Yet another hinge question

[Selkie]

This is about the Greenleaf doors that are not prehinged.

I've read several posts about hinges but I'm still completely unclear on the process if you want the door to actually open.

Many of you say "no" to the super glue and mini brass hinge b'cuz they fall off.

Many of you say "no" to using the brads/screws b'cuz the wood isn't thick enough.

Several mentioned ideas using envelope paper, fabric, leather etc. but I don't get how you apply those so it doesn't show. Are we to use 2 doors for each door so it's sandwiched in the middle?

So, then how would you decoratively use the cute little hinges they sell?

For example, I have the long black old fashioned ones that I want to put on my curved barn board-y look old well house door. What I'm hearing is that it needs to be hinged some other way but what it sounds like as well is that the hinges will fall off even if I've done that. Yet I see them on many of your gorgeous houses.

Please help me understand what I'm missing here.

[uppitycats]

I use the pretty little hinges as pure decoration -- glued on in the appropriate places to LOOK like they're "working hinges", but they aren't..

and any of the other methods to make the doors actually move. You can sandwich the material (leather, cardboard, etc.) between two thin doors, or put it on the side least visible, or pins inserted from the top and bottom work well, or...

Remember, these really aren't working doors in the sense that people will really be opening and closing them all the time! So if they're not REAL "sturdy", they'll probably work anyway!

[AuntDee]

While I have not used this hint yet I will be using it as I glue the closet door in place on the Garfield. Cut a piece of twill tape, (found at material shops), fold it in half length ways. glue one half length ways to the interior of the door and the other half to the interior of the room. this should make a strong "hinge" that lets the door open or close. If you wish you can then use real hinges on the outside for looks.

[mfranco]

I thought about opening and closing doors... but I sort of figured what would be the point? I'm going to be displaying my house as an art piece and I really doubt I'll be spending much time opening and closing the doors in it.

[Selkie]

Because this is a family project, unfortunately, the doors do need to open and close for the sake of realism for the grandkids.

As to the taping method, do you cover the tape with wood trim or something else to hide it?

As to creating a pin hinge, can you do that in the greenleaf doors since they are so thin?

Sorry to sound so dumb on this issue ... I just seem to be missing something in the translation.

I want it to look good and not shoddy or sloppy when it's done in spite of the fact that the kids are involved and some things are "unusual" b'cuz of that.

Thanks so much for your help.

[what2craftnow]

I added hinges to my Tudor Primrose and they open and close just fine. I did have to add basswood trim around the doorframe on the outside to give the nails more stable wood to be attached to. Since mine is a Tudor style, I added basswood strips to the front of the door where the hinges could be nailed in (otherwise they would have popped through the other side of door) So far it works great, but I don't open and close it much, so I don't see that it will become a problem. Here's a pic of the door if this helps..good luck! oops dbl. image there...sry

[Tess11]

I'm with you, Shirley. I have the worst time with doors. I've read a couple of the pin hinge tutorials and I still can't figure it out. I did use the twill method on the Laurel with moderate success, but I really want to learn to pin hinge.

Can anyone tell me why the doors never fit the openings in these houses???? On all the houses I've ever built I had to spend enormous amounts of time shaving the doors down to fit the openings (Both Dura-craft and Greenleaf). Then my doors end up crooked, or lopsided, or just not right. For my rehab of my childhood house I got smart and bought a houseworks door that came hinged in the frame and just glued the frame in. I'm beginning to think I'll do that with all my houses with the frustration doors cause me!

OK, done and climbing off my soapbox! Any advice is truly appreciated on the door point. Really.

[Selkie]

That's gorgeous. I love it. That's the look I'm going for except I want a rounded top for the old well house door. I think those are the same hinges I purchased.

[what2craftnow]

I did have to shave mine too. And I covered the door with stucco on either side, so it was even more interesting twist to getting it to fit - but after the door and I tussled awhile, I beat it into submission!! Don't know if I'll take on hinges again any time soon , but I do like the look of them.

[Wolfie]

To make the doors fit better, sand, sand, sand! I have used all the types of hinging available and my favorite is still the pin hinge. When I do use Tyvek for the door I glue it full length under the trim on the door, and then glue it to the wall as well and put the door framing over it. Works great! Tyvek is very strong and practically indestructible!

[what2craftnow]

Oh Gina, what a GREAT idea...never, ever would have thought of that! Will have to try and store in my "severely limited" memory bank for next time. Thanks for the wonderful tip. Tyvek...who knew? Certainly not me.. I love this forum!!

[Peggi]

Here is a link to how I pin hinged the interior door in the Coventry, pictures and all. Also, if you do a search, you should find Holly's tutorial in one of the blogs for her chamois hinges.

[Selkie]

I looked at the tutorial on hinging doors and the chamois one. The chamois sounds like it is thicker so how do you disguise it?

What I can't tell or figure out on the hinging is if you are doing it on the thin wood that comes with the Greenleaf kits or if you are using a thicker wood like the Houseworks doors are made with.

