Old doors

[JHZR2]

My house is from the early 1930s. I have a 36 x 84" 9-lite prairie style front door.

SOmething like this, only the glass extends lower down.

The door has some faults, but to replace it will easily cost me $7000. Id liek to try to get a few more years out of it if I can.

The biggest issue is that the door is saggy. It sags likely because it is a big, heavy door and the hinges are worn. Looking at the door jamb (no guarantee it is square), the door hangs quite a bit, so there is a big gap on one side. I assume that new hinges would fix that, right?

Besides the hinges, the construction of the door is off by a bit. Granted on a 9-lite door, there isnt a lot of wood to provide structure, but the solid wood in the bottom 1/8-1/4 of the door has started to hang crooked too, which actuall has created a gap in the pieces of wood that make the door (very small, but the draft is felt in the winter).

I am planning to refurbish the door as best as I can over the next month or so. I will be going with some new hinges, refinish the wood, and try to tighten it up. So, a few questions:

-If one of the wood screws that hold the hinges in place doesnt really bite anymore, should I go longer and thicker? How do I best sure up the hole so I can screw in and it will be tight and long-lasting?

-If I take the door down, and try to square it up a bit, can I drill a long hole thought he solid wood parts, and insert a dowel with glue on it to create a "spine" of sorts to make it more rigid?

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks!

 

[duaneb9729]

I dont know if this helps you at all, but i had french doors custom made for my house for 3,500 dollars

the wood was quarter sawn oak

You could use longer screws or just splinter off some wood and jam it into the screw hole and try the same screw again



have you looked at the fine home building web site, or this old houses web site?

 

[tomcat27]

duane covered the screw answer. I wouldn't try to strengthen with a dowel - as dowels are normally softer wood than the door itself.

 

[Audi Junkie]

I fixed a door like that by flipping the hinges so the holes hit on fresh wood. (is that too racy?)

 

[mechtech2]

Hinges may help, but first....
Simply tightening the present ones in the door and frame may fix it.
Sometimes longer screws are what is needed, to get a better bite.
You can easily tell if the pins are loose, once you yank the door.
Sometimes only new pins are needed, used with the old hinges.

 

[Tempest]

One thing to check is the jamb. If the jamb isn't fastened to the framing well, it won't matter what you do to the door as the jamb will sag. Often times the jamb is just nailed to the framing with small nails and shims. Your older house may be better...or not.

You MIGHT be able to drill a long hole (much more difficult than you might think) and insert hardwood dowels with glue to reinforce the joint, BUT it won't be nearly as strong as a properly glued joint. The old glues were not particularly good and moisture has probably degraded it.

Sometimes with old hide glue (if that's what they used), you can use heat or water to loosen up the joint, and take it apart. Clean it up and get some modern glue (I recommend Titebond III or polyurethane if water is used) in the joint. In any event, you will need SERIOUS clamps (Bessey K body types) to be able to resquare the door.

 

[mechtech2]

Long screws with a strong drill or hammer drill will work a LOT easier than glue, nails, clamps.
Bing, bang, boom! Done!
[for loose jambs - the king and jack studs]

 

[Kestas]

I always use the longest and largest wood screws to get a job done - whether it's construction or repair. I believe in overkill when it comes to wood screws. I have a reputation within our family that anything I screw together will never come apart.

It also helps that I've inherited about 50 lbs of assorted wood screws. I never have to go to the store to buy a particular size.

Do they make dowels out of oak (or some other hardwood)? I like that idea.

 

[IndyIan]

What kind of wood is the frame? I've learned that predrilling holes is necessary before using screws in hardwoods, so putting in a much longer screw might split the wood without predrilling.
As for the door, maybe you could try dissasmbling it if its getting that saggy, a few taps with a hammer on a sacrificial board might have the whole thing apart if its failing structurally already.

 

[Tempest]

Just buy a wooden dowel and cut it down to whatever length is needed.

They don't use screws on doors for a reason. The screw is much harder than the wood and as the wood flexes from use and moisture cycles, the hole gets larger and the joint gets loose. This can happen quite quickly. The best wood joint for something that moves should have NO metal in it.

You can see what has happened to the hinge screws for evidence of this.

They also make the door impossible to trim or square as the metal is in the way.

 

[JHZR2]

Originally Posted By: Tempest
Just buy a wooden dowel and cut it down to whatever length is needed.



Thanks, do I then read into this that getting a hardwood dowel (I know HD sells oak ones), and inserting it dry into a hold, drilled into the rood for a length could be a good move?

 

[Tempest]

You have to be careful. If you did a good job drilling the hole, and the dowel is tight (not undersized), you might not get it back out.

Best thing to do is just put the dowel in with glue (a little longer than you think the hole is deep)(probably will require a mallet), and cut it off after it's in there. Use a flush cut saw and/or sand paper/sander to flush it.

Don't go overboard with the glue. It doesn't take much, and you are driving the dowel into a blind hole and air will have to come out the same way you are driving the dowel. That air will blow out a big blob of glue and make a big mess. Don't ask me how I know...

You can go to THIS site and see how strong wood joints can be.