Is the Metal door or jamb swelled?

Any way to repair a sticking/swelled condition on a metal door and metal jamb? Thanks for your help.

SAL

Reply to
Sal Malva
Loading thread data ...

Are we talking about hollow metal door and jamb, usually found on commercial sites?

What makes you think it is swelled? If water and rust has really swelled the door, you will need to replace it. If the jamb - you will need to replace it.

If you simply mean the door rubs, the problem is most likely with the hinges. If the door has a closer, someone has probably put a block of some type to hold the door open up at the top hinge. This will result in bending the hinge and/or bending the hinge plates buried in the jamb and door. A heavy door will often cause the top hinge to sag slightly. If the gap at the head of the door is larger on the strike side than the hinge side, this is most likely the culprit.

Choices: Use an adjustable wrench ( 10 or 12" crescent). Tighten on the top hinge barrels. Make sure you are on one of the barrels attached to the jamb, not the door. Bend the hinge barrel away from the strike slightly. Repeat on the other jamb barrel of the top hinge. You may need to do this on the center hinge also. You may need to repeat. You should see a noticeable improvement immediately, only continue to complete the task.

Cut some dense cardboard shims 1/4"wide by height of hinge (normal commercial are 41/2"). Add shims under the jamb side of the hinge on the door stop edge. The net effect is just as above, moving the center of the hinge barrel away from the strike. Add multiple shims, shim all hinges, if required.

These are the normal ways to fine tune steel door installations. They do not lend themselves to a little planing or belt sanding. If the hinge plates in the door and jamb have been bent out, judicious work with a wood block and sledge hammer might set the plates back into position. I did have one exterior door that was quite a tight fit on the west side of a building that worked well for several years. Customer painted the door a dark brown. When it got hot in the sun, it grew enough to stick so hard it would not open or close. I did my tweaking in the mornings and left with the door operating well, but the door would stick by afternoon. Fought it for quite a while, not knowing what the problem could be. Finally sanded the door and repainted it white. Same door , no problem.

Reply to
Dan G

HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.