Like all equipment being used and operated, exterior doors also wear out. Exposure to the weather as well as frequent opening and closing cause that, without regular maintenance, the door leaves begin to creak and clatter. Accurately adjusted doors and properly preserved door hinges allow you to enjoy your entrance door for many years. In our article you will find out how to properly adjust your front door.

When to adjust the front door?

Well installed entrance door will serve us without any problems for many years. If we have any objections to their operation, we must verify it at the very beginning, just after installation. If the doors resists opening or they creak, it is a clear sign they should be adjusted as soon as possible. The door should also fit tightly against the gasket installed in the frame, on each side. A spirit level will be helpful here, as it will indicate any undesirable deviations indicating the door leaf drooping, even slightly. 

Another symptoms that should worry us are all the leaks in the door leaf that cause wind whistling, increased noise coming from the outside, as well as odors not coming from our interior. In the case of really large gaps, even light from outside can get inside despite the closed door. This is really the last call to address the condition of your door.

Sheet of paper test

Before we proceed to adjust our front door, it is worth performing a sheet of paper test, which will allow us to verify the strength with which the door adheres to the door frame. Performing this test is extremely easy. Place a sheet of paper between the leaf and the frame, on the outside of the main door. If, after closing the door, we are able to move the sheet of paper or remove it without difficulty, this means that the force with which the door adheres to the frame is too low. Such seemingly small untightness may cause large heat losses, and also have a bad influence on the sound insulation. A badly adjusted door leaf also means a bigger likelihood of a visit of uninvited guests, who will easily enter our house.

How to adjust exterior door?

Assuming that the door has been installed properly, incorrectly adjusted hinges may be to blame for the above mentioned inconvenience. So, how to adjust the front door yourself? In many cases it is sufficient to lubricate the hinges and the washers between the bushing and the pin. If this does not help, then the hinges need to be adjusted. The repair process itself depends on the type of hinges. In any case, we will need an Allen key and a little bit of willingness, because the adjustment of hinges is a really simple task. Adjustment of the most popular type of hinges – pin hinges – involves tightening the screws of the upper or lower hinge. In the first case, the adjustment will cause the whole leaf to move to the left or right side in relation to the side on which the hinges are placed. When adjusting the lower hinge, we can lower or raise the upper edge of the door.

Concealed hinges are placed in special openings in the door leaf. They can be adjusted without opening the door. With an Allen key, we can adjust the screws responsible for the adherence to the frame, the height of the leaf, and also the diagonal adjustment. The third type of hinges are 3D concealed hinges. By tightening the screws on the hinges with an Allen key we can freely change the horizontal or vertical position of the leaf, as well as change the depth of the door installation.

It is worth considering what may be the cause of the doors untightness and creaking. If the root of the problem is the effect of weather conditions causing wood swelling, then a simple adjustment of hinges will not be sufficient.