How to remove an iron door from its hinges

Hinges, like the locking mechanism, are one of the most used elements in the entire door structure. Hinges often cannot cope with high loads and fail before the manufacturer’s warranty period. In some cases, you can fix the problem on your own, but to do this you need to have knowledge of how to disassemble door hardware and, if necessary, replace broken elements.

What problems can arise with hinges?
What are the types and types of loops?
How to remove a door from an awning
How to disassemble a door hinge yourself
Consequences of self-parsing loops

The process of dismantling a metal door with your own hands

Entrance doors are the calling card of your home. They not only perform a protective function, but also an aesthetic one. Today there are an endless number of doors, most of them metal. Sooner or later, you are faced with the need to replace the entrance structure, which means you will need to dismantle the existing entrance panel. This problem can, of course, be solved by specialists, but you can also do it yourself. Next, we’ll look at how to properly dismantle a metal door.

Features of sashes removal

To dismantle the door, you will need an assistant with whom you will lift the panel. It must be removed only in the open position of the sash, so that when lifting it does not rest against the frame. To make the work easier, you may need wooden blocks that you will place under the canvas.

Depending on what type of hinges was used, the process of removing the door leaf will have features:

Most often, card options are found on doors; they are often called “butterflies”. They come in two types: removable or monolithic. In the latter case, the door can open 180 degrees, that is, in both directions. At the same time, removing the canvas from such hinges is not difficult; you just need to invite an assistant to do this work and lift the sash.
It is more difficult to work with the new type of fittings, as it has decorative overlays and additional adjusting fasteners. Before removing the sash, it must be loosened.
Mortise hinges can be bolted, in which case they should be unscrewed. Sometimes they, just like card modifications, pile on top of each other. In the latter case, removing the door will not be difficult.
Screw-in hinges are complex options for fastening the door leaf. Inspect the mechanism, and only then decide how to remove the sash. Most often, as in other cases, you just need to lift it.
In recent years, universal Euro-versions of door leaves have become widespread. They, like the new-style fittings, have an adjusting screw that needs to be loosened.
Invisible options are the most difficult; to remove the sash you will need to remove all the fasteners holding it in the frame.

After you have removed the door, you need to carefully dismantle the frame, if necessary. The platbands are removed using a hammer and an axe, using the blade of the latter to pick up the board. Find the places where the box is attached; most often the elements are located under the decorative overlays in the area of the lock or hinges. Unscrew the fasteners with a screwdriver or a simple screwdriver.

Sometimes a timber box is mounted on polyurethane foam. In this case, use a sharp knife to cut off the foam from the boards and remove the entire box. If you want to reuse the box, carefully move it horizontally, lay it on the floor and disassemble it. If you are prepared for losses, you can break the box right on the spot and pull it out in pieces.

Where to start dismantling?

Before dismantling the iron door, you must prepare everything you need. If you have a living space and you just decide to replace the old door with a new one, then you need to remove the adjacent furniture, interior items and things. You will also need to prepare the necessary tools for the job. To dismantle a metal sheet, you need a hammer, a hammer drill or a drill with a hammer, a crowbar, a grinder, a screwdriver, a knife and possibly some other tools.

In the case where further use of the design is not planned, there is no question of accuracy; as a result, the whole process will go faster. In any case, dismantling a metal entrance door consists of the same steps.

The old metal door is removed in the following sequence:

removing the door leaf;
removal of cash;
dismantling the box.

Next, let's look at the whole process in more detail.

Card models: how to disassemble a door hinge

All card models differ in their general structure. These are two straight or angular plates that are screwed to the frame and door leaf with self-tapping screws. They are connected by a hinge element, which sets the door in motion.

Most card models consist of 2 halves: an upper and a lower canopy. Because it doesn’t take much effort to remove the door. But it’s still easier to work with a partner, especially if the door is heavy or has glass inserts.

Do this:

Support the door from below and lift it slightly;
Then continue to move the door up, turning it slightly;
When the upper half itself is removed from the pin, you can carefully remove the canvas to the side.

Dismantling a door with such fastening can only be done in the open position. Otherwise, you will not be able to raise the door to the required height; the door leaf will simply rest against the frame. But a door with screw-in hinges is more difficult to remove.

Removing the door

The first step is to remove the metal sheet from the hinges. The difficulty is that there are several types of loops. And not everyone has encountered everyone. Therefore, it is worth understanding this nuance in advance.

