How to hang external solid doors?

[Miczam]

hi there i purchased from bunnings special orders 2 x external solid doors 1200mm wide x 2040 high (35mm depth) i need to know what hinges to buy and what type of screws or bolts i should use. Concern customer

[JacobZ]

Hi @Miczam,

Thank you for your question and welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community, it is fantastic to have you with us.

For heavy doors, I always recommend using heavy-duty ball bearing hinges such as these Heavy Duty Hinge Austyle 100x75.2.5mm. You should be fine using 3 hinges per door, but if you are particularly concerned, carpenters will often install a 4th hinge, with 2 at the top, 1 in the middle and 1 at the bottom. See the below render as an example.

For screws, I'd suggest using 50mm screws that match the finish of your hinges, for example, these Zenith 10G x 50mm Zinc Plated Hinge-Long Thread Countersunk Head Timber Screws would be fine.

You might like to check out How To Hang a Door for some guidance.

If you weren't confident installing the door yourself, you might like to check out our Door Installation service as an option that can be organised through your local store's Special Orders desk.

Let me know if you have any further questions.

Jacob

[Miczam]

Thank you for your feedback. I am still concern that the proposal put forward by you may not hold door and the door will rip off the hinges due to its weight, mainly because the doors are 1200mm wide. The weight is around 45-50kgs according to the weight machine. Do you thing the option provided in your response would work? Or do you think ta different style hinge, like a T hinge that goes along the front of door would provide better support.

Please advise

[Noyade]

Hi @Miczam 

Just a member who votes for @JacobZ's recommendations above.

And a definite no to the T-hinges.

Cheers!

[JacobZ]

Hi @Miczam,

I understand your concerns, however, you can see in the description for the hinges I've linked to that they can hang 60kg doors with only 3 hinges. Using 4 hinges, you can reasonably assume that they are capable of hanging a door that you indicate is roughly 45-50kg.
 
I can say from personal experience, having worked as a commercial carpenter that this is the standard method for installing heavy doors. See the below example of a door I hung for the armoury room of a police station. This door was 50mm thick with bulletproof glass. I couldn't tell you the exact weight, but trust me, it was heavy.



If you still have concerns, I would be happy to contact the manufacturer of the door to confirm their advised method of installation.

Can you advise the manufacturer and the specific doors that you have?

Let me know what you think.

Jacob

[Miczam]

Ok thank you Jacob. This is one option. Our preference is to go with the Tee Hinge see attached. I bought 3 for each side. they are 350mm long. On bunnings Website they dont  provide the  weight capacity. Can you assist and confirm the following:

Our doors are STPC Duracote 2040 x 1200 x 35mm External solid doors

1. weight capacity

2. Do i use screws or do i use bolts and nuts to go through the wood?

[JacobZ]

Hi @Miczam,

I have spoken to Hume Doors, the producer of the door you have purchased, who have advised that your doors can be hung with three standard butt hinges and if you were still concerned about the weight, a fourth in the orientation I have described earlier would be the way to go. Using heavy-duty ball bearing hinges is not a requirement but it is certainly worthwhile as they're designed to support heavier doors.

Tee hinges are not designed for use with doors, and I would strongly recommend you don't use them. 

If you are still not comfortable, I would strongly suggest contacting a door installer for their assistance. That way if their chosen method of installation fails, they will be responsible for the repair.

Let me know if you have any further questions.

Jacob

[Nailbag]

Hi @Miczam 

As someone who regularly installs solid feature doors, I can support 100% @JacobZ recommendations for both the number of hinges or if in doubt getting the door professionally installed. Any shortcuts in the type, number and quality of hinges will come back to bite you on what already I would imagine is an expensive door.

Should you decide to install it yourself I can highly recommend investing in a pair of Winbags to support the weight during the fitment process. Or hand lifting jacks which is what I use regularly which unfortunately Bunnings is yet to stock. Both products have many other usages past this project that make them handy to have.

 Nailbag