Doors
Sequentially within the scope of second fix tasks, doors are typically the first components that are installed. Though there are many second fix components that might be installed within a building, the hanging of the doors, followed by the installation of the architrave and skirting form the bulk of the second fix tasks within a standard residential property. Once the doors are hung and the architraves are fitted, the rest of the second fix tasks can follow on effectively. This being said, sometimes the other second fix components may be installed first, with the doors being hung towards the end of the project. Depending on the cost and finish of the doors, it may be safer to leave the hanging of the doors until all of the other trades have finished. Of course, this depends on the schedule and timing of other trades and material deliveries.
What is a door?
In second fix carpentry terms, a door is a finished internal component that is hung within a door lining in order to provide privacy, temperature regulation, and noise reduction between two adjoining rooms. Modern internal doors swing on metal hinges and shut with a perfect margin between the door and the lining. Standard hinges consist of two leaves with knuckles that mesh together, pivoting around a hinge pin. The two leaves are chopped into the edge of the door and door lining respectively, sitting flush with the surface of the timber. For normal non-fire-rated internal doors, a pair of hinges are installed towards the top and bottom of the door, in order for the door to swing suitably. As the door swings closed, a set of door stops fixed to the door lining stop the door in its travel as the face of the door comes flush with the outside face of the door lining. A spring loaded latch clicks into a metal strike plate just as the door meets the door stop, both also chopped into the door and door lining respectively. A set of handles are installed either side of the door, with a metal through bar passing through the door and latch within, in order to facilitate the operation of the latch with the handles.
Doors come in a variety of different standard sizes, for flexibility during construction. By understanding the different sizes of doors available, we can effectively install the correct sized lining during the first fix stage. Doors vary in width, thickness, and height depending on the intended implementation, with specific sizes having been accepted as standard in certain scenarios. For example, despite the array of sizes available, a 2’6”/30”/762mm wide, 35mm thick, 1981mm/6’6” tall door is the standard size for use as bedroom, kitchen, and living room doors for residential properties in England. In Scotland, doors are commonly taller at 2040mm/80”. Bathrooms in English homes typically feature doors that are less wide, at a standard 27”. This is due to the lack of furniture and other large objects that are required to be transported through these doorways. Wider doors are implemented in scenarios where access is a primary consideration, to allow for the easy passage of wheelchairs. The diagram displays a list of all of the common sizes of doors that are available from specialist suppliers, as well as where they are commonly implemented.
Traditionally, doors were made by hand from solid timber in workshops by joiners, with the different components of the door being assembled with traditional joinery techniques. In modern times, a large selection of doors are mass manufactured using current technologies, though these cheaper doors often imitate the stylistic designs of traditional handmade doors. This being said, higher end doors can still be purchased made from a variety of timber species, made by hand in workshops. Here is a look at some of the most common styles of internal door.
Panel doors
This is a very traditional type of door, and can be seen widely across the UK in a variety of specific styles - most often a four or six panel in reference to the amount of panels within the door. Traditionally, these doors were assembled from multiple solid timber components and secured together through the use of wedged tenons. The vertical styles and horizontal rails form a frame for the panels to receive into. This method of assembly is practical and affordable, and was a staple before the introduction of modern manufacturing methods. Though more labour intensive to manufacture than cheaper hollow core doors, the latter often emulates the appearance of the former due to the aesthetics and widespread recognition. These doors are rather decorative, utilising various mouldings and profiles within their construction, and elaborate joinery techniques can be employed to create more aesthetic outcomes. A deeper look into the construction of this style of door can be seen here.
Hollow core doors
Hollow core doors are a very cost effective but lower-end style of door that are used in general residential construction. They typically consist of a thin batten frame, faced on either side with some form of sheet material. The space inside the door is filled with honeycomb cardboard to provide rigidity to the door. The initial implementation of these doors in the 50’s and 60’s sought to create less material and labour intensive manufacturing practices, due to shortages caused by the war. Very common examples of these doors featured veneered hardboard faces, commonly in exotic woods like sapele or mahogany, these of which can still be found in houses that have never been renovated. In more modern times, advances in technology enables hollow core construction to be implemented in combination with moulded faces, allowing for cheaper alternatives for more traditional solid timber style doors. Panel door appearances are available in hollow core construction, as well as a range of other common traditional styles. Very basic unfinished plywood faced hollow core doors can be purchased from most merchants for a very low cost. All of these hollow core doors are very light in comparison to solid timber doors and are relatively easy to move around and hang unassisted. This being said, they do come with some downsides. Most notably, the actual construction of the doors makes for some difficulty in certain procedures. If the door must be cut down a fair amount, the thin bottom rail may be completely cut off, exposing the inner honeycomb cardboard. In these instances, another rail must be cut and glued back in the bottom of the door to provide stability to the two faces. They are also less durable, and can be relatively easily damaged in comparison to solid timber doors.
Fire doors
Fire doors are a fire rated category of door that are used in residential and commercial construction applications. These doors are thicker than common internal doors, and are made from solid materials, typically some type of hardwood timber or engineered timber product. These characteristics in combination with some variety of intumescent finish within the door or lining provide the doors with a fire rating. When closed within an appropriate matching fire rated lining, the doors are rated to prevent the spread of fire between rooms from around 30-60 minutes, with an FD30/FD60 rating being applied to each door respectively. In accordance with current legislation, these doors must be installed in all modern houses that feature 3 or more floors, as well as in communal living spaces such as flats. They are also implemented within schools, hospitals, and many commercial buildings. They must be installed where a garage leads directly into a habitable space, due to the increased risk of fires occurring in these areas. This scenario already features the required step down from the house into the garage, with a fire rated frame and door then being fitted in the opening. There are more specific criteria that must be adhered to during the installation of a fire door, though we will look at that later.
Contemporary doors
Contemporary doors categorise a wide selection of sleek and modern moulding designs that are commonly found in new builds and more expensive renovations due to the sleek design and rich appearance. They can be assembled in both a traditional joinery solid style, as well as a hollow core assembly. The specific styles are minimal in design, and are typically finished with a matte sprayed surface, as opposed to a traditional timber appearance.
Glazed doors
This style of door features a solid timber outer frame, with glass panels rebated within it. Traditionally, smaller glass panes were used in conjunction with timber panels to create decorative doors that allow for the passage of light between rooms. In more modern styles, larger panes are used to create interesting stylistic designs. Through the use of modern glass technology, entire full height panes can be fitted within these sleek frames to create functional doors.
What are the criteria of a hung door?
When a door is hung in its entirety from start to finish it must meet a handful of criteria in order to achieve the desired professional outcome. The most important criteria are for the door to receive correctly into the lining, with an equal margin of approximately 3mm around the upper 3 sides of the door. The bottom of the door must maintain suitable clearance above the floor covering, typically around 5-10mm, though it depends of the floor covering. As the door comes closed the outside face should be in line with the edges of the lining, consistent from top to bottom. The doorstop should be installed correctly to ensure that the door has minimal play and no rattle once shut. The recesses chiselled out for the ironmongery should be neat and precise. The handles and latches should be installed at a set height on all doors throughout the house to achieve a consistent look. This height is typically 3’/1m off of the finished floor, though the exact location for the handle can be dependent on the style of the door. The handles should be installed so that they are perfectly horizontal.
How are doors installed?
Providing that care has been paid during the installation of the linings, hanging doors is a very straightforward procedure. During renovations where new doors are hung in existing linings, extra steps may be required to rectify existing inconsistencies and achieve the desired outcome, though the procedure is still relatively simple. When undertaking the second fix carpentry procedures in a new build or a renovation, the first components to be tackled are the doors. After the plaster is dry, the rooms will be clear of clutter and materials, save for the components required for the second fix carpentry tasks. This will include the skirting and architrave, panelling, and importantly the doors.
