shamrockgirl18 Posted January 9, 2017 Share Posted January 9, 2017 One of my many shames (at least dh related ones) is that I don't know how to hinge my doors on my houses. Especially when the doors don't seem to fit in the frame well (as is the case w/ some of my kits). Can any of you give me a tip on the easiest way to get a working door, that doesn't look too bad? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KathieB Posted January 9, 2017 Share Posted January 9, 2017 1 minute ago, shamrockgirl18 said: One of my many shames (at least dh related ones) is that I don't know how to hinge my doors on my houses. Especially when the doors don't seem to fit in the frame well (as is the case w/ some of my kits). Can any of you give me a tip on the easiest way to get a working door, that doesn't look too bad? Shame? Not knowing how to do something is not shameful, Erin. It only means you haven't had the opportunity to learn. Drop that mindset pdq. <end of lecture> The two most frequently used methods are flexible hinges (cloth, thin chamois, Tyvek, etc.) and pin hingeing. One of our members (Moreminis) has a page in her blog that gives great detail. Check it out here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sable Posted January 9, 2017 Share Posted January 9, 2017 If you can't insert pin hinges into the top and bottom of the door, I'd buy replacement doors. It just makes life easier and more satisfying. Hobby Lobby offers some nice choices but you may have to adjust the swing on their doors which is a little more complicated than the doors from Houseworks. The Houseworks doors have pin heads that you can grab and pull out. HL's door's pins are buried in the frame. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sable Posted January 9, 2017 Share Posted January 9, 2017 If you want to use the kit's door, I would make the opening wider and taller and create a frame to hold the door and pin hinge thru the frame. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dooder85 Posted January 9, 2017 Share Posted January 9, 2017 When i've used actual hinges on my doors, i first sanded the door to ensure it would swing open/closed, and then hinge on one of the doorframe pieces prior to gluing it to the wall, it avoids the awkward angles that can happen in the tiny hallways Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wormwoodz Posted January 9, 2017 Share Posted January 9, 2017 The tutorial Kathie linked is really nice and I think ilustrates well how to hinge doors. The door should fit inside the frame with a bit of freedom to move (and expand with higher temperatures during summer) and fit the height of you flooring without scratching it. To sand doors I prefer to use a straight metal file to keep the edges straight. I hinge the door to the frame before I attach it to the wall, after both have been painted and tested. I use a pin to make the holes (use a lead pencil to mark the spots where the nails should go on the hinge) then with a bit of glue I place the nails on the holes with tweezers and drive them in with the help of mini pliers. You can use an office clamp to apply some pressure while it dries. I test the first hinge before applying the second to make sure it's working. So far all the hinges I've placed have stayed in place and didn't have any problems using the doors. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elsbeth Posted January 9, 2017 Share Posted January 9, 2017 I can't ever figure this out either - but if I am going to do it, I always thought I'd do the cloth tape method (especially with greenleaf) where you sandwich the tape between the frame and door. I do love the pre-assembled Houseworks doors for this reason - no tricky hinging. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted January 9, 2017 Share Posted January 9, 2017 I built all new doors and windows for the Washington farmhouse and pinhinged the doors by first making a box that fit exactly within the door/ window opening and then making my doors/ windows to fit exactly within the box. I sanded the hinge side of the door to round it for easy movement and when I got it made and finished to my satisfaction I set it into its box, put the assembly into the bench vise and gently hammered steel dressmaker's pins into each end of the hinge side of the door, through the box. When I took it out of the vise I cut off the ends of the pins and glued the box into the door opening, then glued the framing trim to the wall around the door. For Brimble's I fell back to using my chamois hinges, cutting strips slightly less than 1/4" wide and cutting them into 1" lengths and gluing half the width of a couple of the strips evenly spaced to one edge of the wrong side of door half, then gluing the other half of the door over that. When it was all dry repeated the process with the other half of the strip, first gluing them to the wall and then gluing the trim around the door, over the strips. This is the way I hinged all the doors and windows in my pub: http://www.greenleafdollhouses.com/forum/?app=gallery&module=gallery&controller=browse&album=151 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shamrockgirl18 Posted January 9, 2017 Author Share Posted January 9, 2017 I'm thinking I'm going to try the flexible/cloth hinges first. My kits are now houses, and I used to be content w/ keeping the doors 'closed all the time, but I've decided I should learn how to make a working door. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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