Need An Experts Opinion

chameleon

I am a Painting Contractor by Trade, but I have been faced with a situation on a project that continues to be happening.

The question is to Professional Door Installers (Interior Pre-hung Doors):

When installing an interior pre hung door.....

1. The door stop should touch the door all the way around when closed ?
2. The door stop should touch the door only in sections when closed ?
3. The door stop should have an even space of a nickels width all the way around when closed ?

Issue I am experiencing is that the doors or door stops are not gapped evenly . So where the doors touch the door stop, the paint peels off . Not one door in this house has any even door stop. Each door touches the door stop somewhere on each door. Need help please....Thanks Pros !

orson

The door stop should touch the door on the latch side only before paint. Across the top it should go from touching on the latch side to 1/16 or slightly larger gap on the hinge side. This allows for the door not to pinch after paint is applied. I like to go even a tad heavier than 1/16th so that the door still won't pinch after the first or second repaint.

The door is supposed to touch the stop. That's why it's called a stop, it stops the door.

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al10fred1081

I agree door stop should touch on the latch side. had a super that insisted that the gap be an even 1/16th all the way around and then we got a call back on the job because every time someone opened a door another one would smack the stop.... damn new houses and their energy efficiency...

Alex

Railman

Orson has it right.
We used to do quarters, or nickles on paint, & a dime on stain packages. You normally shouldn't have to adjust the stop at the strike area...everywhere else was fair game. When lock is installed, the door shouldn't rattle.
Joe

JWHI

thats a good idea, using a nickle. I used to just use the hook on my tape. coin makes much more sence

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TrimmanVa

The door should hit the stop on the latch side and top all the way... the hingeside needs room for paint, a nickle sounds good, if it touches on the hingeside you will also run into a hinge bound door, which means it will bounce back open, this will happen before paint even.

chameleon

Everyone who has responded have been real helpful....unfortunately, they are not exactly what I wanted to hear. The situation I am having continues because the door touches the door stop. I was always told a nickels width all the way around the door by a "Picky A$$ Carpenter" whom I respected very much for his integrity. I do however understand that the door should not rattle when in the closed position. Thanks everyone.....keep the opinions coming.....I am hopeful someone may come to my rescue.

MALCO.New.York

I have, on occasion put self adhesive felt pads in the top corner and bottom of the strike jam. The type one would use on the bottom of a vase or the like. Also make the door close a bit more quietly.

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cleveman

Chameleon,

Of course the door stops will be all over the place. The doors will be all over the place as well. Look at the face of the door when you finish it. There will be low spots and high spots. If you try to sand some marks off the door, for gawd's sake, keep the sander moving and use at least 220 grit paper. There is no possibility of getting a warped door to meet a straight stop.

You might try taking the stop off and re-setting it to the closed door. Let us know how you do when you try to remove the pressboard and paper-thin veneered stop from the door. I used to just grab the wood stop and pull it off with my hand. If it stuck, I started it with my pry bar. I tried this with the pressboard stops and it didn't work out so well. They just snap wherever you pull them.

Moral of the story-spend the money for a solid-core door with plywood or solid wood jambs and of course a wood stop. These doors will be straight and you can depend on them to stop properly on the stops or it is YOUR mistake and not a problem with the door.

Railman

Chameleon,
It sounds like the paint just isn't drying! Why are the doors being latched before they are dry? Eventually the door has to rest against the stop at the latch. Maybe there just isn't enough heat in the house?
Joe

chameleon

Railman,

These doors had been painted in January 07. I used a high end acrylic gloss enamel. I thought for a while that it was possibly the colorants in the paint...it's a real deep brownish-brick color....it actually reminds me of a Hershy Bar. I have done everything to these doors....except for the felt tabs !!!! Good Idea...I forget who posted that....but that was good. I am losing my mind over this. Thanks everyone for the suggestions and how-to's .

C.C.R.

Chameleon, it sounds like you're talking about the edge of the door rubbing on the latch side of the jam. If so, it's the carpenters problem not yours (if this is new construction) just do your paint and tell the builder to talk to the carpenter about adjusting the doors.

If you're working for the H.O., and I'm on the same page with the edge of the door being the problem, then either tell him to hire a carpenter to adjust the doors or you can with some solid cardboard behind the hinges. If I'm not understanding your problem, then hey, it's 9:30 on Sat. night and I'm sitting in front of the computer with Mr. Weiser (his friends call him BUD)

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chameleon

C.C.R.,

Thanks for the "Uplift"....Honestly ! These carpenters out here in Vegas....yuk ! They install the casing on the frame before the set the doors for speed I guess, then they do the adjusments. But the real problem is that the door touches the door stop in some spots of the doors....not consistant on any door at all. The doors peel only where the door stop touches....and the one problem I have had is that the paint doesn't touch up easily. Meaning, it is a spray finish....like glass almost. Now what happens when I touch up with a roller ???? Right, stipple on the glass finish. One year of this crap ! I have asked over and over for the carpenters to come out and adjust the doors so they dont touch the stop....but I think they have been paid in full...which tells them they are done ! New Construction is tough, but I guess it's work.

troubleseeker

What kind of rescue are you hoping for. The guys have told you the facts, the stop should hit the door everywhere except at the hinge side. As for the high $$ carpenter who keep the nickel gap everywhere, ask him how he keeps the door from rattling. It is a pretty hard sell to convince a customer that when the central ac/heat unit kicks on, they should be glad to hear any closed door being sucked to the stops by the return air. Nothing like a series of nice clunking noises all hours of the day and night to spell quality door installation. And I am glad I don't have painters who need a 1/16" plus (nickel) clearance for paint thickness.

jproffer

If the stops are even all the way around, and the door is straight, that's impossible.

You can't have the top touching all the way down, and then have an adjecent side 1/16 off.

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Railman

jproffer,
Re read the second post to this thread by orson:

orson said:
"The door stop should touch the door on the latch side only before paint. Across the top it should go from touching on the latch side to 1/16 or slightly larger gap on the hinge side. This allows for the door not to pinch after paint is applied. I like to go even a tad heavier than 1/16th so that the door still won't pinch after the first or second repaint.

The door is supposed to touch the stop. That's why it's called a stop, it stops the door."

That's how you do it!
Joe

jproffer

I read it...and I know how it's supposed to be. I quoted post (I think it's 6) by TrimmanVa, and was wondering how that was possible (it's not). You can't have it touching all around EXCEPT on the hinge side, unless you hold out the hinge side stop, which would make it uneven with the rest. But thank you just the same

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Jim P.

C.C.R.

So if the latch side of the door is touching on only, lets say the top corner, That means the door wasn't installed plumb. Either the top corner needs to go in or the bottom corner needs to come out. But I realy don't see why this making you paint peel. Are the doors getting closed before the paint is fully cured? My painter takes all the new doors off the hinges brings them in an empty room and sprays the crap out of them then reinstalls. Or maybe, could there be a problem with the prepwork? needs to be sanded, some kind of oil or grease from hands on it. I'm just throwing out ideas here. you're obviously a "stand up guy" you been working on these thing for quite awhile.

good luck

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Railman

jprofer,
No one said it touches all the way around!

The top stop matches the latch side, & the hinge side. It runs out from touching to being away 1/16" .The hinge side stop is held away from the door. The hinge side, & top side should never touch the door....only the latch side.

Any better?
Joe

neolitic

Joe I agree with you on how it should be
done, but Trimman did say....something
that's impossible.

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