Hi all, how would I fix the top of the door sticking out not sitting flush with the aluminium frame?
Photo is of when door is fully closed.
Any ideas please
Hello @Maxi
Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community. It's sensational to have you join us, and thanks for sharing your question about your front door.
Can you please tell us if your door is made of wood or aluminium? There could be a number of reasons your door has gone out of alignment such as the door warping or twisting if it was made of wood. The door could have twisted out of shape if something blocked it when being closed. The door frame could have gone out of alignment.
I suggest checking the door first to see if any part of it has come loose, including the hinges. I then recommend looking at your aluminium door frame and see if that has twisted or gone out alignment. Repairs like these are often a process of elimination.
Once you've eliminated a probable cause you then proceed to the next one until you discover what caused the door to go out of alignment.
Let me call on our experienced members @Dave-1 and @Nailbag for their recommendations.
If you have any other questions we can help with, please let us know.
Eric
Hi @Maxi as @EricL has mentioned it apprears something isn't square (door or frame). I can see the door is glazed so it will be a solid core, which is rare to see warped. Aluminium frames don't warp unless the fixings have changed. How long has the door been like this?
The first thing we need to establish what's out of whack, the door or the frame and then why? Ifs the frame is out we should be able to fix this. But if the door is warped, it can only be replaced.
Standing the door open, use a trusted straight edge like at least a 1200mm level vertically and across and eye-ball its edge. You can also run the level plumb against the front or back face to check what that looks like? Now do similar steps on the frame and note the results.
Once you have that info, get back to us for ideas on next steps. Suppling some additional full front and back photos will help.
regards, Nailbag
Evening @Maxi
Having a few looks at the door I agree with @EricL and @Nailbag's suggestions to move forward.
I do have a question tho 🙂
Is the door a sliding door? You say its in an aluminium frame and the only time I have seen that is for a sliding door.
Any chance of an overall photo or two of the door and the whole frame it sits in?
If its a sliding door then maybe a channel has moved or is out of place (depending on if it was flush until recently)
If its a swing door then I will wait for some more pics. I figure if its a swing door that has warped then that glass prob would have have a high chance to crack or break. Mmmm will wait for those pics 🙂
Dave
Hi Eric,
Thanks for the reply, door is made of wood I also have check hinges and feel solid and screwed in securely.
Thanks Nailbag,
We recently just moved in and didn't notice until now. I'll check with a straight edge on the weekend and get back to you.
Thanks
Hi Dave,
It's a swing door, I'll post more pics of the door once I get home earlier on today.
We'll be keen to hear how you go with that straight edge @Maxi.
If the lower section of the door sits flush with the door jamb and the lock/handle still works, then it's quite peculiar that only the top would stick out like that.
Let us know how you go.
Mitchell
here are some more pics
Afternoon @Maxi
Mmmm Have you used a square such as @Nailbag suggested? The door does look like it has a twist to it.
Hi @Maxi
Please keep us updated with your progress, please don't forget to check the level of your door frame as well.
Will do Eric, trip to Bunnings tomorrow to get a straight edge. I seem to have misplaced mine.
Will update once I check levels
Hey Dave, haven't check yet I have misplaced my straight edge so trip to Bunnings tomorrow.
Great photos @Maxi . Now you will need to establish what's twisted the door of the jamb itself with a 1200mm level to see what's not plumb (vertically level).From the inside check the left and right door jamb edges and then the door itself. Only open the door very slightly if need be to be able to rest the level on the right hand edge.
If the door jamb is twisted on the handle side, then all the trim will need to be removed to expose the cavity between the inside of the jamb and the timber frame. The securing nails will need to be cut, jamb straightened and the refined to the frame and trim replaced.
If the door is twisted, which is what I suspect, then you will need to replace the door itself.Regards, Nailbag
Hi Nailbag, door jamb is level but door is definitely twisted gap between door and level is only a few mm but I guess a few mm make a big difference. Looks like that's my next project to replace the door. Thanks for all your help on this and thanks to everyone else aswell.
Hi @Maxi,
The twist in the door is certainly going to contribute, but looking at your last photo, it doesn't look to be enough for the door to stick out that far past the jamb.
Before replacing the door, you should check one last thing.
Open the door to 90 degrees and look at the gap between the door jamb and the door where the hinges are. See the below photo as an example.
You can see on my door that the gap between the door and the frame is not even between the middle and top hinge.
On your door, is this line even from top to bottom? If not, the hinges may be out of plumb.
Place your level directly on the outside of the bottom hinge and run it straight up the jamb to the top hinge. Are they plumb with each other?
If they are out of plumb, you may be able to move the hinge over on the jamb to correct the issue.
Let me know how you go.
Jacob
Hi Jacob , with the level the seem pretty flush but in the photo I think the lower hinge is in more than the middle and top.
Just had a thought, I wonder if it would be worth moving the trim that the door butts up against to make it look right.
Also is the trim vertical? When I redid my door and removed the trim from around the door I did it gently with the paint scrapper being tapped underneath the timber and leavering it up until I could get my claw hammer and have more oomph to leaver it off.
Just to be sure Maxi, the gap appears to be less than the amount the door is sticking out. Is the door flush at the bottom or does it stick out from the frame as well just not as much? If it does, then the gap shown will be about right. And double checking the hinge alignment within the door jamb as @JacobZ is an excellent idea I missed.The pin of each hinge should be exactly in the same position against the door jamb, usually it should be with no gap. If the top one is stick out several mm from the middle and then the bottom one, then this will be the issue. It means taking the middle and top ones off and repositioning them. inwards to the door stop thats currently covered with foam weather shielding.
Just as a side note: If needing to shop for a new door, it would be worth getting one of the Bunnings door suppliers to come measure it up and then at the same time be 100% on both the door and how its fitted. @EricL or @JacobZ might be able to assist on how thats arranged.
If you decide to get a new door, please triple check the size of your door before going to the store. I suggest speaking to the special orders team and showing them its size and a picture of your preferred door style. Once they see it, they should be able to find a similar looking door in the Hume catalogue. They will then quote you a price for the new door.
If you need further assistance, please let me know.
Thanks Eric, will do.
Hi Dave, it's an aluminium jamb no trims would of been a good idea if only it was timber. Good idea though.
looks like you had the same builders that did a block of units I look after. I've got the same issue with a couple of the front doors making it hard to lock them.
I found that the top of the door frames were loose, you can push and pull them 20-30mm and I can't find anything above the frames to fix to. Hoping this is not your issue @Maxi
if anyone knows another trick, I would love to hear. Our builders are difficult to get back to fix it
Hi @Ready2go,
There are numerous reasons why this issue could occur, including the door and or jamb could be warped or out of the square. If you can show us some images of your issue I trust our helpful members would be more than happy to share their thoughts.
If it's just the top of the jamb not being fixed securely, you could consider gluing it into position or try nailing off at an angle from the corner to capture the timber joists.
the frame is aluminum and it looks like it was siliconed in place. I've tried drilling up in one of the frames but cannot find anything solid to secure to. the warp messes with the lock system so if anyone else has a good idea how to fix this, I would love the help.
Hi @Ready2go, was the actual door that was bowed, from top of door down to handle so new door was needed.
It's important to determine whether the door is warped or if the frame is not secured correctly. It sounds like you're saying that the top of the frame moves around. Can you push it back into the correct position so it aligns with the door and closes that gap? If so, the frame is causing the issue, and it needs to be fixed back into position. However, the frame seems to be aligned with the window section, which makes me think it might be the door that is out.
Do you have a long straight piece of timber you could place against the door to determine if there is a warp in it?
