How to Change a Door From Left Swinging to Right Swinging

Changing the direction in which a door swings is helpful for people who are left-handed or have special needs and cannot conveniently open a left-swinging door. Some interior doors, such as a basic bedroom door, are easily changed simply by switching the direction the hinges face on the door and turning the door around. There is a procedure needed in switching exterior doors and complex interior doors that requires some cutting and measuring to complete the task.

Screwdriver
Cordless drill with screwdriver bit
Door vise
Tape measure
Square
Pencil
Chisel
Hammer
Sandpaper
Wood putty

Instructions

- 1
  Remove the screws from the doorknob using a screwdriver and remove the knob out of the door.
- 2
  Remove the screws in the door hinges from the door jamb and door frame using a screwdriver or cordless drill.
- 3
  Place the door in a door vise on your workplace floor with the hinged jamb up.
- 4
  Set a square on the jamb level with the edges of the existing hinge. Trace the square to mark the top and bottom of the hinge onto the other side of the jamb. Repeat this for the bottom hinge.
- 5
  Use a tape measure to measure the width of the hinge and mark this width for the new hinges on the opposite side of the jamb.
- 6
  Cut out the new hinge area with a chisel and hammer, cutting small 1/4-inch sections at a time until the entire hinge area is clear.
- 7
  Sand the recessed area to remove splinters and roughness.
- 8
  Fill in the previous hinge recess on the door and in the door frame with wood putty. Allow to dry for 24 hours and sand the wood putty for smoothness.
- 9
  Use a tape measure to determine the position for the hinges on the door frame. Measure the top of the upper hinge from the top of the door frame and the bottom of the lower hinge from the floor.
- 10
  Mark the door frame on the opposite side according to your measurements.
- 11
  Attach the hinges to the door frame using a cordless drill and the previously used screws at the new marks.
- 12
  Attach the door to the hinges with the previously used screws and a cordless drill.
- 13
  Insert the doorknob into the hole with the lock facing into the room.

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Doors