What a pain!
Since the door frame wasn't square, I had to make some shims from thin plywood I had, and then taper the shims top-to-bottom with my Dremel. Finally got the door hung square in the frame, shimmed and screwed in the "Z-Bar" outer frame, and then had to install the latch/handle mechanism. WELL.....somebody misplaced the template that came with the handle, so I spent about 45 minutes measuring everything and making some sketches. Laid out my own teplate, drilled the holes, and mounted the handle. Then I had to do some "custom fitting" to get the striker plate lined up so the latch would engage it properly, and hold the door tight to the frame.
Finished it off with a new "heavy duty" closer cylinder, and adjusted it so the door closes fast, but then slows down about 1" before it closes so it doesn't slam.
Considering the 8 or so hours I spent a couple of weeks ago trying to get the $$##%%!! thing to fit the door frame, I have about 15 hours invested in getting this thing hung and operating properly.
And one of the main reasons I bought it was it got rave reviews on the Lowe's website, with people saying they had it installed in an hour and a half........
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What I've Been Up To....
Started this post on Monday, then came down with a head cold, which is now progressing South. Feeling better, but still a bit woozy...... To...
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I bet you didn't sacrifice any blood to the home improvement gods. They like it when ya bleed.
ReplyDeleteI did they day we brought the two new doors home.
ReplyDeleteAs my stepson and I were unloading them from his truck and moving them to the backyard, I got a couple of good scrapes on my right hand, and took a chunk out of my left index finger.
Maybe I should have spread the blood on the door frame or something!
One additional note: the reviews often lie. The shorter the claimed "time spent", the longer the actual installation time. It's just another corollary to Murphy's Law: everything takes longer than you planned.
ReplyDelete1 1/2 hours 'maybe' in a square frame that was an exact fit... :-)
ReplyDeleteOh, 'aint that the truth!
ReplyDeleteI had to use my aviation snips to trim the "Z-Bar" and "Hinge Bar" and the top piece that goes between them to get rid of some of the "interference fit" it would have otherwise had.
And the reason I put the 80-git sanding drum in my Dremel was that I wasn't getting anywhere using my 1/4-sheet pad sander. I wound up using it to smooth things out after I scarfed the shim strips I made to rough size.
Next weekend I get to (attempt!) replace the side door on the garage!