I recently had a problem with a particularly irritating bi-fold door. This door has given me trouble since the beginning. To start out I had to make the door 35″ wide to fit the opening, then I had to cut about 2″ off the bottom (this is a job for another post:). About 6 months into its life its’ back pivot hinge tore out of the track, and the door would not stay square in the opening. The first thing I did was take the track down and bend the track back into shape so that the pivot hinge would lock properly. This fix lasted about one month…grrrrrr. I then had the idea to remove the factory screw in the pivot hinge and replace it with a screw that would pass through the hinge and into the track itself. First I removed the factory screw, then shut the door so that I could tell where I wanted the pivot to be (this took a little bumping, until I arrived at where I wanted to be). I marked the new location of the pivot hinge with a pencil, then re-opened the door. I put the hinge within the pencil marks. Then I found a 1 inch self-tapping screw and drilled it through the pivot hinge and into the track (I used a cordless drill). This held the door tight in place in the track.**It has been several months since this fix and I have not had to re-visit this repair.

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Do you have a door that sticks on the top or bottom and you would like to fix the swing without leaving uneven cut marks. This can be a difficult task when the door only catches on one side, because you will end up with a cut that goes from 1/8 – 1/2″ to nothing. You can use a plane, but the door will end up like hamburger if you don’t know what you are doing. There is a much easier way to accomplish this task. Here is what you need. A circular saw, two quick clamps, tape measure, a strait edge (I use a especially straight 1×4). First measure how much you will need to cut off the door while it is on the hinges. Try to make the the clearance from the door or jamb equal all the way across the door. Do this by adding the clear section (the area of the door that does not stick) of the trim to the amount of material is actually sticking to the jamb or door. Usually a door clears the jamb by 3/16 – 1/16″, if the jamb sticks over the full perimeter of the door start with 1/8″ or less clearance. When you know how much material you need to remove from the door write it down on a piece of paper. Measure the wide side of the circular saw’s base with a tape measure (see picture). The wide side of most circular saw bases is usually around 5″, make this measurement within a 1/16″. Add this number to the amount to be removed from the door. Mark the door with this number on the side where the material is to be removed. Then mark the other side either with just the base measurement (if it is an angled cut going to zero), or with the same number if you are making a strait cut. Put the strait edge on the marks you just made on the door, then clamp it in place with the clamps (use tight clamps and protect the door with a thin piece of wood or cardboard). With the saw not plugged in check the location of the strait edge. It will be used to guide your saw. Lift the guard on the saw and butt the base against the strait edge. The blade should be taking off approximately what your original estimate was. **WEAR saftey glasses for this task*** Plug in the saw and slowly make your cut, you may have to manually pull up your guard depending on your saw. If you have to pull up your guard to so very cautiously, this is a good way to cut yourself if you are not careful.

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Installing the correct threshold seal for your door is not very difficult. In recent years door companies have innovated many different sweeps, thresholds, and seals. Your goal is to stop the draft. First, if you have a strong draft leaking under your door and you would like to stop it immediately just use a rolled up towel until you have time to choose a new method of sealing the leak.
Here is an easy way to choose your threshold. If you have a door that already scrapes on your carpet and has no seal on the bottom, Pick a threshold with the seal on the threshold (see picture). This way you will not be dropping the bottom of the door, ruffing the carpet even more.
If your door has plenty of room between the bottom of the door and the flooring, consider a seal that mounts on the bottom of the door. With this configuration you will most likely have a threshold without a seal (oak, aluminum, or both – see example pics).
You can also use a door sweep. This is a piece of rubber clad with aluminum that attaches on either the outside or inside of the door. Some use this as their primary defense against leaks, but I prefer to use it as a back-up to the two I just mentioned. To install these Items is fairly easy. You will need a hack saw for the aluminum items, and a jig saw for the oak (this is the easiest saw to use, you can use coping saws and trim saws for this work…I use a large tooth metal cutting blade when I am cutting oak thresholds). Remember you will most likely have to notch the threshold to mount it on the floor. **You want the highest part of the threshold centered under the door when it is closed and dead bolted, this is to insure proper seal. Measure and place the threshold on the floor where you will be mounting it to insure proper orientation. Mark and cut the threshold to size and put in place. If you are putting this on concrete you will need to get lead anchors from the store when you pick up the threshold. Mark for your screws with a 16d nail or something that will reach the floor through the threshold. Pre-drill holes for the screws that will anchor the threshold, drilling larger holes for concrete anchors if necessary. Put a bead of silicon sealant under the threshold if it does not already have its own rubber seal for the floor on it. Install the threshold. For the door, just measure the bottom of the door for the seal you selected, and cut the seal to length. Remember to pre-drill your holes. After installing the door seal (if applicable) make sure to double check your work and adjust the seal as necessary.
If you still want to install a sweep on your door, just measure the door and make sure the sweep will hit the threshold and not interfere with anything on the floor. Installing is simple for this also just measure and cut. I like to leave a little extra rubber on each end for an extra seal (not always necessary)…
Thank you for reading … if you have anything to add, please feel free to comment

