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May 28, 2009
Help! Screen door off center
I just installed an Andersen screen door in an Andersen door frame. We have a single hinged patio door swinging in, with a matching screen door swinging out. The screen door seems off-center by about 1/8" and rubs the frame when you open it. I called Andersen and they said that the door frame must have been mounted out of square. I am havinng a hard time measuring the diagonals to determine whether the frame is out of square by such a small amount. The screen door seems parallel to the frame at all four edges. ALl I want to do is move it about 1/16" lateraly, but there seems to be no way to do this. Anyone have any experience with Andersen screens or door frames to know how I might figure out what to do? Andersen says I should take the whole frame out, and reset it makins sure it is perfectly square. I am trying to avoid that nightmare.
Comments
You need to pack the hinges. You can buy shims made specifically for this purpose or use something else, some guys like to use washers (but that is better for metal doors). You will need to loosen the hinge screws toward the inside a little more than the hinge screws toward the outside. Slip the shim in (we're talking about the thickness of a business card folded two or three times) and tighten the outside screws FIRST, then snug up the interior side screws. That will move the door laterally toward the hinge side of the jamb. Pack the other side to move laterally toward the strike.
Posted by: southslope at May 28, 2009 6:10 PM
Slopefarm: Per SS instruction, this video might help you visualize: http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/video/0,,1639467,00.html
Though hinge shims can cure your problem, I'm still left wondering whether you used a level when installing the frame, and would encourage you to check it for level now. If it's out of whack, problems will reappear. In that case, the solution would be to shim the frame and not the hinges.
Posted by: vinca at May 28, 2009 6:25 PM
Thanks. But wouldn't hinge shims push the door the wrong way? The extra space between screen and frame is on the hinge side and the screen door is rubbing the frame on the side that opens.
Vinca, unfortunately, I didn't frame out the door and the GC is long gone. It is beyond me to get the frame square to a tolerance of less than 1/16". It is probably beyond me to install a door frame at all, which is why I am trying to find a simple solution. We have had the door for about 2.5 years without problems. I just recently ordered the screen and put it in. Only the screen is having a problem.
Thanks again for your thoughtful help.
Posted by: slopefarm at May 28, 2009 7:57 PM
Your not listening to a guy who has made more doors than you have opened.
The door can be moved laterally, either toward the strike side of the jamb OR TOWARD the hinge side of the jamb by manipulating the fulcrum (cantilever) of the hinge leaf within the hinge mortise.
The video link shows how to move a door toward the strike, not the other way. If you learn how to do this you can fix your screen door and every other sagging door in your house.
Posted by: southslope at May 28, 2009 8:35 PM
it is not that big a deal to reset the frame...why are you panicking?..use a level and a square and you will have no problem...and btw, no rough in is perfect, that is why finish carpenters have jobs
Posted by: eman1234 at May 28, 2009 9:14 PM
Take a 2x4 and a hammer and put the wood against the frame where the door rubs. Whack the wood with the hammer. Repeat as necessary.
Posted by: modsquad at May 28, 2009 9:30 PM
If the hinges are like interior hinges with a prominent pin, you can slightly bend them to move the door away from the hinge side by using a heavy wrench and twisting. You'd have to look at a diagram to see how exactly to do it, but it's a few seconds of force. Did it once for a bathroom door and it worked for another few years till the house settling caught up again.
Posted by: cmu at May 28, 2009 10:48 PM
I'd just take a hand plane to the part that rubs...as for shims, I like to use strips of corrugated cardboard. You can just screw right through them...
Posted by: Bolder at May 28, 2009 11:09 PM
if the door is plumb and you are pleased with how the hinge side is hung, I would remove the screws in the frame on the lock side and try shifting the frame over a little. If you have no more room to move it because it is already up against the wooded door frame, you may have to remove the metal frame and trim down the wood a bit. this happens all the time and should be simple to fix.
Feel free to call me if you have any questions or would like to kick this around a little. You can get my number by visiting my website: www.thetinkerswagon.com
Steve
www.thetinkerswagon.com
Posted by: thetinkerswagon at May 28, 2009 11:12 PM
Thanks everyone, particularly Southslope. Video was helpful for visualizing.
Posted by: slopefarm at May 28, 2009 11:19 PM
Thanks, Tinker. I am dealing with an Andersen frame that is white vinyl over some other hidden material. The screen door is metal and its hinges are sort of PVC-like. The screen hinges are also attached to the frame by rivets, not screws.
My understanding of South Slope's advice is to shim each hinge on the jamb on one side of the rivets to pivot each shim slightly on a vertical fulcrum so that the hinge pin rotates back slightly away from the strike side, bringing the screen door slightly more towards the hinge side. I need to do all three hinges to keep the screen door parallel to the frame, unlike the video, in which the door was angled slightly.
Posted by: slopefarm at May 29, 2009 9:42 AM
That's why twisting all the hinges works. See towards of bottom of:
http://www.taunton.com/finehomebuilding/how-to/departments/building-skills/adjusting-door-hinges-for-proper-fit.aspx
Though if they're plastic, may not be an option.
Posted by: cmu at May 29, 2009 12:08 PM
Hello,
It took me all of five minutes to shim a door and solve a similar issue last week. What neighborhood are you in? I'm hanging a door for someone in Boerum Hill this week and meeting with that client today.
P.S. I've hung and swung over a thousand doors.
Contact me at salemfilm@mac.com
Posted by: masterbuilder at May 30, 2009 11:43 AM
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