How to Adjust Exterior Door Hinges

Exterior doors get regular use and are exposed to the outside elements. Over time, the frame around the door contracts and expands, sometimes causing problems with the door operation. Adjusting exterior door hinges resolves most issues of doors that bind due to frame distortion. Exterior doors use butt hinges which are two flat hinge leafs joined together by a pin. Adjusting the hinge is a matter of adjusting the screws securing the hinge to the door frame.

Phillips-head screwdriver
2-inch wood screws
3-inch wood screws

Instructions

- 1
  Open the door and ensure all of the hinge screws are tight with a Phillips-head screwdriver. Replace loose or missing hinge screws with 2-inch wood screws.
- 2
  Close the door slowly and observe where the door is out of alignment with the frame. If the door rubs the top of the door jamb, adjustment to the top hinge is necessary. If the door rubs near the bottom of the door jamb, adjustment to the lower hinge is necessary.
- 3
  Remove the center screw of the hinge that requires adjustment with the Phillips-head screwdriver. Insert a 3-inch wood screw into the center mounting hole of the hinge, and tighten it with the screwdriver. The 3-inch screw will bite into the jack plate of the door frame and draw the hinge tighter against the jamb.
- 4
  Open and close the door, tightening the 3-inch screw as necessary until the door no longer binds. Re-tighten the remaining two screws on the hinge you are adjusting.

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