Top Door Hinge Not Lining Up

There are two doors that rub slightly but that s just a quick sand and touch up paint away.

Top door hinge not lining up.

For the door above try simply loosening the screws from the top hinge 1 4 turn or more. Move the hinge away from the doorstop a little and screw it back up. With a drill you re more likely to over tighten the screw and strip the screw holes or chew up the screwheads. If a door binds and a loose hinge is not the problem close it until it just touches the jamb don t force it closed and use a pencil to scribe a line where the door needs to be trimmed.

Mark both sides of the door. To fix this make sure your top shims on the hinge side are very secure. If this doesn t work try tightening the screws into the hinges at the bottom. Make sure all the screws are tight tighten the hinge screws in the door and the jamb.

Tighten the screws on the hinge plate that holds the door onto the frame. You are talking about the none hinge top corner. They flex or bend during installation or when in use allowing the door to become crooked or else it won t sit. The first is the door hinge side is out of plumb.

Tighten the top hinge to make the latch hit higher on the strike plate or the bottom hinge to make it hit lower. This will cause the top jam to move over toward the none hinge side. Lift the door up to relieve the pressure on the hinges and tighten the screws. Initially we just put all the hinges in exactly but on this particular door that we were sure didn t fit we hung it one last time and pushed it hard to the side a little and it opens and closes beautifully.

Step 4 add cardboard shims between the hinges and the frame on either the top or the bottom depending on whether you need to raise or lower the door. This will leave a little gap where the hinge is in the frame like the picture below and cause the doors edge to be sticking out from the hinge side of the frame a little when it s closed. When you have an uneven gap across the top of door it can be caused by two common problems. Door is uneven at the top.

In that case take the hinges from the frame. Unscrew the top hinge from the frame only and fill the screw holes with matchsticks. Then on the hinge and door top corner put a couple shims in the same direction in and pound it in with a hammer. If your door rubs near the top or drags on the floor use a screwdriver not a drill to tighten the screws.

Make sure the door clears. The most likely cause is that the floor is not perfectly level. If the screws have been stripped they will not tighten in the holes and you ll need new ones. If it s still not fixed you ll need to try shimming the door hinge.

The problem with most cabinet door hinges is that they are not designed heavy enough.