Richard Holland, Category Manager for Doors and Joinery at Jewson, shares the common pitfalls to avoid when it comes to door hanging and maintenance, to keep your customers happy
There is a lot to think about when it comes to hanging doors. A door that works well goes almost unnoticed by a homeowner; if they’re using it without having to think twice, you can be assured you did a great job.
But a door that isn’t hung properly, doesn’t fit the frame, isn’t treated with the right solution or is simply the wrong type for the space will quickly annoy a customer. This could result in bad reviews, complaints and you needing to revisit them when you’ve other jobs to get to.
Despite these potential pitfalls, door hanging doesn’t need to be complex. As a builder, you’ll need to work with internal doors for various reasons, whether as part of an extension or whole-house upgrade. If you invest time into perfecting your prep work, the doors you hang will work well for years, and you’ll have delivered a level of service your customers can’t help but recommend.
1: Square peg, round hole
If you’re replacing internal doors for a customer, chances are you’ll keep the existing door frames, unless they’re damaged. That’s because door frames offer structural support to the walls, so removing them can be a labour heavy job.
But matching up brand new doors to old frames isn’t as easy as slotting them into place. Depending on the age of the house, the door frames may have changed shape, potentially tilting to one side or the other due to movement around the property. On the other hand, the new door will have perfectly-crafted 90 degree angles.
Some customers may start to panic when you start sanding the bottom or side panel of their brand new doors, so advise them on the reasons why it’s not safe or efficient to change the frames, and that sanding the door is more likely to achieve a perfect result.
2: Don’t forget the bottom
Traditionally, doors were purchased in a bare wood finish, or they’d been quickly painted with a basic primer. In such cases, you would need to treat and stain it, but anyone who’s ever done that job knows it’s laborious and boring – especially if you’re fitting a whole house worth of new doors. Today, you can offer customers pre-finished doors in colours such as grey or black, or in oaks that have been oil treated or stained.
If you’re sanding the side or bottom panel of a door to fit a frame, though, the pre-finish treatment will be removed. Treatments are designed to help doors last longer. Any wood that isn’t treated will act like a sponge, sucking up any moisture which then causes the wood to crack, bow or swell in the frame. So even though these areas are easy to forget because they’re often not seen by the customer, it’s vital you top up the treatment before it’s installed.
3: Think differently 
Traditional swing doors are what most customers are used to, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they’re the most effective product for every job. Sliding doors, however, are not only a design statement, but they’re brilliant for saving space in particularly smaller homes.
There are two different styles of sliding door; one is a rail-mounted option, where you install a rail, cog and wheels to help the doors move forwards and backwards. Today, some of these sliding door gear systems are designed to be seen, with industrial-style finishes that match modern aesthetics. The other type is a pocket door, which slides in the same way as a rail mounted option, but it’s hidden within a wall recess. If a customer has asked for a renovation which involves stud walls being erected, pocket doors are easy to fit and can be hidden out of sight when not in use.
Any of the internal door options we have available at Jewson can be used as sliding doors instead of swing doors and we have the relevant metalwork available to make the job simple.
4: Work efficiently – and show you care
In recent years, tools have been developed to make the lining up of door hinges and latches even easier – and if you make them part of your process for hanging doors, you’ll save valuable time on site.
Jigs have long-been used for cutting worktops to precise measurements, because they give the very best finish. These have now been adapted to help door fitters know exactly where to install a hinge, which is helpful if you’re fitting a new door to an old frame that has lost its perfect square shape and the holes for the hinges need moving. In some cases, you might want to fit three hinges to door frames rather than two – especially if a door is made of a higher quality wood and is heavier than usual. With this type of jig, it takes no extra time meaning you’re brilliantly efficient on site.
Combining a jig with an ultra-sharp router will achieve the best possible outcome, rather than hacking away with a chisel.
Once you’ve completed a door hanging project, part ways with your customer in the most positive way by sharing some pieces of advice for the future. For example, door latches and handles have a shelf life and will start showing signs they’re wearing down, like the handle becoming stiff. Often, hinges need a bit of extra care and attention – so tell customers to oil them on a semi-regular basis to keep squeaking at bay. And if they ever feel like quickly updating their space, changing the style of door handles is a quick and easy way of transforming doors without breaking the bank.
Show you care about how doors will impact your customer in the long run, and they’ll be more likely to seek you out in future with their next project.
Explore Jewson’s door range here.
