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Show IFIRST AID to the I AILING HOUSE JLtn I by Roger C. Whitman QUESTION: "My bedroom has two doors with opposite faults; when unlatched, one will not stay open, the other will not stay elosed. Can this be corrected by adjustment adjust-ment of hinges? Is it something an amateur can do." . ANSWER: The trouble In both cases is because the pin of the lower hinge is not directly in line with that of the upper hinge. To check on this, use a plumb line-that line-that is, a string with a small weight tied to one end. If you hold the loose end of this at the bottom of the upper hinge pin, the weight will show you which hinge needs resetting. The door originally was set with the hinges in line, and the trouble has come because of settlement settle-ment that has somewhat distorted the door frame. It may be that moving one hinge will be enough, although possibly a small adjustment adjust-ment of both hinges will be easier. When you have decided what to do, open the door part way, and jam books or blocks under the outer corner to take the weight You then can remove the hinge pin of the hinge that is to be shifted, and do whatever is necessary. Take off the hinge plate on the door frame, and pack the screw holes with wood putty. You might find it necessary to place a shim (in the form of a piece of cardboard or a thin piece of wood) under the offending of-fending hinge. |