Door - reverse hanging 2

Door - reverse hanging 1

Marking and cutting the hinge recesses

Tap around the outline of the hinge with a chisel. Make sure the bevel of the chisel is facing towards the waste wood. Make a series of cuts across the wood at 5mm intervals - try to make the cuts the same depth as the thickness of the flap. Chisel along the line on the face of the door to remove the chips of waste wood. Check the hinges fit flush with the edge and fix with one screw per hinge, so that you can make adjustments easily.

Unscrew the spring latch and turn it upside down so the catch will work properly. Unscrew the keeper from the frame and swap it to the new opening side. Mark the position for the keeper by closing the door and turning the latch.

For more detailed door-hanging instructions, refer to hanging a door

Making good the frame

Cracked or over-size screw holes in the frame should be filled with pieces of timber dowel, coated with pva glue.

Fill in any gaps left on the frame or door with small blocks of wood cut to size and glued in place. Sand smooth when dry.
You can use the same technique to make a door open outwards rather than inwards but you must remove the stop beading all around the edge of the door. When the door has been refitted, hold the beading firmly against the new closing position and fix in place with panel pins.

• Door locks
• Door latch or mortice latch
• Door and window joint repairs
• Door hanging
• Chisels - choosing and using
• Planes and planing wood