And the loops are of the following types:

The simplest thing is to remove the iron sheet from the removable hinges. In this case, a hard tool (crowbar, crowbar) is placed under the door, which weighs about 50-70 kg. The structure should be slightly open from 45 to 90 degrees. Using a crowbar, move it like a lever; as you work, the blade will jump out of its hinges. Be sure to not carry out such manipulations alone to avoid injury.

The most labor-intensive way to dismantle an iron door with your own hands is when the hinges on the door leaf are hidden. To do this, you need to remove the existing decorations and unscrew the elements from the accessible side. Because they can fit both in the box and in the door itself.

Mortise ones are a combination of fasteners, bolts, linings and the hinges themselves. To remove the iron door leaf in this case, you need to loosen the bolt that is located on top of the hinge. If it is missing, then you need to disassemble the fastening elements located one on top of the other.

Screw-in hinges are mounting hardware, not plates. The same fastening applies to overhead hinges. The difference between these two types is the method of fixation. The fasteners are screwed into the canvas; to dismantle the door you will need to use the lever method.

Many houses now have new euro doors, which are attached to hinges from plates using a special bolt. In this case, removing the canvas is quite easy. You only need to unscrew the bolt and loosen it.

There are situations when door hinges are covered with a rusty layer and dismantling becomes difficult. To remove such an obstacle, it is not recommended to use physical force or knock down the axle with a hammer. In such a situation, you will only complicate the situation and break the fastening mechanism. To do this, use special liquids, which are applied to the rust for a while, and then wipe off the dirt with a rag.

Breaking - not building: features of dismantling wooden doors

Most inexperienced builders mistakenly believe that removing an old door requires only picking out the jambs from the wall. But in reality, everything turns out to be not so simple. Often, aggressive and incorrect dismantling can damage not only the wooden structure, but also part of the wall. This situation has become especially widespread in old Soviet houses, where fragile gypsum boards are used to construct interior partitions.

To avoid damaging part of the wall when dismantling interior doors, you need to approach this process creatively. First of all, find out whether you need the old door or if you plan to throw it in the landfill. In the first case, dismantling must be carried out carefully so as not to damage the components, for example, if you are going to move the door to the dacha. If you no longer need the frame and all the door elements, there is a “ruthless” and quick way, which we will talk about below.

However, no matter what method of dismantling wooden doors in a private house you choose, the work must be carried out as carefully as possible, without causing damage to the wall. Otherwise, after getting rid of the box you will have to spend money on plastering and puttying.

The paint has long hidden all hints of the location of nails, screws and other fasteners, but on an intuitive level their location can still be recognized. For example, there is usually a wooden block between the door frame and the wall. Its thickness is chosen so that the vertical posts are perpendicular to the floor surface. Large nails 150 or 120 mm long were driven into such a beam: two into the right vertical post, two into the left and one into the upper horizontal crossbar.

If the doors have not been replaced for 30-50 years, then such nails have time to rust, which means that it will not be possible to get rid of the frame so easily. To prevent part of the wall from being uprooted along with the bars, use a pry bar or a nail puller. In addition, you will need an ax, hammer and saw.

A gentle way to dismantle a wooden door with your own hands

Below we will tell you how to remove the frame and remove the doors so that they can be used in the future. Step by step steps:

We remove the doors by placing a crowbar between the door and the floor to create something like a lever. With the door slightly closed and slightly open, begin to lift the panel by pressing on the lever-mount. It is good if you carry out this process together, since old Soviet doors are quite heavy, especially if you are dismantling the front door. If the hinges do not respond at all, they may be severely clogged or rusty. In this case, apply lubricant (it is recommended to use anti-corrosion spray lubricant, which quickly removes rust), wait a few minutes, then try again. Complete removal of the door leaf must be done with the door open, otherwise the door will rest against the horizontal crossbar.

Dismantling the box

A door frame is a frame that is inserted into the opening and attached to the wall using anchors. If there are bolts, they need to be unscrewed using a special wrench.

Related article: What to do if the front door lock is stuck

When it is not possible to unscrew, or they are welded, you will have to resort to the help of an angle grinder. We cut down the reinforcement pins. In this case, be sure to use safety glasses and gloves. Also use a new circle, the diameter of which can cope with cutting the fasteners, and the device should not come into contact with the box.

At the junction of the pins with the door frame, you need to remove a layer of plaster to gain free access to the anchors. Then you can start cutting the fasteners.

