Door to Door: How can I align my exterior door?

An aligned exterior door can be your home’s defense against unnecessary heating and cooling loss.

If you have noticed a slight gap in your door and are unsure of how this can be resolved than this article is for you! Read on for tips and next steps in ensuring your exterior door is properly aligned!

Hunches That It’s Your Hinges
This is a great first place to start, as a loose hinge may be the culprit of a misaligned exterior door. To rule this out check both top and bottom hinges, being sure to double check both the sides attached to the frame and to the door itself.

New Construction Needs Time
We all hope that purchasing or building a new home that the end result will be flawless and perfect, however sometimes that is not the case. Newly built homes take time for the foundation to find its permanent footing, referred to as settling. If your exterior doors are misaligned your best bet may be giving them a little time.

If you’ve put in a little elbow grease and been patient, and are still finding that your door needs some alignment encouragement - we’ve got you covered! Here are a few quick and easy ways to improve your door’s alignment.

1. To identify whether it is the frame or door itself that is out of alignment your best bet is to check the horizontal angles in reference to the floor. This will help you identify which area needs your attention.
2. Shim away! Shimming the hinges of the door will move the door into both horizontal and vertical alignment.
3. Once the door is in ideal alignment you will need to measure the angle at which the hinges are out.
4. Remove the door from its frame by the hinges with a screwdriver.
5. The next step is to cut a piece of cardboard or plywood to match the shape of the hinge and cut holes to match where the screws will go through the hinges.
6. Place the cardboard or plywood under the hinge and re-install the door.
7. Repeat the steps as necessary until you achieve the desired results.

Here at Beverley Hills Windows and Doors we have a large gallery of exterior doors for you! If aligning your exterior door just isn’t cutting it then come on down to a showroom location today or call a knowledgeable Beverley representative at 1-800-263-4515 for more information!