need hinge advice for hanging a solid core door

[rfuerst911sc]

So today I picked up a solid core interior door to close off the compressor room on the man cave I'm building . I chose a solid core door because I think the mass will help keep the sound in the compressor room . Anyway the door is 32 x 80 and is just a slab so I have to come up with hinges to hang it . Being solid core she be heavy !!! My door jambs are 2 x 6 with 1/2 " plywood screwed on the inside and out so I doubt they will flex much

The opening is 32 1/4 wide and the door is 32 so I have a little bit of room for thick hinges . My initial thought is a heavy duty piano hinge I think that would spread the load the best . But I can also do 3 or 4 heavy duty conventional hinges also but I am not planning on recessing the hinges into the door edge I want to surface mount . I have not installed any stops yet those will be done after the door is hung . So Pelican door experts what hinge or hinges would you recommend ?

[look 171]

Three 4" butt hinges. It will do the trick. Get ball bearing hinges if you really like, but totally overkill. I have them through out my house because I am intense.

[911_Dude]

I would use 3 heavy hinges. But I would also definitely recess them. It takes very little time with a sharp 1" chisel. Or if you dont feel comfortable with that you can get router jigs that you tack onto the door and frame. Otherwise, it will look pretty cheesy, and you will have minimal clearance, even with everything perfectly square.

[sammyg2]

Hinge tape. Definitely hinge tape.

[dad911]

What Look said.

3 hinges. Weatherstripping should also reduce noise.

Edit:
The opening is 32 1/4 wide and the door is 32 so I have a little bit of room for thick hinges . - 1/4 inch isn't enough. if you own a router or chisel, cut them in. won't take long

[vash]

my brother took a solid core door to an industrial door company. they pre-hung the thing in a steel frame. you cannot kick in his front door. at least i cant.

[URY914]

I have a bunch of stainless steel ball bearing hinges I would give you if you were closer. I even have offset ones too.

[rfuerst911sc]

Originally Posted by URY914

I have a bunch of stainless steel ball bearing hinges I would give you if you were closer. I even have offset ones too.

Thanks Paul it is what it is . I'm a little surprised no one thinks the piano hinge is the way to go But if I go the three hinge route you guys have convinced me to recess them into the door . What are your thoughts on a piano hinge ?

[MikeSid]

Piano hinge is probably engineered for a horizontal application.

There is a right way to hang a door and a good reason for it. There is a lot of weight and at least some of it is 32 inches from the hinge.

I would recess the hinges, not only for the 1/4" clearance and appearance, but also because I wouldn't want the shear load entirely on the screws.

[look 171]

Originally Posted by rfuerst911sc

Thanks Paul it is what it is . I'm a little surprised no one thinks the piano hinge is the way to go But if I go the three hinge route you guys have convinced me to recess them into the door . What are your thoughts on a piano hinge ?

You can, but if you need to shim it, then it can be a pain. Make sure your jambs are perfect.

[Zeke]

Originally Posted by look 171

Three 4" butt hinges. It will do the trick. Get ball bearing hinges if you really like, but totally overkill. I have them through out my house because I am intense.

Richard, you don't say what thickness the door is. At 1 3/4, look's suggestion is correct. If 1 3/8ths, a 4" hinge needs to occupy the entire edge of the door rather than the typical setback of 1/4". This will put the screws in the strongest place.

A 4" butt hinge has 4 screws per leaf whereas the 3.5" ones have 3 screws per. You can always use longer screws. A common plated construction screw has the perfect head size for a 3.5 hinge. A little small for the 4".

You don't 'have' to mortise the hinges, it's just the nicer way to do it. If you don't, they will take up that 1/4" gap you have and you may actually have to plane off the leading edge of the door. Having 1/4 inch to play with and mortising the hinges to the depth of their thickness should put you on the money with 1/8th at the lock side. Perfect.

Hinges come in various leaf thicknesses, so look them over and buy some that look stout and they will be. I'd use a pair and a half or 3 (that's how they are sold at the professional level, not loose like the HD).

7" down from the top of the door and 58" center to center from the top to the bottom hinge and center the middle one. This is the conventional hinge layout used by all pro door hangers. That's actually 58 1/2 on the Templaco door hinge jig used by thousands of carpenters.

BTW, since you are going to the trouble of using a SC door, do buy weatherstripping to complete the soundproofing. That should include a door sweep as well.

[911boost]

I am doing what Milt says above with my solid core doors, 3 hinges.

[rfuerst911sc]

Milt I was really hoping you would see this post as I respect your opinion . The door is 1 3/8 thick so it looks like you are recommending a 4 " hinge ? And to mortise/recess a 4 " hinge it will take up the full 1 3/8 door thickness ? The mounting dimensions you listed are very helpful . Yes I will add weatherstripping to the door stops and I will add a door sweep as well . I am also going to staple one layer of radiant barrier to the compressor side of the door AND one layer of 1/2 " thick foam . That's about the best I can do . So if I use a 4 " hinge go with three of them right ? If the hinges will use up the full thickness of the door then I can go with square hinges vs. rounded edge right ? I'm probably not using the correct terminology but I think you get it . I appreciate any advice you can provide .

[Zeke]

Square corner all the way across is what I'd do. Not very pretty inside a house with the edge of the hinge showing, but after all this is a compressor room.

BTW, mortising all the way across is much easier. You can actually do this with a circular saw set to almost nothing, or about a 1/8th depth and make repeated cuts between scribed lines made from the hinge length.

[URY914]

We have many doors with a continuous (piano) hinge installed at the hospital. But the frame and door are machined to match with the hinge. Very little adjustment is allowed. These are fire rated corridor hollow metal doors/frames.

You better stick with the best one you can find at HD or Lowies. Your door is not really going to get much use.

[dan88911]

In my door hanging days, we would use these on the heavy solid core doors.

https://www.amazon.com/Pemko-Aluminum-Mortise-Continuous-Anodized/dp/B008FNOQM2/ref=pd_lpo_vtph_60_bs_t_1/141-8805415-2343014?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=QP3BWNZ9Z4Q6DYHJPHBS&dpID=31vgwGvaJ6L&preST=_SX342_QL70_&dpSrc=detail

[Crowbob]

3 4" mortised butt hinges will hold a solid core door with no problem, especially with jambs as you describe.

If you're still worried use 4 hinges.

If your jambs are plumb, level and square hanging it is a snap, too. Attach the hinges to the door and fab up a rack of some sort to support the door along the bottom then attach the hinges to the jamb.

That's how I did it, anyway.

[rfuerst911sc]

Appreciate the help and suggestions gentleman ! So I will go with three 4 " hinges and mortise them into the door edge . Will it work OK if I surface mount the hinges on the door frame ? I think the answer is yes but want to confirm .

[look 171]

Surface mount it and if it binds, then cut hinge gains and races them in there. Done. It should work but there will be one big gap there.

[dad911]

Look at your door panel. It may have a slight bevel on one side. If so, it goes opposite the hinges (strike side)