You need to work in a circle. First of all, the lower part of the box, the threshold, is released. Next, the sidewalls are cut out and only lastly the upper part of the door frame. If you break this sequence and release the top part of the box before the others, it may simply fall out of control.

When installing entrance structures, the free space between the box and the wall is filled with construction foam. In case of dismantling, you need to cut out the dried old mixture with a knife.

Having eliminated all possible fasteners, you can easily dismantle the door frame. Place it in a safe place so as not to block the passage on the site. Remove installation debris and clean the opening from single old nails, pins, and hanging pieces of plaster. Secure the doorway. For the subsequent installation of the entrance structure, you will have everything ready. Be sure to take care of disposing of old doors. Take it to your summer cottage or give it to those in need.

Dismantling and installing the iron door after this will take quite a lot of time. First, assess your strengths and decide whether you can cope with such a task or whether it would be better to turn to specialists for help.

Hidden hinges

The most difficult are the hidden loop models. To remove the interior door from them, you may need a special tool. Also, a lot depends on the position in which the work is carried out.

Opened door. First you need to decide on the type of connection of the halves. For the simplest models, it is enough to use a screwdriver to unscrew half of the fittings. More complex products require a hex wrench. The method of knocking out the axle can also be used, but since most of the mechanism is hidden inside the canvas, performing such manipulations will not be entirely convenient.
Closed door . In such a situation, it is extremely difficult to cope with the task. If we are talking about hidden hinges of a balcony block, then it is enough to remove the protective caps, knock out the axle and remove the panel using the same principle as in the case of screw-in fittings. But the completely hidden hinges in the door block in this position cannot be removed by a beginner. Therefore, you will have to either look for another way to open the door or call a technician.

Removing doors from hidden hinges is only possible in the open position

Regardless of the type of hinges, after reinstalling them, it is necessary to lubricate the mechanism.

In order to avoid problems in the future, before installing the fittings, you need to familiarize yourself with its main details and understand the principle of operation. If you need to remove the canvas, you will already know how this or that model works.

We recommend watching the video:

How to safely remove an iron door from its hinges?

Note: Before starting work, it is important to pay attention to the hinges. If these elements are rarely lubricated, the dismantling process becomes more complicated.

Removing steel blades from rusty hinges is not an easy task. It can be simplified if you generously lubricate the hinges with any machine oil. In old-style hinges, liquid can be poured through a slot in the bend of the hinge cartridge. To do this, you can use an ordinary medical syringe with a needle.

Models of iron doors with removable hinges

The nuances of dismantling the canvas

The process of dismantling the door leaf largely depends on the type of door hinges. Iron doors with removable hinges are the easiest to dismantle. To do this, you need to open the door 30-40 degrees and place a solid object under the door. Then you should smoothly lift the canvas using a crowbar. It is used as a lever. The actions are carried out until the canvas itself is removed from the hinges. It is more convenient to do this work with an assistant.
from modern internal removable hinges . Hinges of a standard design are supplemented with decorative elements and fasteners. Before starting work, it is necessary to remove the decorative elements and loosen the fastening bolt itself as much as possible. It is located on top of the loop.
It is labor-intensive to remove a door that is sold with hidden hinges . They are also called “invisible”. The craftsman should carefully remove all fasteners securing the leaf in the door frame.

Having figured out how to remove a metal door from the frame, it is important to learn about the process of re-hinging the door leaf on the hinges. In order to do the job correctly, minimal distortion of the blade during installation should be avoided. Professional installers usually place a solid object under the canvas and use a tool such as a building level.

Step-by-step algorithm of actions

The master will not need special equipment for this event, but he cannot do without an assistant. The algorithm for performing the work is as follows:

It is necessary to clear the space where the plastic door can be placed after removal;
It is necessary to remove the lining from the hinges, as well as the protective caps that tightly secure the mechanism. This will require some effort. You need to forcefully press the linings against the frame and turn them. The cap can be easily removed if you pry it off with a sharp, hard object, such as a screwdriver;
The hinges need to be loosened. On modern fittings, you need to press them at the top. If everything is done correctly, the main pin will move down. It acts as a latch and if it is not removed, the loop will not give in. It is better to do the work with a tool, for example, pliers;
After all the hinges are freed from the latch, together with an assistant you need to slightly lift the structure up so that it comes out of the grooves tightly;
All that remains is to carefully tilt the door leaf towards you and remove it.

The weight of a plastic door is large, even if the design is standard.

How to remove a metal door?

