That old farmhouse door in Vermont made me rethink my hinge setup

I was hanging a solid oak door for a client near Burlington last Tuesday and those old 4-inch hinges just didn't have the strength for the weight. After the third try with different screws, I called a buddy who does restoration work and he told me to swap to 5-inch ball bearing hinges with longer screws into the frame studs. It took maybe 20 extra minutes but the door swings perfect now. Has anyone else run into hinge issues on heavy doors like that?

2 comments

2 Comments

noah91410d agoMost Upvoted

Yeah ball bearings are the move for heavy doors, I've had the same problem with solid oak and the 4-inchers just strip out over time. Make sure you're hitting the studs with those 3 inch screws or it's pointless.

jenny_sullivan978d ago

Wait, you're saying solid oak doors actually strip out 4 inch screws over time? That's wild, I always thought longer screws were basically bulletproof for heavy stuff. How long does it take before they start to fail on you?