How To Spread A Door Hinge

This is the perfect tutorial showing you how to cut in the perfect door hinge.

How to spread a door hinge.

The quickest way of dealing with it is a knuckle bender and or a nail set. Another way i frequently use is to shim the door up in the open position pop the top hinge loose and taper the mortise deeper on the outside edge with a butt plane. Remove the screws that hold the loose hinge leaf to the door jamb. To spread hinges which increases the leaf gap and moves the door away from the hinge jamb i place a nail set between the leaves and close the door pinching the nail set.

If the hinge and jamb are painted cut the paint around the leaf with a utility knife swing the leaf away from the jamb. But don t pull on the door too much or you ll yank the hinge screws right out of the door. Open the door wide and insert a wedge under the bottom outside corner to level it. This will spread the leaves of the hinge apart.

To move the door away from the hinge jamb spread the hinges. Hold a nailset or cold chisel tightly against the barrel of the hinge then close the door gently on the nailset once or twice.