Any home, as you know, begins with a door. Today, owners of country houses, cottages and city apartments prefer solid and safe metal entrance doors that fit into the overall interior of the entire home. They are made of high-quality metal, equipped with several locks and a surveillance system.

Related article: How to paint MDF doors to look like wood

But in most modern new buildings, metal entrance doors seem reliable only at first glance. Often this is an ordinary steel sheet, which is not reinforced in any way and does not have insulating properties. That is why, only after moving into new apartments, residents strive to replace the old structure with a new one. But first, it needs to be dismantled somehow. How to remove a door made of metal on your own?

The question of dismantling is far from idle. The work itself requires special skills and a careful approach. After all, one wrong move, and the wall will be destroyed, the opening will be severely damaged, and installing a new door will become problematic. Particular care must be taken when working with walls made of foam blocks and bricks.

Causes

If the door was initially installed correctly, it will not require dismantling. If you replace the door leaf with a new one, you need to carefully remove it and install another one. But there are other situations when dismantling is necessary:

It happens that the hinges themselves become loose or broken, and to replace them, you will have to remove the entire structure;
The door is damaged and needs to be replaced. Sometimes the owner of the premises does not like its aesthetic appearance or there is serious damage;
When renovations take place in a room, the canvas may be damaged by paint materials or the use of special equipment. In this case, simply covering the door with film is risky; it is better to remove it and then put it in place;
Plastic doors are most often produced and installed immediately with a frame, which slightly reduces the size of the opening. If you need to bring in new large furniture, the door will have to be removed so that the item can pass through and not be touched or damaged;
There is a crack along the opening and it needs to be repaired; in this case, dismantling the door structure is inevitable.

Despite the fact that manufacturers add additional elements to plastic to increase the strength of the structure, this material is quite delicate, therefore, it must be handled with care.

The nuances of dismantling the door leaf

The dismantling process begins with removing the door from its hinges. There are several types of hinges on which metal doors are hung, and the dismantling technology will mainly depend on this factor.

Metal doors are usually equipped with the following types of hinges:

Removable. It is easiest to remove doors from such hinges. To do this, in order to remove the canvas from the doorway, it is opened slightly by 45-90 degrees. Then they place a crowbar under the door and, using it as a lever, carefully lift it. With smooth and careful actions, the canvas itself slides off the hinges. However, the weight of an entrance door usually ranges from 50 to 70 kg, so for safety reasons, do not dismantle the door alone.
One-piece. Such hinges are simply unscrewed from the door leaf or door frame using a screwdriver.
Hidden. Removing the canvas from the “invisible” hinges is one of the most difficult dismantling processes. Their mechanism is completely invisible when the doors are closed, since it is hidden in the door frame or the leaf itself. To remove the door from the hidden hinges, you need to dismantle all the decorative elements and unscrew the hinges on one side.
Mortise. Often such hinges are equipped with fasteners and decorative overlays. To remove the door leaf, simply loosen the bolt located on top of the hinge. Sometimes mortise hinges do not have bolts, and the fasteners are simply strung on top of each other.
Screw-in. These are detachable hinges that have mounting pins instead of plates. The difference between this type of mechanism and the overhead one is only in the method of fastening. They are screwed into the canvas, and to remove the door from the screw-in hinges, you also need a lever.

Euro-style door designs are becoming increasingly popular. For their installation, hinges with special adjusting bolts are used. Such a door can be removed by slightly unscrewing these bolts to loosen the fastening.

Troubleshooting

After all structural elements have been removed, you can begin to identify faults. To do this, perform the following series of actions:

mortise hinges are assembled into a single mechanism so that the rotary axis rotates around this axis;
further, using rotational movements, check for free movement of the pin in the groove;
after this, the loop should be visually inspected for mechanical damage and cracks;
As soon as a malfunction is identified, it should be eliminated;
If there is serious mechanical damage, the product will no longer be repairable and it will be much easier to purchase new hinge mechanisms.

If the overhead internal fittings are not damaged, and the problem is that the pin moves too tightly in the groove, then the groove should be filled with a special lubricant, which should also be applied to the pin itself. It is worth noting that only material that does not have a detrimental effect on the metal can be used as a lubricant. Otherwise, you risk having to quickly replace the hinges or repair them.

How to remove a door leaf from rusty hinges?

During long-term use of steel entrance doors, it is not uncommon for rust to form on the hinges, which interferes with the process of dismantling the mechanism. How to remove a metal door in this case? Do not apply special force to the doors or hit the hinge with a hammer. This can completely damage the door mechanism and make removing the doors even more difficult.