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Sealing a drafty door can be an easy project. When you are working on an older house your door is very likely to be misaligned because of the natural settling over time. It seems to be an all to speedy reaction to buy the quickest fix for this problem, foam weatherstripping. Foam weatherstripping comes in many different sizes and types. I have not found one that does well on a high traffic door, not to mention how it looks installed on a door. There is a slightly better model of weatherstripping that seals in the same manner as the foam, and that is the rubber weather seal (EPDM). It looks like a tear drop and has a sticky side to stick on the stop on one side. I use this weatherstripping occasionally. The door must hit the stop squarely and hit the left ,right ,and top equally for this strip to work correctly. If your door is drafty and qualifies then buy this seal. It generally comes with a good warranty and will last with moderate traffic. To install this weatherstripping clean the door stop (this is the trim that stops the door from swinging the other way when you are closing the door) with a wet rag, and allow to dry. Measure the stop on the top, left, and right where the door hits the stop. Cut a piece that runs from left jamb to right jamb. Place on the stop to insure the cut is correct, then peel the backing off a little at a time while sticking on the side of the stop the door makes contact with. Repeat this step for the left and right side of the door. Make the pieces for the right and left side go down as far as possible without doubling up the weatherstripping.
The second and most easy weatherstripping for a door is made for the ‘kerfed stop’ door. This a newer item item you can find at most home improvement stores and on the internet. You must have kerfed stop to install this weatherstrip. A kerf is a small cut in the wood stop between the stop and the jamb on the door side of the stop. This weather stripping just pops in and out of the kerf and is very easily fixed. If you have a torn piece and your door is leaking, just pull it out and pop a new piece in. If you have a metal door with kerfed stop, you can buy a magnetic weatherstripping that sticks to the door when closed (like a refrigerator). This is extremely easy to install so I will be quick. Just measure the top, cut and install (snap in one side and work it in the kerf in the other direction). Do the same for the right and left side of the door making sure the weatherstripping covers the complete kerf. **note** If you have trash in the kerf, you must remove it before snapping in the weatherstripping…It will not snap in with anything in the gap.
The third kind of weather stripping is the type I use the most on older, high traffic doors. This is the adjustable aluminum/rubber seal. This seal is installed on top of the stop from the exterior of the house with the door closed. This door seal is not in an unseen area, so you can visually see the seal is operational. It is also very durable in comparison with the other seals. Also being adjustable will seal a door that does not hit the stop in all locations (an old warped door). To install this weatherstripping you will need your door closed and dead bolted (if applicable). Measure the outside of the door where it comes in contact with the stop. Cut the short piece to the size of the top of the exposed door with a hacksaw. Place the piece on top of the stop with the rubber side touching the door to insure a good seal. With a pencil, mark one of the center holes in the trim. Drill a 1/16″ hole in the in the stop about 1″ deep. Place the seal back in place and put a screw in the hole making sure the rubber seal is still in contact with the door. Pre-drill the rest of the holes and install a screw into each one. Repeat the steps with the left and right side pieces making sure to cover the complete space between the door and the stop.

I will save to bottom of the door for tomorrow…

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In the past I have ran into a few things that are a pain. One of those is the task of installing a new door knob on an old door (pre 70’s). First thing that happens is you get home and get all excited to install your new hardware on your old door(an easy job on recent model doors), and find that your new door knob will not fit in the mounting hole provided (see picture).
This is an all to common problem in an old house. After trying all the little plastic gadgets the home superstore had to offer, I coincidently ran into an easy fix for my problem. Take a 3/8 – 1/2 sheet of plywood and drill a two holes in it with the 2-1/8 hole core door knob bit. Pull the round core material out of the bit (it should look like a cookie with a hole in it). Mark the door with two level marks at 2 – 3/8 with a combination square above and below where the door knob should be (2 – 3/8 is normal for residential construction). Then mark a line dead center with the bolt on the door. Do both marking steps on both sides of the door. – see picture – Then take the wood core you pulled out of the bit and drill one 1/8″ hole on both the top and bottom of the plug. Take the plug and center it on the door using your marks from earlier and fasten it to the door with self tapping screws. Do this on both sides of the door, making sure the hole in the center of the plugs lines up.
The plug purpose should be clear now…the plug guides the drill bit through the door. If the plug is not on the door the bit cannot align with the center bit, and makes a mess of the door finish…Trust me on this one. There is an alternative on the market, that guides the bit from the outside. This kind of guide works fine is it is attached well, but can make a mess also if it happens to slide from the drill vibrations.

Comments are welcome!!!…if you need clarification with something please comment or e-mail me
lukspencer@popssurvivalguide.com

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