How do I replace a door hinge without taking the door off?
Swapping one hinge at a time so the door stays hung and aligned, and how to match a replacement to an existing recess.
- Difficulty
- beginner
- Time
- 45 min
- Read
- 3 min
Short answer
Wedge the door open and solid, then remove and replace one hinge at a time. The remaining hinges hold the alignment, so the door goes back exactly where it was.
Taking a door off to change a hinge means re-hanging it afterwards, which is the hard part of the job. Change them one at a time and you skip that entirely.
What you'll need
- Replacement hinges of the same size
- Wedges or a helper
- A screwdriver
- A sharp chisel, if the recess needs altering
Step by step
- Measure the existing hinge before buying.Length, width when open, knuckle diameter and the screw hole pattern. 76mm and 102mm are the common UK internal sizes; a 3mm difference means recutting the recess.
- Note the hinge type.Butt hinges, ball-bearing butt hinges and rising butts all look similar in a photograph. Rising butts have a sloped knuckle and only work in one handing.
- Open the door and wedge it.Wedges under the leading edge, tight enough that the door cannot drop when a hinge is off. Take the weight off the hinge you are removing.
- Remove the door leaf screws first.Then the frame leaf. If a screw will not shift, a screwdriver bit in a brace or a gentle tap on the driver to break the paint seal usually frees it.
- Clean out the recess.Old paint in the recess holds the new leaf proud. Pare it back to bare timber so the new hinge beds properly.
- Offer the new hinge up dry.It should sit flush. Proud means the recess needs deepening; sunken means it needs a card packer.
- Screw the frame leaf first.One screw only, then check the door still closes, then the rest. It is far easier to correct a hinge with one screw in it.
- Use new screws.Old screws have taken a set in the old holes. New ones of the same gauge bite fresh timber and are worth the twenty pence.
- Repeat for the next hinge.Only once the first is fully fixed and the door still swings correctly.
Tips
- Buy hinges in the same finish as the door's existing ironmongery, and buy one spare — ranges disappear.
- Ball-bearing hinges are worth the small extra on a heavy or well-used door. They do not develop the squeak or the wear that plain butt hinges do.
- If the new hinge screw holes fall in the same place as the old ones, plug the holes first rather than hoping.
Common mistakes
- Buying a hinge by eye rather than by measurement — A hinge 3mm shorter than the recess leaves a visible gap that has to be filled, and one 3mm longer means chiselling both the door and the frame to match.
- Fitting rising butts the wrong way round — Rising butts are handed. Fitted to the wrong side they lift the door off its own hinges as it opens, which is obvious immediately but means starting again.
If it doesn't work
New hinge sits proud and the door will not close
Cause: Thicker leaf or paint in the recess — Fix: Pare the recess deeper by the thickness of the difference.
Door drops as you fit the last hinge
Cause: Wedges not tight, alignment lost — Fix: Support the door at the correct height and refit, one screw at a time.
Screw holes fall exactly on the old ones
Cause: Same hole pattern — Fix: Plug the old holes with glued dowel, let it cure, then drill fresh pilots.
New hinge squeaks
Cause: Dry knuckle — Fix: A drop of light machine oil in the knuckle, worked in by swinging the door.
Questions people ask
How many hinges does an internal door need?
Two for a standard hollow-core internal door. Three for a solid, heavy, glazed or fire door, with the third midway between the other two.
Do I need fire-rated hinges?
On a fire door, yes — they must be CE-marked and suitable for fire doors, usually three of them. Ordinary hinges invalidate the door's rating.