Most, if not all doors will turn up on site wrapped up in plastic and cardboard in order to protect them from dirt, moisture, and light handling during transit. When the doors arrive on site, they must be stored appropriately until the point of installation. In an ideal scenario, the doors should be unwrapped and stacked on top of each other on a flat surface, with protection in between each door to prevent damage. Doing so allows us to check each door for damage, and allows the doors to acclimatise to the surrounding environment before installation. It’s imperative that doors are not stored for prolonged periods stood upright leaning against a wall, as they will have a tendency to take on a bow.
Ideally, the doors should be unwrapped at least a couple of days before they're hung to let them breathe and become stable again. As they come from the workshop, doors possess a relatively low moisture content, a fair amount lower than the moisture content within a recently plastered building. In letting them acclimatise before hanging, we can shape them to an accurate finished size within the linings from the get-go. Bear in mind that over the years as the building settles the doors may take on a permanent shrinkage of a few mm. If we unwrap the doors and immediately hang them in the linings, we might find that by the time we’ve finished our other second fix tasks that the doors have swelled up due to the relative moisture in the air and that they no longer shut correctly, requiring further adjustments. This can be a large annoyance if the doors have since been painted. It is critically important for the plaster to be suitably dry before the doors are brought onto site. Excess moisture in the building before the second fix will cause nothing but issues. All of the components will continuously swell, with the windows and doors sweating with condensation, and the potential for mould to begin to grow. The building must be appropriately ventilated and dried before the second fix begins.
Some words of wisdom before starting
Within the scope of site carpentry as a whole, there are few components that are as delicate as doors in relation to the installation process. Other material components such as timber and sheet goods can be lumped around in a carefree fashion, provided we’re not actively trying to damage them. Materials like this can be bumped, bashed, dropped, scratched, and stood on without any repercussions. Even other second fix components such as skirting and architrave can be manhandled without suffering any real damage. When cutting any of these components, mistakes will inevitably happen but are generally insignificant. A one-off mistake can be replaced with another piece and substituted somewhere else in the build. Additionally, regular second fix components can be filled and touched up with paint in minor damage does occur.
Cheaper doors, or doors that are intended to be painted are still repairable, providing the damage is superficial. Pre-finished doors and raw timber doors on the other hand are far more delicate, as they can’t repaired or touched up. The journey that they take is incredible, travelling from the factory/workshop, onto site, undergoing the hanging procedures, and being successfully installed in the lining without sustaining a single scratch, ding, dent, split, or crack. In these instances even the smallest amount of damage is noticeable, and essentially renders the entire door useless - when we consider that the client is paying for a perfect door. In terms of the hanging procedure, the door must be planed, cut, routed, chopped, and drilled in order to install all of the associated ironmongery. All of this must take place without unwanted damage, as well as meeting a fine installation tolerance. When we consider all of these factors, it's an amazing sight to see pristine, matte white spray finished doors hung in a lining without a single noticeable blemish; a daunting thought for aspiring carpenters.
If a mistake is made, it isn't the end of the world, as we’re only human. That being said, in the context of business alone, it can be costly. As such, feelings of anxiety and apprehension before undertaking these processes are normal, especially as a beginner. Hanging doors to a high standard is a process that cannot be rushed, and so my advice - stay calm, don’t rush, concentrate, and follow the procedures carefully. Everyone has to start somewhere, and provided the procedures and diagnostic elements are followed, a quality result will be achieved. It is normal to be apprehensive.
Preparing the door for the lining
To hang a door, we must first select the appropriate size. The doors that are on site should have been ordered in relation to the linings that have already been installed. By checking the door schedule, we can see which doors are intended for which rooms, as multiple different styles of doors may present on site. The plans or the schedule will also display the correct direction of swing for each door within the property. Before touching the door, we must establish the direction of the swing of the door. Within any conventional door lining, the face of the door can sit flush with either side of the lining, and can swing in either direction on each side. The direction of swing is determined by the space available and the intended use of the door. Generally speaking, in modern UK construction, doors open into rooms against a perpendicular wall, with cupboards and small bathrooms typically opening outwards. There are of course exceptions to this generalisation. The location for the hinges on the door are found at the centre of the radius of the swing, and this location should be marked on the lining as a preliminary aid. With the lining marked and the appropriate door selected, some measurements need to be taken to assess the installed lining. Ideally the lining will be perfect for the installation of the door, but it’s important to check before any alterations are made to the door. Checking the spacing between the jambs of the lining at the top, middle, and bottom gives us an idea as to whether the lining needs to be shimmed or if the door needs to be planed. We can also measure the height from the floor surface to the underside of the lining.
The first procedure to be performed on the door is to cut it down to height if required. If a full height door lining has been installed on top of the subfloor, then a standard 1981mm door will fit with a 3mm margin at the top, and gap of approximately 1” below - depending on the manufacturer of the door lining. As an inch is the absolute maximum gap that you would want between the bottom of a door and the floor covering, by the time the carpet/tiles/laminate is installed at a median thickness of about 15-18mm, the resulting gap between the bottom of the door and the floor covering is left at about 10mm. Once hung, its not uncommon for the bottom doors to be cut off to suit the floor covering, in the event that the margin is too small. If the door is being hung in a lining with a finished floor covering below, or the lining is less tall than usual for some reason, then the door must be cut to height to suit. As mentioned, a suitable margin below the door is somewhere between 5-10mm, and so accounting for the 3mm margin at the top of the door, the total height for the door should be 8-13mm less than the height of the floor covering to the underside of the lining.
If the door is to be cut to height, the material waste should be removed from the larger rail at the bottom of the door. By pulling a measurement from the top of the door at each side, a pencil line can be established across the bottom of the door to cut to. The waste can then be removed with a hand saw or rail saw, with the latter being quicker and neater. Generally speaking, material is not removed from the top of the door unless the head needs to be planed in to match an existing out of level door lining. In these instances, the door should be cut to height, with the material removed from the bottom of the door, so that the door fits perfectly in the lining with no allowance for the margins, and the square head of the door touching the underside of the lining at the lowest point. With the door wedged up to the underside of the lining, a tape measure and straight edge can be used to mark the scribe on the head of the door. This scribe can then be cut so that the head of the door matches the profile of the head of the lining. From here, the 3mm upper margin and allowance below the door can be calculated as normal to cut the door down to a suitable height.
With the door suitably cut to height, we can place it in the lining to asses it for width. New doors in new linings should fit with the desired 3mm margin down each side of the door. If the door or lining has swelled, or if the door is being hung in an existing painted lining, then it is likely that material will have to be removed from the door. For certain types of pre-finished doors, the removal of material across of the width of the door is not possible, as they are intended to be hung in new linings. Using a hand or electric plane (the latter being far, far easier and quicker), material should be removed evenly from both sides of the door until it fits in the lining with the suitable 3mm margin down each side.
