How To Adjust A Door Hinge

If you have questions about your home improvement projects, stop by the forum on our website, where Shannon will answer your questions in detail for free.

[mls]

I just spent an hour trying to adjust a door I just installed. Watched your video, and it was fixed in 15 minutes

[unnabray]

Had a door that wouldn't close for the longest time and only now getting around to it. This really did the trick! Such a simple and easy solution. Thought I would have to do a lot more permanent damage. Thanks for posting!

[edwardwang]

This is the best ever. My sagging door frustrated me quite a while. And I tried a couple of approaches from Yotube. Some of them required me to bend the hing knuckles a bit which didn’t fit my case because the door casing to close to the hinge and almost zero space for a wrench not to say bending it. This approach with the video perfectly solved my problem without any damage on the hinge itself.

[dianneclanton]

Thank you! I have a space at the top of my exterior door that lets in a lot of cold air in the winter. I knew I needed to adjust the hinges, but aside from tightning screws, I had no idea how. I'm a single female and I can't afford a handyman. I rely on knowledgeable people like you, to help me fix things. Thanks for your simple, concise instructions.

[sarahdrinkwater]

Omg. I’ve been so frustrated by the weather stripping on my door, messing around with it, and then I noticed it’s just that the door is hanging crooked. Which is also why it doesn’t latch properly. I felt really intimidated by trying to fix it, until I watched your video. Thanks for saving our heating bill!

[larryjohnson]

Life saver!!! Thanks, Shannon. I was about to shave off the bottom of a new door that was slightly out of plumb and just barely hitting the floor. Tried this fix and was done in about 10 minutes.

[andyhill]

Had the door off twice and was still binding, took 5 mins watch your video and I sorted it in 2 mins. Thanks mate 👍

[jman]

Thank you for posting this! You saved me from beating my head against the wall and taking my door down again to figure out what was wrong.

[ZanT]

Love this fix!!! Been living too long with a misaligned bathroom door that won't shut properly to lock. This solution cost nothing and is risk-free for those of us that are DIY-challenged. Thank you!

[kellymstl]

Hey, I just watched you End of Houseimprovements video. I wanted to take a minute and let you know this here video helped me fix my front door. We had a deadbolt that had been hard to turn for a long time. This was the first video I watched after searching for a door alignment video, and I was able to fix my door in 10 minutes. No more sticky deadbolt. Thank you!

[jessekruper]

Thank you for explaining this. The video is thorough and full of useful information. My son’s bedroom door wouldn’t latch properly and this fix solved it. I used a piece of cardboard from an apple pie box, folded it over a few times, and slid it behind the hinge plate. When I tightened the screws, the door shut perfectly. You delivered as promised. This fix was easy and free! I appreciate you sharing this knowledge. Keep being awesome.

[derekgoodwin]

Just hanging my own doors, iam electrician.Now I have to thank you, you have saved my life I didn't have a clue about that trick .You are a star .
Thanks from the UK.

[jennifermier]

You have taught my husband and I how to install all new windows and doors in our home. Your videos are great! Thank you

[luckyjerk]

I was struggling trying to fix this door space for like an hour. Found this video and fixed it in 10 min and 5 of those was finding the scissors my wife likes to hide around the house. My man is legit✊🏾

[frannyfrench]

Follow up: I just did your trick and ... it worked! Yay! I worked so well--and only took me five minutes. Dude, I owe you.

[brimars]

Thank you very much for this video. I had a door that was stuck at the top edge all the way to the corner on the latch side. It had been making awful noise for years, even cracking the drywall in the corner it was so bad. Looked at alot of videos- all involved bending the hinges, which I knew I would screw up. Your method was great because it could be easily undone if it didn't work right. I decided to shim the top hinge with a quadruple fold of cardboard from an old greeting card. First try it worked perfectly, and the door closes silently now. Amazing. Thank you so much for a very clear and helpful video :)

[geebsterswats]

Thanks a ton! Worked like a charm for me. I shimmed out the bottom hinge only with a tripled up piece of cardboard. That allowed the latch to line up better with the strike plate and the door closes like a dream now.

[dans]

been trying to adjust the box store door I installed a year ago.
convinced it was defective from day one.
Your video helped me realize I needed the cardboard to act like a fulcrum instead of the flat piece I was using.
Thanks!
might have saved my marriage ;)

[le-ar]

this was driving me nuts for years and your fix helped me out. i was doing dumb stuff like sanding the door on the side because i thought the paint was too thick, but after sanding door and even peeling off actual wood to make gap better, none of that worked, but the spacers worked.

[cokeefe]

Got through the video and immediately tried it. My door is fixed and no longer has any gaps. Bonus.... no longer closes by itself either. I am a happy man.