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How to repair large hole in door?

Jay_11
Getting Established

How to repair large hole in door?

Hi all,

I am going to head to bunnings soon but need help with advice on the cheapest and easiest way to sort out a large hole in my bedroom door. I have a few ideas from reading some tips on the net but rather have someone on here with expertise to advise and recommend what products to buy and use to fix this. I've attached two photos of both sides of the bedroom door.

 

Any help and advice would be much appreciated. Thanks

 

IMG_20230606_121559__01_copy_1534x1150__01.jpg

IMG_20230606_121626__01_copy_1553x1165__01.jpg

MitchellMc
Bunnings Team Member
Bunnings Team Member

Re: Large hole in door

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @Jay_11. It's fantastic to have you join us, and many thanks for your question about repairing a door.
 

The most efficient way to resolve the issue would be to replace the door. It's beyond reasonable repair and would likely cost you more on the materials to repair it than the cost of a new door. Take, for example, the Hume Internal Door H1 Primed MDF Flush 2040 x 820 x 35mm. By the time you purchase something to fill the core, a thin board to back the openings, filler to level the surface, a scraper to apply the filler and sandpaper to smooth the filler, you've probably spent more than a new door. Then, you'll have to repair it, which will take several hours.

 

I would consider myself very proficient at repairing doors, and there is no question here about what I would do. Replacing is simply much easier than repairing with damage that is this extensive. Also, even if you were to repair the door, you'll likely still see the damaged areas as they won't be unnoticeable.

 

Here's a helpful step-by-step guide on How to hang a door

 

Please let me know if you have any questions.

 

Mitchell

 

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Jay_11
Getting Established

Re: Large hole in door

Hi Mitchell,

 

Thanks for the welcome and reply. It's much appreciated.

 

I had my eye on the door you recommended a while ago but as I no longer have a ute and live a fair distance from Bunnings, the delivery costs were going to be over $80. My existing drill that i've had for years doesn't work anymore either which is why I thought best to try repairing the hole over time after working hours.

 

I did end up finding a nice second-hand door from a neighbour who gave the door to me for free which is the exact same size; however the door hinges and door knob hole positioning on the new secondhand door are slightly off compared to the damaged door.  Also I need to take off the existing door stopper to install it on the undamaged secondhand door if I am going to try installing it myself but don't have much experience in modifying the door hinges. Here some pics below of the comparison of the old damaged door with the hole and the undamaged secondhand door.

IMG_20230411_185603_copy_1044x783__01.jpg

IMG_20230411_185645_copy_1080x810__01.jpg

IMG_20230411_185655_copy_1279x959__01.jpg

So based on my limitations, it's either I have to try fixing the large hole on the damaged door or have a carpenter fill in the hinges on the undamaged secondhand door to let it dry and create new hinges in the same position. As for the door knob, it lines up with the door jamb but the door hole on both doors are in a different position.

MitchellMc
Bunnings Team Member
Bunnings Team Member

Re: Large hole in door

Hi @Jay_11,

 

That door is looking pretty good. The handle hole isn't necessarily an issue as the latch assembly could be adjustable, so the hole not being set in so far might not be a problem. The main thing is that the hole for the handle and the latch assembly is already at the correct height, which is really quite amazing. So, the hinge height is the only thing you'd have to deal with. On the door frame, were the hinges rebated into it? Is there a chiselled-out section they were screwed into, or were they just attached to the frame? I can verify if you can post a picture of the frame where the hinges were attached.

 

If we're lucky, this could be a direct swap.

 

Mitchell

 

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Jay_11
Getting Established

Re: Large hole in door

Hi Mitchell,

Yep that's what I was thinking about the latch assembly could be adjusted. Just the door hinges are my main issue and would like to remove the door stopper and install it on the undamaged door. But need a drill for that. Any good budget drills at Bunnings you'd recommend?

 

As for the door hinges on the door frame, I've attached a few pics below for reference if this helps:

IMG_20230611_111748_Bokeh_copy_893x1191.jpg

IMG_20230611_111920_copy_799x1065.jpg

 

MitchellMc
Bunnings Team Member
Bunnings Team Member

Re: Large hole in door

Right, so that's a steel frame and welded hinge @Jay_11. That means you'd need to remove the hinges off the old door and install them on the new door. Due to the hinge position of the old door being slightly off the new door, you'd need to chisel out the area on the new door for it to fit correctly.

 

I can now see that the new door is slightly wider. Is that the case? If so, please check to see whether it fits in the door jamb.

 

With a budget in mind, either the Ozito Home 12V Drill Driver Kit, Ozito PXC 18V Brushless Compact Drill Driver Kit or Ozito 280W 10mm Drill Driver would do the job for you.

 

Mitchell

 

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Jay_11
Getting Established

Re: Large hole in door

Yep definitely welded into a steel frame. You're right about the new door being slightly wider. The height and length are the same but the width is MMs off. 

IMG_20230611_124646__01_copy_1022x766.jpgIMG_20230611_124807__01_copy_1074x805.jpgIMG_20230611_130503__01_copy_801x1069.jpgIMG_20230611_130527__01_copy_1004x752.jpg

Thanks for recommendations of the drill kit, Mitchell. It's much appreciated 

MitchellMc
Bunnings Team Member
Bunnings Team Member

Re: Large hole in door

It looks like it would be a tight fit, but there's a chance it would work @Jay_11. The only way to really tell is to change the hinges over and try.

 

Mitchell

 

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Jay_11
Getting Established

Re: Large hole in door

Yea a super tight fit. But I think it might not. Does Bunnings sell the same hinges that are on the old door? Some of the screws on the old hinges are stuck and worn-out. Looks like the previous tenants had something to do with it. Worse case scenario would be to repair the hole on the damaged door.

MitchellMc
Bunnings Team Member
Bunnings Team Member

Re: Large hole in door

Those hinges look to be proprietary from the steel frame manufacturer @Jay_11. I wouldn't have thought you'd have much luck trying to match them up with another type. 

 

Mitchell

 

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