Repairs: joinery, doors and kitchens

When hanging doors, there seems to be a temptation for less-skilled on-site labour to simply plane off the edges of a door that does not fit cleanly using a rather drastic approach – planing the door across the width of the edge.

Solution

The correct technique is to plane the door at a bevel, so that a neat edge is maintained at the door opening. The sketch explains this.

Likewise when fitting new linings it is important that the mouldings are fitted one to the other.

• It is pointless cutting moulded architraves or linings to go on a door surround within a mitre box to ensure a perfect 45-degree fit if the opening is not perfectly at right angles. In this instance the usual practice is to cut one section at exactly 45 degrees and scribe over the second timber piece held over its final position on the door lining to ensure a perfect fit at whatever slight mismatched angle might be required.