Sunday, September 12, 2010

Pesky Hinge Pin

Have you ever needed to remove a door in your house to either make an adjustment to the door or to do some work in that area, and the door is an obstruction to your work area. So you get a hammer and a flat screwdriver and start removing the hinge pins. To your dismay the darned little things are stubborn and won't easily remove. You get to the bottom hinge and the pin doesn't even budge. You can't pound it out because it is too low to the floor. What you thought would be so simple has become a hard task. When you put the door back.... alas, the hinges no longer line up.

One of the reasons for this difficulty is that after original installation many doors will warp slightly due to humidity differences on each side of the door. Once the door is released at the hinge point it springs a little bit so it will not line up to the hinges again.

Here is a simpler, easier, and much quicker way to remove your door and re-install it. If you have a battery powered drill, at the door jamb side remove the screws on all three hinges starting at the bottom and working to the top. Within 30 seconds your door is off and the hinge pins are still in tact.

When re-installing the door, lift the door in place so that one screw in the top hinge lines up through the hinge to the proper screw hole. Drive the screw in, but do not snug it up. That screw will hold the door up while you re-align the other hinges. Drive all the screws in tight. Amazing! you just re-installed your door with very little fuss. Where as removing the door took about 30 seconds, Installation should take about a minute. And now you are not saying, "Where did that hinge pin go? Did you see it anywhere?"

If you have any questions you can submit them in the comments box. Oh! I should acknowledge the question about stripping out a bathroom so that it can be remodeled. That one might have a lengthy answer and it somewhat depends on electrical, plumbing, and what other amenities will be installed in the end..... So, I need more specifics.

Thanks for reading.


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