When the door is suitably shaped to fit the lining, the next step is to perform the preliminary markings on the door to aid in the “shooting in” of the door, as well as the marking out the hinges. An assessment of the construction of the door needs to be made to determine which side the hinges are to be hung on. If the door is of a solid construction, then either side is appropriate, as the solid timber styles provide suitable fixings for the ironmongery. If the door is of a hollow core or chipboard core style, then the assembly is often different. The moulding on the face of the door displaying the styles is deceiving, in that the actual styles and rails are thin, approximately 2” timbers, with an additional timber block installed where the lock/latch will be fitted. Sometimes the latch side of the door features a wider rail, which can be identified by looking at the top or bottom of the door. The exact construction method and material style of the door will depend on the manufacturer. Many hollow core doors feature printing on the top of the door identifying which side the lock is to be installed. If the head of the door is to be shaped to the lining, or the edges of the door are shaped to an existing irregular lining, the correct orientation in relation to the installation of the hinges should be identified first. For common off the shelf hollow core doors, the lock side of the door that features the solid block for drilling is marked on the top of the door. With the door sat in the lining in the correct orientation,
Previously, the lining was preliminarily marked with the location of the hinges in relation to the plans. When the hinges are installed, the knuckle of the hinge projects forwards from the face of the door and the edge of the lining. The front face of the door is the side of the door that sits flush with the edge of the door lining, and on which the hinge knuckles project from. When the door is closed, this face sits flush with the edge of the lining, and the hinge knuckles can be seen. When the door is closed, the hinges are not at all visible from the back face of the door. As mentioned, the direction of swing will be displayed with a swinging arc on the plans or written on the door schedule in relation to the direction of swing. Two distinctions are present here, a left hand/left swinging door, and a right hand/right swinging door. When facing the back of the door as it opens away from us, if the hinges are on the left-hand side of the lining, the door is a left hand/left swinging door and will open in a left-hand arc. The opposite is true for a right-hand door. When entering the room, closing the door, and turning 180 degrees to face the front face of the closed door, the knuckle of the hinge will be visible on the opposite side of the door in relation to the swing of the door. For example, when facing the front face of a left swinging door, the hinge knuckles can be seen on the right side of the door.
Facing the front face of the door with it sat in the lining, we can lean it down forwards towards us to make some markings on the top of the door. A small “H” is marked on the front edge of the top of the door to denote the location of the front facing knuckles of the hinges. An exaggerated line is made on each side of the door from the front face to the back face, to visibly display the direction of the undershooting, helping to avoid confusion once the door is laid down. In the very centre of the top rail, the room in which the door will fit into should be written, as this will help to identify the location again in the event that the door is taken off.
New doors in new lining will swing without being undershot, provided that doors have not swollen. If the margin between the edge of the door and the lining is not enough, the corner of the door will clip the lining as the door closes, due to the rectangular through section of the door. Traditionally, the margin between the door and the lining was a little tighter. As such, undershooting the edges of the door was a standard practise. By undershooting both edges of the door, the latch side of the door has appropriate clearance from the lining during closure, and the hinge side of the door has some extra relief from the lining when closed. This can be help to prevent the door from binding over time due to excessive paint build up. Whilst still a correct practice, the larger margins between doors and linings allow for modern doors to be hung in new lining without being undershot. Once again, certain types of pre-finished doors are not suitable for undershooting, as so modern linings are generally slightly larger to overcome this issue. That being said, if a door is undershot, its effective life is slightly prolonged in the event of swelling or excessive paint build-up.
To undershoot a door, the door is placed on edge in a door stand, and a plane is used to create the bevel. Seeing as the door has already been planed to width, the correct bevel angle should kiss the front edge of the door, and remove 1-2mm of material towards back face of the door. It isn’t much material, but brings the profile of the door closer in line with the radius of the swing of the door. Once undershot, the through section of the door will be ever so slightly trapezoid in shape, with the widest face always being the front facing, hinge knuckle side of the door. The latch side of the door should be undershot first, followed by the hinge side, if applicable. The marks made on the top of the door allow us to keep track of the direction of undershooting. The door is now undershot of both sides, and the hinge side is facing up ready for the hinge layout and installation.
Marking out the hinges
As follows is a traditional method of marking out the hinges on a door and its lining. In modern times, purpose-built hinge jigs can be used in conjunction with an electric router to quickly cut out the hinges with minimal marking out. These jigs come in many varieties, each with their own specific instructions. Here we will look at marking and cutting hinges by hand, without a router jig.
Assuming this is the first door of many that we’re about to hang, we can use this door to set out the hinges and then create a rod to speed up the process for the rest of the doors. When hanging doors, we have a variety of different hinge styles that we can choose from. Here is a list of the most styles available and where they are used.
Butt hinges
By far the most common internal hinge used for doors in modern construction. Two rectangular leaves that feature opposing knuckles mesh together, with a pin inserted through the knuckles holding them together at a pivot point. In some instances, the pin can be removed so that the door can be freed from the lining without unscrewing any of the hinges. This is good for maintenance. Butt hinges come in a variety of different sizes, though 3” and 4” hinges are the most commonly used for hanging internal doors. Many different finishes can be purchased also, such as chrome, satin, brushed black, brass, etc. More expensive butt hinges may feature ball bearings in their construction to help the hinge move more freely.
Parliament hinges
Parliament hinges are hinges that are typically used on larger doors, and often in external scenarios. They operate in the same way as a butt hinge in principle, though through design the knuckle of the hinge projects further away from the lining. This means that the pivot point of the door is further away from the wall, allowing the door to open a full 180 degrees onto the wall. This is perfect for high traffic areas where conventional hinges would limit the door opening fully, limiting the space in the room. These are not often used on regular doors, though small versions can be used on cupboards to allow the doors to open fully. They are typically decorative in design as well, making a statement on the door.
Self-closing butt hinges
This style of hinge is a butt hinge in principle, operating the same way as a regular hinge. The primary difference is spring installed in the knuckle that always forces the hinge closed. This means that if the door is left open, the hinge will close the door automatically. These are not commonly used in residential door hanging, with a purpose built self-closing mechanism typically being more preferable when required to meet fire safety regulations.
Rising butt hinges
Rising butt hinges are a classic style of hinge that can still be found on many older doors to this day, though they are not commonly installed in modern times. The two leaves of the hinge are not physically attached together, with 1 leaf featuring a fixed pin, and the other a receptacle that slides over it. The fixed pin faces upwards and is installed on the lining, with the other on the door facing downwards. The two leaves feature angled folds in their construction, that ride on each other during the travel of the hinge. This means that as the door opens, the hinges cam against each other, and the door rises. The door can be easily lifted off of the hinges for maintenance. As the door opens, it rises in the lining, and so a chamfer must be taken off of the top corner of the door to prevent it from binding in the lining. Due to gravity and the design of the hinges, the door will always close again on its own when opened. Again, due to the design, hinges and doors can be positioned in the lining so that as the door closes and drops down to its lowest point, it sits on top of the carpet, preventing drafts in older houses. As the door opens, it rises away from the floor, preventing dragging on the carpet.
Double action spring hinges
These hinges operate in a clever way, identical to how many of us perceive saloon doors from opening in old westerns and cartoons. Two attachment leaves of the hinge are joined together by another central leaf of hinge. Springs in the mechanism of this hinge allows for the door to open both ways in the lining, a full 90-180 degrees depending on the exact model, always returning to the central closed position within the lining. These hinges are perfect for busy factory or office hallways, where high traffic is found. They are perfect for the transportation of goods throughout commercial and industrial buildings too, as regardless of the direction of travel, the door will always open away from oneself.
Butterfly hinges
These hinges operate exactly like regular butt hinges but are much more decorative in their design for use with smaller components or fancy furniture. Due to the decorative nature of these hinges, they may or may not be inlayed into the surface of the material, typically being mounted on the surface instead.
Piano hinges
This style of hinge is essentially a very long butt hinge in its construction. It operates in the same way with two leaves that are meshed together to create a pivot. They can be purchased in lengths and cut down to size to accommodate different sized workpieces. They're not used to mount internal doors and are commonly used in smaller furniture pieces or decorative boxes. They get their name from their use in connecting the lid of a piano that protects the keys to the body of the piano.
