Shiming Out A Garage Door Plumb

Remove appropriate hinge from door and jamb.

Shiming out a garage door plumb.

Place the door into the opening and open the door. Without this support the weight of the door will pull the top of the frame away from the rough opening. A crooked garage door could potentially be the sign of a much larger problem. Place a few shims under the end of the door so there s no stress on the door frame.

The door is simple enough. Start by shimming the hinge side of the rough opening. Then use a long level or a long straight board along with a short level to plumb the shims. With the rough jamb plumb it s easy to get a head start on an easy install.

Put it back against the door. First make marks to indicate the centers of the hinges. This short video shows a great way to shim an out of level subfloor prior to installing a new front door with sidelight. Make sure all the screws are tight tighten the hinge screws in the door and the jamb.

Close door and check the spacing at the top and latch side of the door. With a drill you re more likely to over tighten the screw and strip the screw holes or chew up the screwheads. Trace the edges of the walls on either side of the door along the back of the board with a pencil. The hinge side of the door has to be plumb or the door will swing open or closed on its own.

Newer doors are equipped with adjustable thresholds which make it easy to adjust the bottom of the door. If your door rubs near the top or drags on the floor use a screwdriver not a drill to tighten the screws. Doors that were not installed plumb and level if not too far out of alignment can be adjusted by shimming the hinges. Step 1 remove door and trim if you re adjusting an existing door frame in your house first you will have to remove the door itself and all of the trim surrounding the frame.

Steps to repair a skewed door. Using built up layers allows shimmin. Determine which hinge must be shimmed to adjust door and create even spacing. Just pull the hinge pins out of place tapping them from beneath with a screwdriver and mallet if necessary.

Hold door hinge against cardboard and use utility knife to cut around hinge. Once a door is adjusted it should stay that way permanently as long as there is no settling or trauma to the door.