Will a non-mortise door hinge work on an external door?

[BoeingFan]

Hi All, 

I'm looking to replace our old timber door in about a month, and I have a few questions, but first, spec's of the current door are:

• Maximum width is 45mm
• Height is 1960mm
• Width is 790mm

I believe the 'best value' solid core door Bunnings have is the Hume 2040 x 820 x 35mm External Door Duracote Flush STPC. The reason I am thinking of the solid core is because I will have to take the circular saw to it to make it the dimensions I need. Would you agree?

Next, hinges. I do not own a router, and I don't trust myself to finesse a hinge rebate, so I am thinking of non-mortise hinges, such as the Lane 100mm Black Matte Easy Fit Hinge - 2 Pack. Are these suitable to use on a front door? I note the description say, "...used primarily on internal doors" so I'm wondering how much weight 'primarily' carries. What does this imply, and will they work or are they not suited to an external door? I did buy the Ryobi Door Hinge Kit in preparation for having to buy a trim router. Finally, if you look at the hinges in the photo's, do you see any issue with switching to modern door hinges? I probably should note that I don't understand the difference between the fixed pin, loose pin, and removable pin hinges.

Lastly, I know you stock TP-Link stuff, and I'm looking at the TP-Link DL110 door lock; do you know if you guys will be stocking this?

Thanks!

Top hinge

The key is longer than my car

[JacobZ]

Hi @BoeingFan,

There is certainly an art to hanging a door, especially when you are retrofitting one to an opening. Getting the spacing around the door and the shadow line perfect can be tricky.

I'd be intrigued to hear what method your builder goes with.

Jacob

[BoeingFan]

G'day @JacobZ 

We got our door delivered today, which is great. Now, my husband and I are busting our chops to have a go at getting it installed. 

Yes, I can run a circular saw across the top and the bottom. No, the door will not fit within the existing frame due to the chunky Eufy Black Security Smart Lever Lock C33  we've chosen, which is 80mm deep!!

The handle will hit the inside of the screen door. In fact the current wooden door knob is 35mm deep, and it almost touches. I'm a tad miffed with the lack of installation details on the outside of this locks box because we may have opted for something a little shallower had it had spec's on it.

Anyway, we've opened it now, and we want to have a crack. The good news is this old place is ripe for doing whatever the hell you want to, so we may just throw some extra wood against the stud on the insides with bugle screws and see how that goes. There's room to do that, and if it works, we will get some dressed hardwood and make it permanent. 

[EricL]

Hello @BoeingFan 

As a possible alternative, have you considered moving the screen door instead? But if it sticks too far out, I'm afraid your only choice is to move the door inwards by 50mm to provide space for the door lock. Please remember that you always have the choice of exchanging the lock for something that suit your needs. 

Looking forward to seeing the new door installed.

Eric

[BoeingFan]

Hi All, 

OK, so the door us hung (hello sailor!).. There's one in every crowd 😂

We managed to find some old hardwood 3x2's to put down the left side (looking out) to bulk up the frame and to accommodate the lock, and we used some of the leftover spotted gum behind the hinges. So, my circular saw skills have been confirmed as woeful, but it is what it is. 

Question, please... Have I put the hinges on the wrong way? I had one of those self centering jigs for the drill, bit because I was drilling in a cavity which was too small to fit the whole drill, I had to go in on an angle. I have a sneaking suspicion that the hinges need to be flipped top to bottom so that the round pin bit of the hing is on the inside of the house, rather than facing outwards, if that makes sense. Pic's below. 

Thanks in advance. 

Yep, here it is. Not bad eh?Does this need to be flipped over?

[JacobZ]

Hi @BoeingFan,

Unfortunately, yes, you have put the hinges on the wrong way.

You can tell that the screws are not installed in the right face of the hinge because they are not sitting in the countersinks on the hinge plate.

They are supposed to sit on the inside face of the door jamb, not the outside face of the architrave.

You can actually see how they are supposed to be on the door to the left. From the inside of the door, when it is closed, only the hinge pin should be visible.

You'll have to unscrew the hinges and give it another go.

Let me know if you have any issues so I can assist further.

Jacob

[BoeingFan]

Hi @JacobZ 

I understand that I've put the jamb leaf on in a fashion differently to what is typical, but I have 2 questions;

• Does the installation I've used compromise the hinge at all, or is it still fine?
• Do the hinges need to be flipped on the horizontal plane so that the pin is inside the house, rather than the rear flush side of the hinge being inside the house, or does that not matter?

Thanks,

Jason

[JacobZ]

Hi @BoeingFan,

I can't say I'm sure whether it would compromise the hinge because I can't say I've ever installed hinges like that. From memory, the interior plate on a hirline hinge can spin 360 degrees without interference, so it should, in theory, be fine, although it is not a typical installation. 

You are probably in the best position to answer this question. 

If you swing the door open as far as it will go, do you feel any tension in the hinges? Do you hear any squeaking? Does the door pull itself back towards a closed position without you touching it?

If you experience any of these things, then the hinges could be under tension that would, over time, weaken them. 

I understand you had to install timbers to account for the new smart lock, but is there any reason you can't install the hinge in a typical fashion? 

I'm not 100% certain what you mean in your second question, but the pin should always be on the inside of the house. If it is on the outside of the house, it would be a security risk as someone could break the hinges to gain access to your home.

Let me know what you think.

Jacob

[BoeingFan]

Hi @JacobZ 

Thanks for your reply. I know it's not the 'typical' installation; the good news is that the door swung beautifully and freely. 

I should have used the term 'horizontal axis' instead of 'horizontal plane' to make my question clearer, however as you can see in the photo below, I'm wondering whether the hinge should be flipped so that the pin is on the other side of it's current position?

Cheers.

which side of the hing plate should the pin be?

[JacobZ]

Hi @BoeingFan,

Usually, it would be on the other side of the pin, which is evidenced by the location of the countersinks on the hinge plate. If you were to flip it, it would make the door sit further out from the opening, so if you're happy with it how it is, I would just leave it.

Jacob

[BoeingFan]

Hi @JacobZ and @EricL 

May I ask, when I paint the door, I'm using wooden horses to lay it on. After painting one side, before turning it over and having the painted side resting on the horses, do I use the 'touch dry' time (20 minutes), or the 're-coat' time (2 hours)?

Thanks.