Changing door swing direction from out to in
Our bathroom door swings out into the hallway. The hallway is narrow and there is a pantry directly across from the bathroom and it also swings out into the hallway. We also like to keep the bathroom door open after we shower. I can't tell you how many times someone has been in the pantry with the door open while someone else exits the bathroom causing a collision. I also have a habit of bashing my clumsy toes into the opened bathroom door when walking through the narrow hallway.
I'd like to reverse the direction of the bathroom door so it opens into the bathroom. There is plenty of room inside the bathroom so that isn't a concern. I'd like to have it open against the linen closet so the handle would be on the left side and it would open towards you in the picture below.
The current door is pretty beat up so I was just going to buy a new slab door. I have replaced and hung a few doors already, so I'm pretty confident in that department. I just haven't ever done any work on the frame aside from screwing hinges right back into the holes that were there from the previous door. I'm OK with cutting the new door down to size (which I'll need to do here too), drilling the hole for the handle, chiseling out the spaces for the hinges, installing hardware, and hanging the door.
How I'm expecting this process to go:
- Remove the old door and donate it to the local frat house for use as a beer pong table.
- Gently pry off the door stop pieces around the top and sides of the jamb because they are facing the wrong way if I'm going to flip directions (flat on one side, rounded on the other).
- Sand the frame down to smooth out where the stop pieces were because there are at least 4 coats of paint over them
- Reinstall new stop pieces.
- Chisel out new spots for the hinges and latch.
- Hang the new door.
- Fill the old hinge and latch holes.
- Paint.
I'm well known in my house for starting a "simple" project only to create 10 more expensive projects in the process. Before I dive in, I thought I'd ask for advice BEFORE I mess something up this time. The only specific question that I currently have is what's the best way to patch up the old hinge slots and latch hole in the frame when I'm done?
Am I missing anything? Is this as easy as I've made it sound?
Comments (9)
cat_ky
9 months agoSusie .
9 months agoRelated Discussions
can you change door swing?
Comments (4)The hinge 'mortise' on the door must be flipped to the other face and then repaired. The jamb must have a new 'mortise' cut also, and a repair of the old. If it is stained it is a bigger issue than painted. It also takes a good finish carpenter some time to get everything cut and then fill on the old areas (thin wood and Minwax High performance wood filler can make a repair that is not visible under paint)....See MoreDoor from house to garage--can it swing out?
Comments (3)There is usually nothing wrong with the door opening out. Just remember, if someone can get into you garage, they can remove the hinge pins from an outward opening door because they are exposed to the outside. I have a couple of doors that open to the outside of the house and I had to put lock pins in the hinge pins to keep them from being removed. If I want the door off, I have to remove the whole hinge....See MoreChanging the swing direction of a door?
Comments (3)You don't need to replace the door at all, like handymac says - if the door is plain, ie not panelled, you could just flip it end-for-end then it's oriented the right way. Any competent handyperson can rehang a door, I've lost count of how many I've done....you need a helper to hold it, basically hold it in place and mark on the frame where the hinges go. Don't forget to allow clearance top and bottom, I've also found a chisel or screwdriver with a block of wood under, is a handy fulcrum to lift the door (using your foot) to where it needs to be. Just some wood filler on the old hinge spots etc and you're done. You need a hammer, mallet and chisel, that's about it...oh plus a drill and appropriate hardware to redo the door lock if you need to. If the door's panelled, you need to spin the door 180 degrees, so you'll need to swap the hinge to the other side of the door, and reverse the lock....See MorePocket door? Door swing directions??
Comments (6)Been waiting to read more responses to see if i can get this, but not gettin' it. We remodeled our two baths into one larger w/ a half bath and i changed the swing of the door to open out into the hallway. We have a small hallway comparitavely (36"), leaving about 32" in the area of the open door counting it's thickness and leverset. The door opens up flat against the hallway wall. We enjoy the freed up space in the bath because we only use the hallway as just that, a hallway. The door is almost always open w/ just my wife and i but when guests use the bathroom, they simply shut the door. I might see this being a hassle w/ a large family that has eight children w/ constant heavy traffic in the hall, but overall, im not seeing this as being too big a deal. Just a thought!...See Morekudzu9
9 months agoci_lantro
9 months agolast modified: 9 months ago
Izzy Mn
9 months agolast modified: 9 months agoJonathan Gunnell
9 months ago
PROPPF.
9 months ago
Olychick
9 months ago
Olychick