How To Switch Door Hinges

Once all the trim was off i pulled the door off the hinges.

How to switch door hinges.

You don t need to take the whole door down just remove one hinge and replace it with a new one then do the next one and finally swap out the final one. The swing of a door can make a big difference in the safety of a room or staircase. Any time you re removing old trim use a glazer s bar instead of a hammer or a crow bar a trim puller also works well depending on the trim s profile. If you re moving the door so it swings from the opposite side but still swings into the same room you won t have to change the door stop molding router or chisel new hinge and strike plate recesses on the opposite jamb.

Replacing door hinges is super easy. Position the door where it needs to be press the hinges against the edge of the jamb and mark with your pencil on the jamb around the square of each hinge plate. Measure from the inside top of the door frame down to the top of the latch hardware and write down the measurement. It helps to put a thin piece of wood or a shim down under the door first.

It doesn t matter if you are doing external or internal doors you can swap them out really easily. Paint or stain the repair to match the rest of the door and trim. Allow the putty time to dry and sand it smooth and flush with the surface. Also mark the screw holes in the plates.

Here s how we reversed the swing of our basement door much better. The easiest way is to replace one hinge at a time. Measure the distance from the top inside corner of the door frame to the top of each of the existing hinges. Turn the door around in the doorway so the hinges are on the opposite side of the jamb.

Remove the existing door hinges and strike plate from the doorjamb.