If you’ve got a broken front door, you’re probably in a hurry to figure out how to fix it. After all, the front door, or even the back door, are both vital to home security and insulation. Fortunately, you can fix a broken door with these three steps.
1. Buy Supplies
It’s easy to put the cart in front of the horse and want to remove the door right away to fix it. However, if you need to replace broken parts, you’ll want to make sure you have them first. Otherwise, you’ll end up letting in the summer heat, bugs, and the eyes of your curious neighbors. So, the first step is always to stock up on what you need.
If you’ve got broken hardware, such as a hinge, lock, or door handle, head to your local hardware store. Bringing measurements and pictures with you can help an employee direct you to the right replacements.
If the body of your door is broken, you’ll want to buy a new one entirely. Trying to repair a broken door, especially a fiberglass or foam-injected one, is not really possible for a layman. It’s better to replace it entirely. If, however, you’ve got a solid wooden door, you might be able to repair it temporarily with some strong wood glue and some sanding. Just remember, this kind of door is already substandard as it is. Relying on a door with a new weak point where you repaired it is a recipe for disaster.
2. Remove Your Door
When you have the supplies you need to fix a broken door, it’s time to remove your door. If you’re simply replacing a knob or lock, this part isn’t necessary and can be skipped.
Removing a door is easier than you might think. You’ll simply need to remove the pin from each hinge. Some hinge pins have a screw on the bottom and some don’t. After removing any screws in place at the bottom of the pin, simply line up a screwdriver with the bottom of the pin and tap the handle with a hammer. The narrow end of the screwdriver will push the pin out of the top of the hinge’s knuckles. If your screwdriver has a plastic handle, we recommend holding a folded cloth over the end to avoid damaging it with your hammer.
The entire door removal process is best done with two people. One person will need to hold the door in place while the other removes the hinges. Trying to do this alone is both dangerous and nearly impossible. With each hinge removal, the door will bear down more on the remaining hinge, tightening its grip on the pin. When the last hinge is free, it’s liable to fall and could cause serious injury. Please work in a team for door removal.
3. Replace What’s Broken
Last, but not least, it’s time to replace the broken part of your door. Replacing a lock or knob is easy to do without removing the door. Simply unscrew what’s broken and follow the instructions on the part you bought to replace it.
Replacing a broken hinge requires a bit of screwing and unscrewing. Lay your door down on the ground and begin unscrewing the half of broken hinge that’s still attached to it. Then, do the same for the half in the door frame. Ensuring your new hinge is positioned in the right direction, screw your new hinge into the side of the door.
With the new hinge completely assembled, begin reconnecting the previous hinges with their pins, ensuring the loose half of the new hinge is in place before affixing the others. When the other hinges have been reconnected, the loose half of your new hinge will hang in place by the door frame, making screwing it into the proper place easy as pie.
Replacing a broken door with a new one requires much the same steps as replacing a hinge. However, you’ll attach all three hinges to the new door before having your partner hold it in place. You can then screw the hinges into the door frame, using the old screw holes for guidance.
