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…
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.
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
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.
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.
Thanks everyone, particularly Southslope. Video was helpful for visualizing.
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: http://www.thetinkerswagon.com
Steve
http://www.thetinkerswagon.com
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…
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.
Take a 2×4 and a hammer and put the wood against the frame where the door rubs. Whack the wood with the hammer. Repeat as necessary.
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