an issue when shutting is fixed, to me it's a very satisfying feeling. There's nothing more irritating than a door that's rubbing against the jamb (well, I can think of other things but this is certainly one for me).

5) To me, when the hinges match the knob, it looks much more professional. Previously, two of my doors had brass hinges and satin nickel knobs (the third one just had all brass). I'll never let this happen again.

Below is a photo of the bedroom door with the new hinge:

Now I need to replace the brass door knob, lock, dead bolt, chain lock, peephole, and latch shield for my front door (see photo below). I want them to be satin nickel (or brushed nickel) as well. I'm not impressed with what's available at Home Depot. I want material that will last for a while. I previously bought this brass hardware at Home Depot and it started discoloring just after a few years, especially the chain lock. Still looking around.

Just reporting back on how things went.

Anyway, as always, the feedback from this forum is always highly appreciated. Thanks!

 

What fixed the original issue?

 

Hi MadMark,

Believe it or not, it seems that I had the hinges on too tight. I truly do not know how hinges really work so I don't want to pretend that I really figured out what was going on. This was a really frustrating project in many ways. I tried all kinds of cardboard shim combinations: 3 at top hinge, 2 at the bottom; 1 at top, 2 at bottom, 1 at 1 side of shim, 2 at the other; and so on). But the door kept binding.

Then I just happened to loosen the top hinge and to my surprise, the binding stopped quite a bit. Then I played around with the shim combinations. When I got to 2 shims at the top and 1 at the bottom, I had finally landed on the right combination. The door opened with no binding at all.

I cannot explain it in carpentry terms. But that's what happened. It was a very trying project for a newbie!

By the way, I switched from using cereal boxes for the shims to a slightly thicker cardboard. The cereal boxes are too thin so you can waste a lot of time. In other words, the difference in width is very small when you're trying different combinations.

 

By the way, I switched from using cereal boxes for the shims to a slightly thicker cardboard. The cereal boxes are too thin so you can waste a lot of time. In other words, the difference in width is very small when you're trying different combinations.

I'm glad that you found a problem solution. FWIW: I once tried using thin cardboard shims. They work for awhile and then begin to flatten with age. Instead, I've used small strips of formica (or even metal washers) for shimming purposes.

If it's not broke, I wouldn't fix-it. But if that happens, this my 2-cents.

 

If the face of the hinge is mortised too deep, the wooden edges of the door will keep the leaves of the hinge apart, causing binding and tending to spring the door open. Ideally, the leaves of the hinges should be exactly flush with the door, not proud nor shy. The mortise was too deep and loosening the hinge moved it from shy to flush, eliminating the bind. A shy hinge can easily be shimmed to flush, a proud hinge needs to have the mortise deepened slightly. In your case, a micrometer should show the replacement hinge leaves were slightly thinner than the originals, making them fit shy of the originals.

 

Ah the discovery of the complexity of doors! Its just a simple slab of wood in an opening, right? Doors, especially in the commercial environment, are probably one of the most complex devices in a building. You are pretty courageous as a newbie to take on doors. It sounds like you worked through the issues, so you deserve a big pat on the back.

What you were experiencing was hinge bind, which can happen for a number of reasons; many of which were posted above. Shims are a common tool to get a door plumb and functioning properly since most openings are anything but perfect.

If you want more durable hardware, look for a commercial door shop in your area. They will carry heavy duty hardware designed for a commercial environment so it will hold up a lot better than anything Home Deplorable will carry. For hinges I usually get ball bearing 4" hinges which don't squeak and will hold up to a lot of abuse (however keep in mind you are going to have to expand the hinge mortises to use the 4" commercial hinges). You should be able to get things like latch guards, push/pull plates, kick plates, door stops, and if needed door closers from a commercial door shop. I put a commercial door closer on the door between the garage and the house as it is a fire rated door and should always latch and because I hate spring hinges. If you shop for commercial hinges, don't spend astronomical money on them, your price should be between $5 and $10 not $30/hinge, I think we used to pay about $3/hinge wholesale.

 

Ah the discovery of the complexity of doors! Its just a simple slab of wood in an opening, right? Doors, especially in the commercial environment, are probably one of the most complex devices in a building. You are pretty courageous as a newbie to take on doors. It sounds like you worked through the issues, so you deserve a big pat on the back.

What you were experiencing was hinge bind, which can happen for a number of reasons; many of which were posted above. Shims are a common tool to get a door plumb and functioning properly since most openings are anything but perfect.

If you want more durable hardware, look for a commercial door shop in your area. They will carry heavy duty hardware designed for a commercial environment so it will hold up a lot better than anything Home Deplorable will carry. For hinges I usually get ball bearing 4" hinges which don't squeak and will hold up to a lot of abuse (however keep in mind you are going to have to expand the hinge mortises to use the 4" commercial hinges). You should be able to get things like latch guards, push/pull plates, kick plates, door stops, and if needed door closers from a commercial door shop. I put a commercial door closer on the door between the garage and the house as it is a fire rated door and should always latch and because I hate spring hinges. If you shop for commercial hinges, don't spend astronomical money on them, your price should be between $5 and $10 not $30/hinge, I think we used to pay about $3/hinge wholesale.

MFled,

I'm not replacing hinges since I just did them for all my doors (replaced brass ones for satin nickel). I'm hopefully done with hinges for a very l time.

All I have left is to do replace the following for my front door: lock, deadbolt, chain lock, latch protector and door viewer.

Thank you for recommending a commercial door shop and the kind words.

The door shop in my neighborhood uses Schlage but I'm going to look for another store. Anyway, this is the quote list they gave me, in case I decided to order with them:

1) Door knob $69.00
2) Deadbolt $81.00
3) Latch protector $22.40
4) Door viewer $10.05

 

Aluminum foil doesn't squish.

 

Hi MadMark,

Wow! That was an impressive response. I loved the carpentry lingo used ("proud hinge," "shy hinge"). I think what you explain, in such a wonderful way, is exactly what happened. When I look at my door jamb I notice that the mortise is indeed deep, at least to my eye. Very interesting!

 

Thanks! I started my apprenticeship as a carpenter at 10. My father was a carpenter/millwright, as was my grandfather. G'pa built his own house that's still standing over a century later.
Tip: don't judge shy/proud with your eyes, "look" with your fingertips. Your fingers can "see" a couple of thou difference in level.
Schlage is a major manufacturer and makes fine products. But here's a thought, try restoration hardware or a reclaimed hardware shop. Old hardware is typically thicker (as you have found), real brass instead of plated, and may well be more ornate than anything currently in production. Just my $0.02.

 

I plan to replace the door lock, deadbolt, latch protector and door viewer for my front door.

Presently, all these parts are brass. I want to switch to satin or brushed nickel to match the hinges.

I don't want to get them from Home Depot.

I went to a store in my neighborhood that specializes in door hardware. If I get them there, the brand will be Schlage (at least for the locks). But I can get Schlage at Home Depot.

Is Schlage a good brand?

Is there another brand someone can recommend? Since door hardware is not something I change often, I don't mind spending a bit more.

 

Schlage has a cheaper and a more expensive line. What is at Home Depot may be cheaper still, as they sometimes spec their stuff so you think you're getting the same thing for less, but actually you're getting a lesser product. The better line (A?) has no visible screws. Emtek is another line to look for. Their products are heavy & look good, but the internals are only so-so. Baldwin used to be good, but the brand has now been hollowed out & is now in the DNB category IMO. For your standard lockset and deadbolt, pretty much anything will work.

 

jwoodcraft,

I'm just going to look around. Thanks.