Crank hinges
These hinges are an evolution of butt hinges for use in smaller cupboards. They feature two asymmetrical leaves that fold into one another. This means they can be surface mounted within a cupboard, without being chopped in, without binding on one another, whilst still maintaining a small margin. The position of the pivot point also allows the door to open away from the unit with more clearance.
Concealed hinges
Where most of the other types of hinges have a knuckle that is visible on the inside of the room in which the door will open into, a concealed hinge is discrete when the door is closed. This hinge is inlayed into a door and lining, so that when the door is closed, the hinge cannot be seen from either side. This is perfect for higher end internal doors, as well as external front doors. They have a fairly deep mechanism though that must be mortised into the door and lining.
Once we’ve determined the correct hinges to use for the task at hand, the locations for the hinges can be marked on the hinge side of the door. With such a wide range of hinge styles and applications, the specific requirements will be stated within the related documentation. For a regular internal door, two hinges were traditionally used, though 3 is more common in a modern setting. The top of the top hinge should be located 6” down from the top of the door, with the bottom of the bottom hinge being located 9” up from the bottom of the door. This standard layout creates the perspective of symmetry from the average eye level of most people. If a third hinge is to be used, then it is located centrally between the two other hinges. For heavy fire doors, 4 hinges in total may be used, with the two central hinges spaced evenly between the two regular top and bottom hinges. Alternatively, for heavy doors that see high traffic, possibly with door closers installed on them such as in schools or offices, a 4th hinge may be installed under the top hinge, with a hinge thickness between them. Again, the specific requirements will be stated in the relevant documentation.
If the door is being hung in an existing lining in which the hinges have already been chopped out, then the hinge locations on the door must be marked directly from the lining. By placing the door in the opening with a 3mm packer between the head of the door and the head of the lining, the door can be wedged upwards into the correct location and the hinge locations can be transferred across.
By marking these locations on the door, a square can be used to create accurate reference lines across the edge of the door. There are many specific ways to accurately mark out the location of the hinges. Traditionally, the hinges were marked out using marking gauges. The height of the hinges up the side of the door were defined by pencil marks, and the depth of the hinges in both directions could be marked using a marking gauges set to depth. This is a repeatable method for marking many hinges. Everyone has their own preferred method - to each their own. Here is an explanation of my preferred method.
The locations for the hinges are marked as before. I line the hinges up with the layout marks, and ensure that the edge of the hinge leaf is flush with the edge of the door. A common mistake when chopping in hinges is to butt the knuckle of the hinge up against the door. This is incorrect, and can cause the door to bind when closing due to a lack of clearance. With the hinge held in the correct place on the edge of the door, I use a modern self-centring drill bit attachment to pilot drill the holes for the hinges into the edge of the door. The two outermost screws can then be installed to hold the hinge in the correct place. A sharp knife or very gentle taps with a hammer and chisel can then be used to trace the outline of the hinge onto the edge of the door. The hinge can then be unscrewed and the waste material can be removed. Once the waste material is removed, the hinge should fit snugly in the recess, and the screws can be re-installed. This approach offers an accurate layout, providing a clean knife wall around the perimeter of the hinge. These scores are finer than a pencil mark, and offer positive registration for the edge of our chisel as we approach the shoulders of the recess.
In the construction of most standard 3” and 4” hinges, 1 leaf with 2 knuckles will mesh with the other leaf that possesses 3 knuckles. It’s good practice for the leaf with the 3 knuckles to be mounted on the lining, and the leaf with the 2 knuckles to be mounted on the door. This provides additional stability to the assembly.
To actually remove the waste, the process is straightforward. Whilst straddling the door, position oneself over the waste with a chisel in the offhand, and a mallet or hammer in the dominant hand. Assuming the back wall is already scored with a marking gauge or knife wall, place the chisel a few millimetres in from the outside mark with the flat edge facing outwards, and make a quick strike. Repeat this on the other end of the waste. This will move the chisel towards the line but still within the waste zone and sever some of the fibres. Grasping the blade of the chisel near the edge with the thumb and two fore fingers, we can quickly work our way along the waste, making frequent angled chops with the chisel, using our hand or pinkie finger to stabilise the chisel. With frequent cuts made along the waste, we can come in from the side with our flat edge down and remove the chips. With the majority of the waste removed, we can pare the bottom of the recess to the correct depth, ensuring that it is flat. We can also creep up to our layout lines and remove all the material inside of them. When we’re very close, we can check the hinge in the recess to see where more material needs to be removed from. If all went well, the hinge would sit in place on the edge of the door, snuggly housed in the recess. Repeat this process for all of the hinges on the door. We can also carry out this procedure on the lining once it is marked out, though the angle of presentation to the workpiece will be a little different.
At this stage, a hole can be drilled to receive a self-closing mechanism, if one is required. In the case of tubular self-closing mechanisms, the main spring and tube are installed in the hinge side of the door, with a face plate being installed on the face of the lining after the door is swung. The mechanism itself can be installed after the door is swung, but the hole must be drilled as it can't effectively be drilled whilst the door is hanging.
Fitting the hinges and swinging the door
Once all of the hinges are fitted on the door, a rod can be made to accurately transfer the markings onto the lining. If multiple doors are to be hung, this rod can also be used to set them out. When hanging doors in new linings, there will be enough lengths of door stop on location to finish the linings. This material is perfect for use as a layout rod in this application. Lay a length of door stop on top of the hinge side of the door. The rod should project 3mm past the top of the door to account for the margin once hung. The locations of the hinges can then be transferred from the door onto the rod. To use the rod, simply butt it hard against the head of the lining on the correct jamb, and transfer across the marks again. If accuracy is maintained, the hinge locations on the lining will perfectly match the positions on the door.
Using a spare hinge, the same process of pre-drilling, tracing the perimeter of the hinge, and chopping out the waste can be repeated on the lining. At this point, we can stand the door up, and prepare to hang the door. By placing some sort of wedge or lever under the centre to front edge of the door, we can ready ourselves. Take a few screws and hold them between the lips. Hang the driver from your pocket or belt, or place it somewhere close within reach. Lift the door and wedge it to the correct height, so that the top hinge is located in place. Insert a screw in the top hinge and the door is no longer at risk of falling, and we can let go. Insert another screw in the top hinge and move towards the bottom hinge. Lower or raise the wedge and position the door so that the bottom hinge comes into place. Put another two screws in the bottom hinge, and the door should swing correctly. Make sure to pull all of the hinges closed before installation, as we don’t want them stuck on the “wrong side”. Put another two screws in all of the other hinges, and check to see if the door swings without obstruction. If the middle hinges are slightly too tight due to a bowed door or lining, we can open the door, and bend the middle hinges in, securing them in place with screws. At this point, if the door is binding, we can take it back off to plane more off. If the door shuts correctly with a decent margin, we can install the rest of the screws. For doors that are swung in old linings, it's not uncommon to have to plane small sections in, for example the top corner of the door. Alternatively, if the margin is inconsistent in a new lining, we can take this time to wedge the lining into the correct place.
Wedging the lining
Ideally, if the lining was installed perfectly then no adjustments should be required. However, error during installation or expansion through acclimatization over time can lead to adjustments being required. In actuality, as mentioned during the lining installation procedure, we belly the lining outwards ever so slightly by a few millimetres to allow for the door swinging process to be easier, so now is also the time to wedge these bellies back inwards again.