Also, when using the Tyvek, can you add the decorative hinges over it for looks and have them not fall off? If you are doing this, which glue do you use - Super glue as someone else mentioned?

I'm sure I sound like the stupidest builder on earth with all these questions. I've figured out many other things but I guess I have a mental block on this one.

I'm sorry.

[Corwin]

Green leaf doors are the same thicknes as house work, but they have no frame.

[Peggi]

Once you glue the chamois (weight it down real good) the thickness won't be a problem. You really do want to use a good glue and really wait until it is good and dry.

Use straight pins or even needles, for pin hinges and they will fit the kit doors and no damage. Also, if you sand the sides of the door so they are slightly rounded, they won't bind.

[Tess11]

Here is a link to how I pin hinged the interior door in the Coventry, pictures and all. Also, if you do a search, you should find Holly's tutorial in one of the blogs for her chamois hinges.

Thanks, Peggi for the link, but I must be dense because I just don't get it. I need pin hinging for dummies or something. I just don't get it. I don't understand how the pins get attached to the house. I read the tutorial about 10 times, but I get totally lost. Like, I don't get how you get the top pin inserted. I get that the bottom one goes through the floor, but on most of my houses the top of the door goes strait up a few inches until you get to the second floor, and there is no way to get a pin down through it. I'm sure I'm being really dense, but if I got that part figured out, I'd be one happy camper! Thanks for your help.

[Muriel]

Tiffany, you just stick the pin into the wall above the door by pushing it in from the door gap side. Then you can push the door up onto the pin at the top, before putting the bottom pin in through the floor.

Hope that helps, if not continue asking and somehow we'll help you get it!

Muriel

[glen]

I've used glued brass hinges before with pretty good success. There are three tricks to doing it that I've found.

one, get them working freely before you put them on.

two, rough up the surface to be glued

and three. THEY HAVE TO BE GLUED ON PERFECTLY PERFECTLY PERFECTLY PERFECTLY PERFECTLY STAIGHT. If they are even a tiny bit crooked when you operate the door you will be applying tons of pressure/square inch which pops them off. Dead straight and there is no force pulling them off. I'm not kidding about tons of force either!!!

Get them straight.

jmho

However even on thin wood I prefer the pin method. Its just a matter or carefully drilling the holes before you pin them. Again, STRAIGHT and deep. I use this hand drill from the model shop. Drill holes in the door too so it doesn't split.

Cheers

Glen

[Selkie]

Thank you all for your patience in helping me get my head wrapped around this area.

Muriel's sketch is a great help in putting a graphic diagram with the pictures from Peggi's tutorial. That helps them both make more sense to me. You two should write up a formal tutorial for all us door hinge dummies.

I'm thinking now whether I can actually get the decorative hinges on straigth enough (yikes!!) to hold. Maybe the pin hinge or Tyvek methods are the safest b'cuz I'll have little fingers in the Family Memorial Mansion. I do have the little hand drill so I hope I can drill into such tiny wood.

Wish me luck.

[Elsbeth]

I think I'd happily pay Timberbrook or some other compnay to make me a set of pre-sanded, pre-made ready to finish greenleaf doors for every house.

seriously.

I feel like I've shaved off most of the bottom of my Glencroft front door and it STILL doesn't fit right.

I'm probably going to try making my own planked door.

[Tess11]

Tiffany, you just stick the pin into the wall above the door by pushing it in from the door gap side. Then you can push the door up onto the pin at the top, before putting the bottom pin in through the floor.

Hope that helps, if not continue asking and somehow we'll help you get it!

Muriel

Ohhhhhh. Well, now I feel kinda silly. Of course that makes sense. I knew it was something I wasn't getting. Thank you so much!! I'm going to give it another try.

[havanaholly]

As a user of chamois strips and twill tape, if your kit's door isn't in two pieces (like almost all the exterior doors) you can take craft sticks & scrap wood to make you door look paneled and sandwich half your hinge at one edge between the door and the trim. I clamp the bejeezis out of it for at least a day, until it's totally dry. Then I sand/ shave/ whatever to get the door to move within the opening and sandwich the other half of the chamois strip or twill tape between the wall & the door frame piece and lay it on a flat surface and weigh it down with old textbooks, paint cans, etc for at least a day. Once it's all nicely dry you can glue/ nail your pretty ornamental hinges on the ouside.

I had the strange, odd notion of mounting the doors on the little brass hinges like a real door. Even with the hinge arrow-straight and counter sunk the super-glue (liquid or gel) didn't even hold it! (of course I tried my Por-Bond first!) and those pretty little brass brads have ever-so-slightly rounded heads so that no matter what you do if you try to hinge the door like a real door the brad heads cause the hinges to bind. I think gluing the little brass hinges on the outside edges of the door, rather than on the door's edge & door frame, makes it look more like a toy than the "invisible" chamois or twill tape methods; the ornamental exterior hinges are supposed to look that way, and work just fine. I guess I'm OCD, if it doesn't look "real" it bothers me...