I messed up...

[Steveoz]

I decided to fit a nice new (old) front door to our house. It had a modern door on, and being a house that was built in the 920's I wanted a door to match.

I searched and found a suitable door that we loved the look of. I spent two weeks stripping and prepping the door, epoxying the cracks, replacing damaged wood work and extending the door.

So, after the painting and fitting of furniture was done I proceeded to fit the door tonight. And I messed up...

First off the door just wouldn't line up, it was nearly perfect on both edges, but the top and bottom were out, as if the door was dropping toward the closing edge. After much adjustment and hours of cursing, I actually resorted to a tape measure from the center of the door, and the reason the door looked like it was dropping is because the previous installation had clearly been done in a frame that was not true, and so the door is a whole 8mm shorter on the closing edge at the top and 8mm longer on the closing edge at the bottom, so either edge it is the correct measurement! This is what threw me off. It also appears the same is true of the bottom edge (the edge I extended). Now, I measured both edges and they were 203cm, and it was straight when I used a spirit level after extending the bottom of the door, but it must not have been on a level surface (my garage floor). So I had 203 either edge, that I thought was straight, but, alas it was not!!!

I was loosing the light and had to get the gap filled, so I had to chisel out the door step to get the door to close, a little gutted as I only replaced that recently, anyhow, that's not a major issue, and the door does close. The closing edge is perfect, fits a treat and has the same distance all the way, the level shows it to be perfect. But when shutting the door from the inside we now have an annoying wedge shape at the top where the door was obviously adjusted previously to fit a non-square frame, only just sitting inside the actual outer part of the frame by what must be 2 or 3mm.

I'm now wondering what exactly to do. What I should have done with the bottom is remove the door and plane the edge off so it fitted the existing step, but for some reason I was at that time convinced the step wasn't straight (even though it would appear it now was). So it's too late for the bottom of the door. It doesn't look uneven from the outside, but I am worried about water ingress or running to one side as the profile of the step is now slanted to the closing edge. Also I am not sure how to close the gap at the top. If I shim the bottom hinge it may lift it slightly, but at the detriment to the closing edge being perfectly even as it is now.

Basically I screwed up, I should have made sure the top was level and the surface I was using was level, and took additional measurements from the glass to the edges to make sure it was square, instead of relying on a few quick checks with the spirit level on one surface. As a result I have fitted a door that has a slanted top and bottom by approx 8mm into my square frame, and the result is an adjusted door step and a gap at the top closing edge :/ It does all work, and looks fine from the outside, but from the inside it looks shocking, the wedge gap at the top and the blatant slant at the bottom. I'm not sure on weather and water ingress either as it stands.

If anyone has any suggestions of how to rectify my cock up it would be appreciated. Right now though, I am not sure what to do, whether to take the door off, build the step back up and plane the bottom, or leave the bottom as it fits and carry on fitting a weather bar and sweeper. As for the top, I really don't know. I restored the door and the finish is perfect, adding a wedge to the top of the door, then trying to blend it in and repaint the top of the door will no doubt lead to an uneven finish. I could put a packer on the top of the door frame to close the gap but that is annoying, as the frame is perfectly straight :/

I'm a bit peeved now, as my stupidity has made life more difficult and an otherwise lovely looking restored door ended up being bodged into the frame

 

[Steveoz]

Ok, so I took the door off today, straightened the bottom edge then rebuilt the step, I then made a wedge for the top corner that was shaved down and tacked it on, then smoothed the join with epoxy resin, just waiting for the paint to dry now to see how it looks!

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

Your post is a bit long tbh, which will put some off, when there's plenty more succinct posts to read, some photos may help.

 

[Steveoz]

Sorry yes, walls of text are annoying.

I have the door fitted now, and it closes all of the way around apart from the closing bottom corner. I've ran some sheets of paper all around the bottom, top and side near the hinges and also the face of the door, and it travels around it ok.

The door won't latch with the tumbler unless it's given a little push from the inside or tugged from the outside either, I can sort this by adjusting it, but I have a feeling it's part of the same problem with it not fitting at the bottom.