To wedge a lining, loosen off or remove the screws within the portion of the lining that requires wedging. Taking a pair of adjustable wedges, insert the thin end of the wedges from each side of the lining in the desired area for wedging and slowly drive them in. The width between the lining and the rough opening will determine the required thickness of wedges. As the wedges are driven in, the margin will come closer in line with the desired tolerance. If there is an inconsistent margin down the hinge side of the lining, this should be addressed first, as doing so typically alters the position of the door in the lining. If the margin around the door in proximity to the hinges is too little, wedges can be inserted behind the hinges to push the lining outwards. If the lining is perfectly square, then it’s likely that if the hinge margins are incorrect, the margin at the top of the door will also be incorrect. When the top hinge margin is too little, the door is likely to be angled upwards in the lining, and wedging out the hinge will correct the margin and even out the gap at the top of the door. The opposite is trye for the bottom hinge. Once the hinge side is correctly adjusted, and the head of the door has the correct margin, the opposite jamb can also be altered if required.
Once the lining is correctly wedged, the screws can be driven back in tight again, leaving us with a desirable outcome. Alternatively, if a portion of the lining needs to be pushed outwards, we can remove the small amount of packing that we used to install the lining, screwing the lining backwards towards the opening without the packing.
Chopping in the locks and latches
With the door closing properly in the lining with a consistent margin all the way around it, we can move on to installing the ironmongery. The correct installation of suitable ironmongery is imperative in order for the door to close correctly. By installing this ironmongery, we will be able to shut the door in the proper alignment with the edge of the lining, allowing us to register our door stops off of later on. Some operatives like to install the door stops by measuring their location on the lining and installing them as such. Alternatively, another operative can hold the door closed in the correct closed position whilst the other instals the doorstop before the installation of the ironmongery. There isn't necessarily a right or wrong method, though I prefer installing the ironmongery first, as the later doorstops can be installed to suit the closed door.
To install the ironmongery on a door, the first step is to mark out and chop in the latch and drill the holes for the handles. To achieve this, the first step is to find the correct handle height off of the floor. This measurement is typically 1m or 3’ from the finished floor to the centre of the handle mechanism. By measuring this height off of the floor onto the edge of the door, we can mark out the holes to be drilled. Using a square, follow this mark across the edge of the door, and around each side of the door. By setting a combi square to the correct depth, we can make an accurate cross mark on each side of the door to denote where the square bar hole needs to be drilled. The finished latch will sit flush with the edge of the door, and so the distance from the front edge of the door to the handles holes is the distance from the front of the latch plate to the centre of the hole that receives the square through bar. This measurement is typically 57mm for most standard 2 ½” internal latches but should be measured for accuracy.
The main mortise for the latch can be drilled out with a 25mm/1” auger or flat bit. By applying a clamp either side of the drill hole, we can prevent the door from potentially splitting, as is often the case with hollow core or softwood doors. An auger bit should only ever be used when sharp, as a blunt bit requires too much force and risks splitting the edge of the door. Auger bits themselves are relatively aggressive when cutting, as the threaded snail at the tip of the bit pulls the cutters into the hole. The action of the snail threading into the wood can also cause the door to split. In my experience, I’ve had more success in using a spade bit when drilling into doors. A sharp spade bit leaves a very clean hole, provided more control when drilling, and rarely begins to split the door. Regardless of the bit type, the drilling should be slow and controlled, to ensure that the drill bit does not slip, and that the hole is being bored straight into the door in both directions. Drilling slowly in a controlled manor also allows us to see if the wood is beginning to split, as small hairline fractures become visible above and below the hole. If splitting begins, clamps need to be applied, and a reconsideration of the approach is in order. If the door is prefinished, cardboard or rags should be placed against the door before the clamps are applied. Tape or a pen mark can be made on the drill bit to indicate the correct depth of hole for the latch. Alternatively, we can regularly check the depth of the hole by inserting our pencil and comparing it to the length of the latch.
Once the main mortise is drilled, we can come in from each side with the same size or slightly smaller 18mm/3/4” drill bit for the through bar hole. By going slowly in from each side, we can breach the central mortise without breaking through the other side of the door and damaging the finish or chipping out the wood. The hole must be small enough to be covered by the faceplate of the handles but be large enough to not inhibit the movement of the mechanism and through-bar.
A variation to this process is the installation of a bathroom latch with an integrated lock, or a 3/5-lever style lock/latch. These latches are much deeper in comparison to a single tubular latch, and require a deep mortise to sit in. These mortises must be established with multiple drilled holes, with the remaining waste being paired out of the hole using a sharp chisel. For bathroom latches, these mortises are typically thinner, at around 18mm/3/4”, though the exact size should be measured for accuracy. The top and bottom holes of this deep mortise should be drilled at a slight upwards and downwards angle respectively to provide adequate clearance for the latch. The total depth of the lining can be marked by holding the latch against the side of the door, with the handful hole aligned with the correct handle installation height. The top and bottom of the latch can then be marked on the face or edge of the door. A separate thumb turn lock is installed in the same way as the handles, with separate smaller holes being drilled under the handle holes in relation to the through bar of the thumb turn.
Privacy handles are available that feature a locking mechanism in the handles, and are used in conjunction with standard tubular latches. This is a lower quality options, and still requires a hole for the lock through bolt to pass through, though eliminates the need for a large mortise to be drilled into the side of the door.
With the holes drilled, we can insert the latch into the mortise and mark out the waste so that the faceplate can sit flush with the surface of the door. In a similar fashion to how the hinges were marked out, the two pilot holes for the latch can be pre-drilled using a centre finding drill bit, ensuring that the face plate is in the correct orientation. Once the screws are installed, the perimeter of the faceplate can be traced with a sharp knife. The latch can then be removed, and the waste can be chopped out. Different brands of latches feature varying thicknesses of face plate, and some feature interchangeable faceplates to allow for brass/chrome colour matching. The recess for the latch needs to be a suitable depth to accommodate the thickness of the face plate. Once the waste is removed, the latched can be re-installed ready for the installation of the handles.
Handles
With the latch installed, the handles can be screwed on. To perform this task, first take the square bar and insert it through the latch hole. Some handles feature a pair of small threaded bolts that pass entirely through the door and latch, securely fastening the handles to the door. Other varieties of handles are simply attached through the use of screws. Either way, place the handles over the square bar, ensuring that the correct handle is on the correct side of the door, and that they are aligned and oriented correctly. If the handles feature the through bolts, the two holes on either side of the handles can be marked, and drilled through the door with a suitably sized bit, in accordance with the manufacturers instructions. Proceed to install the bolts or screws, ensuring that the handles are correctly aligned with the edge of the door. Once the handles are fixed to the door, if a threaded set screw is present, this can be tightened to secure the handle to the through bar. Sometimes an additional cover plate is provided to hide the visible screws on the backplate of the handles. There are many varieties of handles, and specific instructions are typically provided.
Keep and strike plate
With the handles installed, we can freely operate the latch mechanism. By closing and opening the door a few times, we can get an impression of where the latch strikes the lining. Putting graphite on the latch can help to accentuate this. The distance from the front face of the door to the flat face of the latch will be the same distance from the front edge of the lining to the inside face of the strike plate, as this will ensure a tight close in the correct alignment. We can mark this distance using a combi-square. Flip the strike plate over and lay it flat on the lining, in the correct alignment with the layout marks. Once again, the centre-finding drill bit can be used to pilot drill the holes, and the strike plate can be secured to the lining. The perimeter can be traced with a sharp knife, and the waste cab be removed as before. Material should be removed from the area to the correct depth. If a keep cover box is provided with the latch set, this additional thickness should be accounted for. Once the material has been removed for the thickness of the strike plate, an additional mortise must be chopped out to create the keep - the area for the latch to click into when the door comes closed. This mortise can be marked by placing the strike plate into the recess, and tracing the inner hole. If a keep box is provided, this mortise needs to be slightly larger. The mortise can then be drilled or chopped out. Re-install the keep cover and install the strike plate. The door should now close properly when shut, and the face of the door should be flush with the inside of the lining when pulled inwards. This procedure should be followed to install a keep for a lock. The extra-long double latch and lock pieces feature a long keep piece.
