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Does your door need realignment?

As well as being annoying, a misaligned door can also present a security risk. If you can’t easily close or lock a door, this could be due to incorrect alignment.

How to identify misaligned doors

Often, the problem of misalignment is easily identifiable. Perhaps you’ve noticed that the door has dropped.

When this happens, you may find that the door catches on the frame, either at the top, bottom or sides. Or you might have felt a draft where air is coming through.

door realignment

Problems can occur when a door is in full sunshine and the heat causes wood to warp. Over time, gravity, heat, and humidity can cause certain materials to contract or expand.

When a door doesn’t sit properly in its frame, it can also result in additional wear and tear in different areas.

Check the alignment of your doors

Before the door can be realigned, you need to identify where the problem lies. Are there any obvious gaps between the door and frame?

Place a spirit level on top of the door to see if it’s straight. Also look at the corners of the door and see how they sit in the frame.

Is the distance between the door and frame consistent throughout?

The problem of dropped doors

It’s not uncommon for doors to drop after they’ve been fitted. This may not cause a problem.

If the door still opens and closes easily and the lock still works efficiently, you don’t need to adjust anything. However, an ill-fitting panel or glass unit can cause a door to drop and misalign from the frame.

When this happens, it may simply be a case of adjusting the hinges. This usually solves the problem. If it drops again, you may need to look at how the glass or panel has been fitted.

How to rectify misalignment

Adjusting the height is a simple matter if a door is sitting too high or low. But if a door doesn’t close all the way, you need to adjust how it sits within the frame.

Most alterations are made via the hinges. You may require a height, lateral or compression adjustment. In some cases, you may need all three if the door has dropped, isn’t level, and there are gaps all the way around.

If you have a flat hinge, you can alter the height and make lateral and compression adjustments. A compression adjustment will allow you to move the door closer or further from the door jamb in cases where the door won’t close properly.

A T-hinge will enable you to make height and lateral adjustments. You might need to make a lateral adjustment if the door handle is too close or near the door frame.

Older uPVC doors often have butt hinges that are more restrictive and may only allow a lateral change or no changes at all. If this is the case, it would be wiser to replace the hinges, or the whole door, to avoid compromising security.

Do your doors need realignment?

Check out the latest reviews on Checkatrade for my door realignment service. If your doors need realigning, call me on 07900 335525.

I can also provide FREE security advice on the best security solutions to meet your needs and budget.