Hinges for wood storm door
copyofa
| Posted in General Questions on
We have a wooden storm door that we bought used. It is about 1.125″ wide and has cutouts for two 3.5″ tall hinges. So, my thinking is that we need hinges that are 3.5″ H x 2.5″ W. However, I cannot find hinges of this size anywhere. Can we use 3.5″ H x 3.5″ W hinges to mount this door? If not, where can I find the right sized hinges?
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Replies
Wooden STORM door????
Wooden screen doors are very common if you have a wooden storm door I would like to see a photo.
Generally when installing a used door you will need to use a chisel and cut new mortise in the door and or the door frame.
Often screen door are very light weight and use smaller hinges some time the hinges will be spring loaded so the door will slam closed.
If you have a screen door that is 1 1/8 inches thick something like this is would be normal.
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Wright-Products-2-3-4-in-Black-Self-Closing-Hinge-Set-1-Pair-V221BL/204072184
Walta
Walter, I have been spec'ing and installing wooden combination storm/screen doors for decades. They may not be common where you are but they are common on coastal projects where I've mostly worked. Here's one source: https://www.brosco.com/uploads/Literature/BroscoBOD/2018BOD.html#page=432.
They sometimes have the face-mounted hinges that you show, but more often they have butt hinges (or sometimes spring-loaded butt hinges) mounted in mortises, just like any door. They are often mounted to 5/4 exterior casing, with the door jamb acting as the stop for the storm/screen.
3" h x 2.5"w butt hinges are made for these types of doors. I'm not sure why the OP's mortises are larger; maybe they used 3.5" x 3.5" hinges and let the knuckles stick out. Here's one source; Google shows many more.
Something like this with glass: https://www.rejuvenation.com/catalog/collections/full-lite-fir-storm-door/products/55d62607bbddbd46620011c2
If the hinge pin is too far out from the edge of the door, the door will bind when you open/close it because the arc of motion will be offset.
I’d try a specialty hardware supplier. In my area, we have Russell Hardware in Birmingham Michigan (they probably do online sales too). You’ll probably have a similar hardware supplier in your area. Another option may be to cut the hinge plate on a more common hinge, but I doubt the screw holes will be in the correct places if you do that.
Bill
Copyofa, hinges usually don't extend the full thickness of the door. Hinges have different screw patterns so you will likely need to fill the existing holes and drill new ones. You can whittle a scrap of softwood to fit the hole, and add a dab of glue so it stays in place.
The 3.5" W hinges have the right pattern for the screw holes in the door cutouts already. The problem is the hinge mechanism sticks out about 1/2" from the edge of the door. Do you think this will be a problem? If so, how do you recommend that we deal with this? Should we fill everything in and then use 3" x 2.5" hinges? Do you think we should use 2 or 3 of these hinges? Thanks for your advice on this.
The hinge knuckle always sticks out a bit. The pivot point needs to at least clear the adjacent trim, and there is usually a bit of extra clearance in case of obstructions. As Bill mentioned, sometimes this extra space--called the throw--can lead to tight clearances on the latch side. But usually you can either provide a larger gap or bevel the edge of the door on the latch side. There are even extra wide-throw hinges available for special situations. What will work may not be what appeals to you aesthetically. Without seeing photos of your condition it's hard to advise you more specifically.