Doorstops
With the ironmongery installed and the door closing correctly, the door stops can be fitted. The header should be cut ever so slightly larger than the width at the top of the lining, so that it is friction tight. The legs should be cut from the floor to the underside of the head, plus a small tolerance so that they are bowed in tight. By closing the door and pushing it forwards into alignment with the lining, we can install the door stops from the back face of the door. The head should be installed first. The head should touch the top of the door on the handle side, moving away from the hinge side of the door about 2-3mm, or the thickness of a 2 pence piece. The hinge side leg should maintain this 2 pence piece thickness away from the door all the way down the lining to prevent the door from ever binding, even after many layers of paint. The handle side leg should touch the door at the top and the bottom, with a 2 pence piece gap away from the centre of the door. The doorstop should be nailed in place with small oval nails or brad nails from a nail gun. The door should now shut tight in the lining against the stop with very minimal rattling. If the door moves too much, the tab inside the keep can be adjusted to tighten the fit of the door.
Double doors
Double doors, also known as French doors, are a pair of doors that are both hung within the same large lining, and are commonly implemented in high traffic areas within a building. Examples of this would include a pair of double doors between a kitchen and a dining room. The extra width within the opening provided by the addition of a second door allows for a smoother flow of traffic within a building. Due to the space required to install these components, they are typically associated with higher end homes, or more luxurious areas within a home. The additional space also allows for whole pieces of large furniture to be more easily moved through them. Double doors are very common in commercial and public buildings, though are not commonly installed in regular residential housing, due to the lack of necessity. This being said, they make a nice feature when implemented correctly. The pair may feature 2 doors of the same width, as well as an odd pair. Within the lining, 1 of the doors will feature a bolt or some kind of locking mechanism to keep it in place. This door is known as the slave door. The other door, known as the master, operates as a regular door would, with the latch receiving into a keep on the slave door.
How are double doors installed?
Double doors come in a variety of specific assemblies, though the overall installation procedure is much the same between them. Here we shall look at the different varieties, and how they are installed. Note here that much of the process is the same as hanging a regular single door, with most of the actions performed twice.
Door pairings
When installing double doors, there are a handful of specific varieties that are commonplace.
Even/equal pair - This set of double doors consists of two equal sized, typically identical regular internal doors. These doors are hung in the lining with an even margin around all sides as well as between the two, to prevent them from binding on each other. This assembly utilises regular ironmongery.
Uneven/unequal pair - This style of double doors consists of a regular or larger sized master door, and a smaller slave door. The master door is often a common internal 30” door, with the slave door being smaller - ranging anywhere from around 15” up to around 2’. The functional purpose of these doors is to create additional space within an opening when necessary. This may include the entrance to a dining room, where a large dining table won't necessarily fit through a single door. These doors are hung in the same fashion as an even pair, with a central margin to allow for clearance.
Rebated doors - This style of double doors involves rebating both inner edges of the door so that they meet together. This eliminates the gap present between non rebated doors, and is more suitable for use on bedrooms due to the privacy. This also helps to reduce sound and draughts from passing through the closed doors. The doors may be rebated on site or purchased already rebated from the manufacturer. Allowances to the width of the lining need to be considered to account for the overlap of the doors. Alternatively, a pair-maker trim can be installed in lieu of a rebate to provide the same function.
Rebating a door
To rebate a door, the procedure is as follows. The actual size of the rebate itself is shown in the diagram. Material is removed from the door so that exactly half the thickness of each door is left in place, leaving them flush with one another when they are closed. Additionally, the half thickness rebate on the slave door acts as the doorstop for the master door down the internal edge. The width of the rebate needs only to be the width of regular doorstop as well, with 12mm being typical, though more is still acceptable. The thickness of the door as the width of the rebate can often look disproportionate. The opening face of the master door will remain full width, as will the opposite side of the slave door. The rebate will be cut to accommodate this. The rebate is typically cut with a router, though a rail saw can be used. Alternatively, as previously mentioned, a pair maker can be fitted to the slave door in order to achieve the same effect. To accommodate this, the thickness of the pair maker plus the 3mm gap must be allowed or between the two doors when the lining is assembled. When the doors are rebated conventionally, the total width of the lining is slightly less than the width of two two doors, as they occupy the same space within the area of the rebate. This thickness should be considered when installing the lining.
Hanging the doors
When hanging the doors the procedure is the same as regular doors. In most instances however, these double doors don't need to be undershot, as the margin is slightly larger between the two doors to provide clearance between them. The hinges are chopped in as usual and both doors can be swung in turn, with no specific order required.
Fitting the ironmongery
To fit the ironmongery, the slave door must first have its locking mechanism installed. This can be installed as a surface mounted tower bolt or a fitted flush bolt. The former can be easily screwed onto the surface of the door, and will extend upwards into the door stop to ensure the door remains closed. This can be unsightly however, especially on higher end doors. Flush bolts are chopped into the edge of the door, and are not visible when the doors are closed. The mechanism of these bolts are also generally smoother than that of a tower bolt. Once the slave door is fixed in place, a standard tubular latch and handle system is installed in the master door, with the keep and strike plate being chopped into the edge of the slave door. Once fitted, the master door operates exactly as a normal door would, with the slave door opening once the bolt is lowered. A pair of matching handles can be installed on the slave door to create symmetry when both doors are closed, though they serve no practical function. Specialist rebate ironmongery must be used for rebated doors, though the instructions provided will explain how the specific piece of kit is to be installed.
Doorstops
The doorstop is installed in much the same fashion, with a 2 pence gap down both hinge sides of the door. The head will bow from these outside points inwards to touch the heads of the doors in the middle.
Sliding pocket doors
Sliding pocket doors are a form of internal door that slide into a hidden pocket in order to open, as opposed to the traditional swinging motion associated with hinged doors. The door itself can be a standard off the shelf product, with the pocket system typically being sold in a separate kit. For these kits to be installed, a structural opening roughly twice the width of the required door must be formed. The pocket system is installed in the opening and over boarded to be hidden in the finished wall. The door is then hung on rollers within the special pocket rail, allowing it to slide in and out of the pocket at will. Pocket doors make a great aesthetic feature within a home and can be used to great effect in rooms with limited space. With the door sliding horizontally as opposed to swinging, more usable space is offered within the room. This being said, an appropriate width of opening must be available in order to accommodate the pocket system. The extra width structural opening can often be accommodated during new builds or renovations, though this is not always easily attainable. In these scenarios, sliding barn doors can be installed which achieve the same outcome without the requirement of a pocket. Note here that there are many different specific kits and installation types of these pocket doors. Here we are looking at a standard metal box pocket, with integrated lining, as this is the simplest style of pocket door kit.
What are the criteria of sliding pocket doors?
Sliding pocket doors vary somewhat in their criteria from traditional swinging doors due to their different implementation. Due to the lack of swing, there is no required undershooting of the door. In addition to this, there is typically little to no cutting down of the door required, as the height of the door is determined by the height of the pocket system. A guide rail must be installed perfectly central in the opening at the bottom of the pocket to guide the door. A similar groove must be cut at the correct width, perfectly centrally in the bottom of the door to ride along this guide rail with minimal sideways play. Attention must be paid during the installation of the pocket and lining in order to ensure that all components are perfectly plumb and level, as adjustments after the plastering stage are usually limited.
