How to Hang Internal Doors

Hanging new internal doors is an easy way to quickly update the look of your home. Today we take you, step-by-step, through the process of fitting your brand new internal doors.

Are Internal Doors Easy to Fit?

A little preparation before you start the task of hanging your new doors will make the job so much easier. If your door frame isn’t an average sized door frame, then you may need to have a door specially made. If your door frame is only a little smaller in size, or your door is a little too big, you will need to trim the door. There is generally a limit as to how much you can trim off of a door but it's important to make sure you trim equal amounts off both sides of the door. Make sure to check the instructions before you start trimming. When changing internal doors, using the same sized hinges as before, will make your job a lot easier, and you can then use the use the same hinge positions that are already on the door frame. Fitting new internal doors can revitalise a room and now, there are many different ways to finish your new internal door, from a coloured paint, to just a simple natural wood finish.

Fitting an Internal Door

Our step-by-step guide will have you hanging doors like a pro in no time!

What you're going to need:

• Measuring tape
• Hinges
• Pencil
• Plane
• Hand Saw
• Chisel
• Hammer
• Retractable Knife
• Drill
• Old Bed Sheet or Dust Sheet

1. If you haven’t already, the first step is to remove the old door, if you have a door stop, you should aim to leave it in the same place, However, if the door is thicker than your previous door, you’ll need to adjust the position of the doorstop.
2. Next you should trim the door to fit. You should allow for a 3mm gap between the lining and the hinge edge of the door. Use a butt hinge to measure this gap. On the closing side of the door, measure for a 3mm gap, you should draw a line on both side of the door so you know you’re cutting off the same amount. Make the length of the door with pencil lines so you know how much you need to cut off. If it is only a few millimetres that need cutting off, use a plane to trim the wood. If you’re doing this, work from the outer edge of the door inwards, this will prevent splitting the end grain. If you need to trim off more than a few millimetres, using a hand saw will be more helpful.
3. Then place the trimmed door back against the door frame and mark on the door the exact position of the old hinges on the door frame. Lay the door on to its side and then use the marks to position the hinges, then trace around the hinge onto the door, and then make a mark of the hinge thickness on the front edge too. You can use a chisel and hammer to make two cuts at either end of the hinge position, making sure the chisel cuts slightly deeper than the line edge. Then use a retractable knife along the longer side of the pencil line, joining the two chiselled cuts, making sure to press evenly but firmly. You should cut it to around the hinge depth. You then need to remove the marked wood, with a chisel. Make cuts across the grain every few millimetres, this is so you don’t split the wood. Make sure to tap the chisel to the hinge depth. Then, gently use the chisel blade to remove the wood by tapping the chisel along the pencil line at the front edge of the door. When the wood is removed, hold the hinge in place and mark the screw holes, then pilot rill, 2-3mm bit ideal. Secure the hinge onto the door.
4. You then need to fit the other half of the hinge onto the existing hinge position on the door frame. Just line the hinges up, and screw into place, to make this job easier ask someone to hold the door up for you, or prop the door up yourself.
5. Next, the latch needs fitting to the door. Mark the top, bottom and end of latch case onto the door and line up with the existing strike plate on the door frame. Carry on the pencil lines across the door edge and draw a vertical guideline through the middle of the horizontal lines. Measure the latch length and the distance from the latch and to the spindle centre, mark this on the door. Select a flat bit that is slight larger than the latch casing and mark the latch depth with some tape. Place the bit point onto the vertical guide, on the door edge then start drilling, slowly until you get to the required depth. Try to be precise as you can. At the marked off spindle position, drill carefully into each door side, taking care so you don’t split the wood.
6. Then place the latch into the hole and position precisely vertical, then draw a pencil line around the latch plate. You should then chisel away the wood within the lines you just created around the latch plate, going no further than the depth of the latch plate. Place the latch into place, and screw it securely. Insert the spindle through the latch, check it doesn’t need to be cut down, if it does, cut it with a junior hacksaw. Position the handles onto the spindle, making sure they are vertical and then use an awl to mark fixing holes. Then simply fix the handles into position with a hand held screw driver.
7. The last step, is to close the door, and check everything fits in neatly and correctly.

To make sure you have fit the door properly, make sure you have followed all of the steps, missing out on a small step or not measuring correctly could mean your door not working how it should. You have then fit your internal door and it should be all working correctly and smoothly.