How are sliding pocket doors installed?
Here is the installation process for a standard pocket door system, intended for use with a 30” door and to be installed within a 4”x2” CLS opening. Though this is a general overview for this style of system, the general concept applies to other systems. As always, refer to the specific instruction included with the product intended for installation.
To install these kits from start to finish, the process begins when forming the studwork. As mentioned, many types of these kits are available for use in combination with CLS studwork. This means the pocket box, or “cassette” is the width of regular 4”x2” CLS, thus allowing for the plasterboard to be installed flat over the face of the whole assembly. To accommodate the total width of the cassette and the lining, an opening in the studwork needs to be formed according to the size specified in the instructions. This size varies between brands and door widths but is typically around twice the width of the door, give or take. With the opening created, we can move onto installation of the cassette and lining.
The cassette is installed first, fixed in place through the end stud of the opening and through the header. It's important to use the screws provided with the kit, as screws that are too long can enter the inner void of the cassette and damage the door as it closes. Care should be taken here to ensure the cassette is perfectly upright and in line with the wall, though this should follow the stud if the framework has been installed plumb and straight. Additional tabs are typically provided in order to fix the cassette to the floor as well. With the cassette in place, the lining portion can be installed. This includes a track that is attached as a header alongside the cassette, with a single jamb coming down the other side of the track as a stop for the door. These tracks typically click into place within the cassette and are self-aligning. Care should be taken to ensure that this track is also installed level so as to ensure the door does not roll by itself after installation. The jamb should also be installed plumb, though again spacers are often provided to keep the jamb in the correct position relative to the cassette until after the plastering stage.
With the system installed, the plasterboard can be installed, and the walls can be skimmed. The plasterboard will sail straight over the cassette up to an integrated stop that creates a nice finished edge for the board. Horizontal metal strips on the cassette provide a fixing point for the plasterboard, with special hardened correct length drywall screws being provided to fix the plasterboard so as not to penetrate the interior of the cassette.
Once the wall is boarded and skimmed, the second fix process of installing the door and moulding can begin. To hang the door, simply attach the provided hooks onto the top of the door with the supplied fixings. These hooks receive into hanging rollers that are inserted into the rail to allow the door to slide. The rollers and the top of the door are hidden by a decorative casing that is installed after the fact, and so the gap at the top of the door is hidden. Typically, the cassette accommodates a small allowance for the finished floor, though an additional small amount may be required to be cut off of the bottom of the door to allow for the door to fit in the event that it is too tight to receive into the rail comfortably. The height of the door within the opening can be adjusted through the use of the threaded bolts that suspend the door, and so a reasonable clearance can be established off of the floor once the door is hanging. A guide piece is typically supplied with the kit that is installed on top of the finished floor in the opening at the bottom of the cassette. This guide piece receives into an appropriately sized groove routed in the bottom of the door, stopping it from swaying side to side during its operation. With the guide piece installed and groove routed, the door can be fitted onto the rollers, and the nuts can be tightened to secure the door in place. If all goes well, the door should now freely slide in and out of the cassette, closing hard against the lining when shut.
With the door in place, the provided moulding pieces can be installed on the face of the lining to hide the seam between the door and the lining. These pieces often feature some kind of rubber gasket that seals the door and softens the impact of the door hitting the lining when operated violently. A pair of brushes are also fitted onto each side of the cassette to hide the void within the cassette. Moulding pieces are then fitted onto the head of the track to hide the roller system. These moulding pieces may or may not cover the edge of the plaster finish depending on the specific kit. They may or may not also provide architraves for the kit. In these events, regular architrave moulding can be installed around the opening as usual to create an aesthetic finish and hide the edge of the plaster which will inevitably.
With the main assembly finished, the ironmongery can be fitted. Due to the door sliding into the cassette, regular knobs or handles cannot be used as they will prevent the door from entering the cassette. Additionally, regular latches and locks will serve no function here, as the door slides horizontally into the lining. As such, special recessed or flush-fit handles should be implemented, as well as sliding door privacy latches. These flush-fit and recessed handles provide a low-profile tactile surface on the face of the door that can assist in opening the door, without binding on the cassette. The closing mechanism is some type of hook that is actuated by a recessed thumb turn and curves out of the door and into a keep on the jamb. All of these ironmongery pieces are installed in accordance with the typical ironmongery installation procedures.
Sliding barn doors
Sliding barn style doors are interior doors that slide horizontally on a fixed rail in a similar fashion to a sliding pocket door. The difference between the two is that the barn door rail is attached to the face of a wall or partition, with the door sliding open and out of the way on a rail attached to the face of the wall above the opening. The doors themselves are often more decorative and can make a great feature. The main advantage of this style of door over a pocket door, is that the rail and door can be easily installed over an existing opening with minimal work required. This contrasts to the large amount of work required to install a pocket door in an existing wall structure. That being said, the lack of a full seal or closure mechanism means they are not suitable for use in private applications, such as for a bathroom or bedroom door.
How are sliding barn doors installed?
To install a sliding barn door the process is nearly identical regardless of the brand or specific setup. The door opening should be finished as usual with a door lining and accompanying architrave moulding installed on both sides of the door. At this point, the rail can be installed above the opening on the desired side of the wall. The height for the rail off of the floor should accommodate a small tolerance at the bottom of the door, the height of the door, and the length of the roller mechanism. The rail should be installed level to prevent the door from rolling on its own. The rail should also be positioned horizontally in a position to allow the door to close fully over the opening, and fully out of the way when open. With the rail fixed to the wall, the mounting rollers can be installed onto the top of the door. These are typically screwed into the top rail of the door from above.
The door can then be hung on the rail and allowed to hang freely downwards. This stationary downwards hang can help to locate the position for a guide rail or bearing at the bottom of the door. With this installed, any stops can be installed in the correct position to stop the door at the end of its travel over the opening. A door the next size up to the opening should be used to eliminate any gaps down the edges of the door. Whilst this style of door is not intended for privacy or security, maintaining small gaps can improve acoustic and heat retention. If the rail is installed correctly, the door should pass by the surface of the architrave with a few mm of tolerance, ensuring a good close on the opening. On the outward face of the door, regular handles can be installed. On the inside face of the door, flush fit handles must be installed to prevent them from binding on the lining when operated. Due to the nature and design of these doors, there is no real closing or locking mechanism, save for the click in or magnetic shutters.
Internal Bi-folding doors
Internal Bi-folding doors are a space effective solution for certain indoor scenarios. Folding doors may refer to multi-leaf standard sized doors that are sometimes installed on airing cupboards. These doors are lightweight in their construction - often slatted for ventilation purposes in the case of airing cupboard doors - and are installed in linings that are located in tight spaces. These doors are known as louvre doors. As the two leaves unfold into the lining, we can see on plan that we effectively have a regular sized door with a swing arc that is reduced. This type of folding door is also available in regular internal door styles for applications in regular linings where space is restricted. Internal bi-folding doors may also refer to a more conventional image of bi-folding doors, with multiple regular sized leaves that operate within a header track. In a double leaf configuration, this component offers a sleeker alternative to more traditional double doors. In terms of traditional swung doors that hang on hinges, double doors are as large as we can go within 1 opening. For larger structural openings in modern open plan properties, internal bi-folding doors offer a partitioning solution in the style of 3 leafed folders, as well as 2 double leaf folders.
As with external bi-folding doors, this style of door is typically installed by specialist companies that manufacture the doors in their own warehouses. That being said, some styles are available off the shelf from specialist suppliers. Whilst the installation process differs between manufacturers, here we shall look at the critical points of the installation and how internal bifold doors operate.
How are folding doors installed?
Similar to an internal pocket door, this style of door when fitted as part of a kit features a rail or track that is installed as a part of the lining in order to enable the doors to move. Two outer jambs are received into the top rail with the use of fixings or dowels. This total unit is fitted within the opening, at a structural width determined by the manufacturer's instructions. Bear in mind that in these applications where bi-folding doors are installed, this lining and opening are typically wide anyway. Depending on the kit, a secondary bottom guide rail may be installed on the floor. This track is installed at the level of the floor to prevent any trip hazard from occurring. With the track/s installed, the doors can be prepared for installation. Again, depending on the supplier of the kit, regular butt hinges, or proprietary crank hinges may be used to enable the doors to move freely. Depending on the number of doors within the assembly, the location of the hinges and drop bolt connectors can vary. For two leafed bi-folding doors, the hinges are installed to allow the two leaves to fold together into the desired room. The connecting drop bolts are installed at equidistance in from the top edge of each leaf. This enables both leaves to slide in the rail without binding. If the position of the drop bolts varies between the leaves, the doors won't open properly and will bind. For three leaf openers, the arrangement is a little different. The first leaf features the drop bolt in the regular place, with hinges on the inside of the room. The second leaf is attached to this and opens into the room, with a drop bolt on the opposing corner. The leaf, which opens freely off the track and can be used as a regular door, features no drop bolt, and is hinged solely on the middle leaf. This last leaf may feature regular door ironmongery such as a latch and handles, so that it can be used as a regular door when the other two leaves are fully shut. When the doors are opened, the leaves hinge together like an accordion, with the hinges located on alternating sides of the assembly.
Making custom doors on site
It goes without saying that any size, shape, or style of custom door can be made by a specialist company in a workshop. That being said, the price is often costly for these one-off components. In some instances, such as under stairs or in ashlar walls, irregular shaped and sized doors are required to be hung in irregular shaped linings. Here we shall look at how these doors can be created on site.
What is a custom door?
A custom door in this instance is a regular door that has been cut down, shaped, or modified in some way to receive into an irregular door lining. It's not uncommon to come across these types of doors in homes, especially older properties that have had work carried out on them over the years. A common instance of this type of door is an angled door that follows the pitch of a flight of stairs. Under stair cupboards are relatively common, as the space under the stairs can’t be used for much else. These cupboards make a perfect space for vacuum cleaners and brooms to be stored. It's not unheard of for small toilets to be installed under the stairs as well. For these angled linings, a regular door must be shaped to fit neatly into the opening with a good margin. This is easy to achieve with a flush hollow core door but can become tricky when working with moulded/styled doors.
Another instance of irregular doors occurs in loft conversions. Small ashlar walls in the loft conversion form part of the perimeter of the room and support the rafters above by reducing the unsupported span. On the other side of these walls, a small void or crawlspace is created. Whilst this space is too tight for habitation, these voids form a perfect storage area for suitcases, Christmas trees, and other assorted items that are typically stored in a loft. By forming structural openings in these walls, we can fit small linings within them. These small linings receive equally small doors - typically less than half the height of a regular door. Again, when working with flat doors, creating small doors is very straightforward. However, when working with or trying to match the decorative style of other doors in the property, the difficulty increases.
What are the criteria of a custom door?
All of the regular criteria apply to these doors, though achieving them can be a little trickier. Whereas a regular door is square, and receives comfortably into a square lining, in this instance we’re trying to accurately match the slope of a lining to the slope of a cut down door. Beyond that, all other criteria such as margin, non-binding etc should be followed.
How are custom doors created?
Cut down doors
For doors that receive into short linings, the door must be cut down. For flush hollow core doors, this process is very simple. Measure the internal height of the lining, and subtract the 3mm top margin, and the 5-8mm bottom margin. This new height is the height of the door, and we can cut it down to this height. Typically, this will mean cutting of the section of the door with the internal bottom rail that provides stability to the 2 external panels. As such, we must break open the offcut of the door that features this rail and replace it with the new bottom of our cut down door. A chisel can be used to remove an external panel that is stuck to the rail, and the new rail can be glued in place. The door can then be hung as any other door would be in the short lining.
For doors that are moulded or feature actual rails, the process of creating these doors is a bit more in depth and requires a bit more finesse. To start with, the door can be cut down straight to the required height, removing the waste from the bottom of the door. We must then retrieve the bottom rail from the offcut as accurately as possible. In this instance with the grooved finish, we want to remove all the waste from the rail whilst leaving the groove attached. This will make it easier to accurately tie the rail back into the new door. We can use a rail saw here to accurately remove the waste from the bottom rail. Once the rail is removed, we can overlay it on the bottom of the new door to accurately mark out the area of waste that we need to remove. Because we left the groove on the bottom rail, we want to cut perfectly down the waste side of the side rails, so that the bottom rail will fit snugly in between them, leaving the grooves in place. This can also be achieved through the use of a rail saw. A handsaw can be used to finish the corners of the cuts. A chisel can also be used to provide an extremely clean surface for the bottom rail to fit into. If all went well, the bottom rail should now snuggly fit into the opening that we have created in the new door. If so, we can glue it in place and clamp it whilst it dries. Now, we have created a new door of the correct height, with all of the full-sized rails in place so that this door matches the style of the other doors.
This principle can be applied to any moulded door that can be refinished after the alteration is made. This process is difficult though, especially when we’re trying to maintain the perfect tolerances that were established at the factory. Sometimes it's easier to choose flat doors, purely from a price perspective.
Angled doors
Angled doors are among the trickiest to get right in their overall shape, as we don't have many chances to get it right. Accurately finding the correct angle can be difficult, though there is a simple method to achieve this. In these instances, these angled doors are typically shorter anyway, and so the first step is to cut the door down to the correct height. For flat doors, this is easy as we simply cut the bottom off. If the door is hollow, then we must re-insert the supporting rail at the bottom of the door between the two outer panels of the door. If the door is moulded, we must reinsert the bottom decorative rail in accordance with the procedure that we’ve previously looked at. When carrying out this procedure, we must try and save some of the side rails that are removed, so that we can replace them on the angle that we will be removing. With the door cut to height, we can begin the process of creating the angle.
The final desired outcome of this door will feature an equal rail that will follow the slope of the lining, meeting the top and side rail respectively for an aesthetic look. For the most accurate results, we need to offer the door over the lining and mark the exact angle on the door from the inside. Due to the angled requirement of the lining, this may mean cutting off the corner of the door so that we can get it into place. We need to be careful not to remove too much at this point. With the waste removed so that we can properly locate the door, we must use a mate to position the door so that we can mark the angle of the lining from inside the room. The door should be positioned over the lining with a 3mm margin down the full height side and positioned off of the floor with the correct top margin. With this, we can mark the inside profile of the lining on the door. After removing the door and placing it back on the benches, we can accurately mark out our area of removal. The finished door will have a margin 3mm in from our line for the correct tolerance. We must measure from this the thickness of a rail to determine where we will remove our waste from. The angled rail will come into the side rail with what is essentially a plumb cut. The top rail will be cut so that the angled rail meets at a bisection of the angle of the door. Remove the waste, insert the new piece, and the door can be hung as usual.
Once again, both of these intricate method are possible, but it takes time, finesse, and skill. Regardless of the skill of the operative, it’s going to be cheaper to use a flush door that is later painted.