You can get rid of rust deposits using special products, which are available in a large assortment in hardware stores. Usually these are aerosols, which, according to the instructions, are applied to the rusty hinge and then removed with a dry and clean rag. After the procedure is carried out correctly, the rust dissolves and the mechanism can be safely disassembled.

Screw-in

Hinge models made using the principle of a screw-in mechanism will be somewhat more difficult to remove. The hinge axis of the screw-in hinges has a small pin that must be removed from the structure to separate the halves. To do this, you need to close the door first. Then, using a screwdriver or any other tool convenient for you, push the pin up and pick it up with pliers or your fingers, if this is convenient for you. Then gently pull it up, turning it a little as you go. Then simply remove the sheet.

Since the main load falls on the upper part of the structure, it is best to start work from the lower hinge. To prevent the door from falling on you, ask someone to hold it or use improvised objects for support.

To disconnect the screw-in hinges, you need to remove the pin from the hinge axis

Dismantling the door frame

A metal door frame is a frame that is secured to the wall with metal pins or anchor bolts. If bolts were used for fastening, you can try to unscrew them with a wrench. But usually the fastening of the old door has long since rusted, so it is hardly possible to dismantle it without an angle grinder.

You will need to very carefully cut down the existing pins or anchors. When access to them is difficult, you will have to knock off a little of the concrete wall. Then, using a hammer and a crowbar or crowbar, we tear the box off the concrete. After this operation, it usually gives in easily and is removed from the opening.

Related article: What can be inserted into a door instead of glass

We do the same thing if the metal frame of the front door is welded to the fittings driven into the wall. Using a grinder, we cut off the fastening rods around the perimeter of the box on which the structure is secured. For this reason, you often have to knock out a hole in the concrete with a hammer drill so that the grinder can fit in there. And then we manually remove the remnants of the reinforcement and pieces of plaster that hold weakly.

Typically, between the door frame and the wall there is a seal - a layer of polyurethane foam. To free the door, you need to cut the old seal with a knife. Residues that have not been removed can be treated with coarse sandpaper. Metal pins remaining in the doorway are usually not removed, since part of the wall can be destroyed along with them. Just when installing a new door, its fastening should be positioned slightly higher or lower than the old one.

Types of loops

If we consider the interior door itself, several types of hinges are used for its installation. The most common types today are the following:

Card. These are the most common models of door hinges; they are distinguished by their relatively low cost and varied design. In addition, among card products you can distinguish your own subcategories. First of all, these are overhead butterfly loops; they are screwed to the canvas without preliminary preparation; their halves are designed like a puzzle. Another type of fittings is mortise hinges; their plates must be deepened, that is, cut into the material. These are the most common products.
Screw-in. Unlike standard models, screw-in hinges have the form of a pin, which goes deep into the canvas and the box. They can have a smooth surface or be complemented with carvings. In the middle, the pins are connected by a hinge element. The number of studs may vary, from one to three or four on each side in more durable models. Basically, screw-in hinges are only suitable for installing lightweight panels. Doors that are too heavy overload the structure and can tear out the fasteners.
Hidden. This is the most effective type of fittings, as it is completely hidden in the door leaf and does not spoil the appearance of the structure. However, it is precisely this feature that makes working with them difficult.

Types of hinges used for interior doors

Order work from a master

Is it worth removing a metal door yourself? After all, the installation of new structures depends on the correct and accurate performance of the work associated with its dismantling. Therefore, if you do not have dismantling skills and are not confident in your abilities, it is advisable to invite specialists to avoid mistakes.

engages in the manufacture, installation and dismantling of metal doors. Our work is a guarantee that the opening for installing new doors will be prepared in the best possible way, and the new door will not creak. As for expensive luxury doors, here too you need to approach the matter with all responsibility. The company's professional employees never make mistakes in their work.

What tools will you need?

Before carrying out work, it is necessary to prepare tools. To completely dismantle doors with frames, you will need:

hammer;
screwdriver;
axe;
a crowbar with a nail puller at one end;
screwdriver;
hacksaw.

If you are not planning a renovation, then you need to act in such a way as not to damage the finishing of the room. In this case, choose small, lightweight tools. If you are removing the door to lubricate the lock or hinges, leave the frame in place. In this case, you will need a minimum set of tools.

How difficult is it to remove the steel sheet?

It is difficult to remove a metal door yourself due to:

heavy weight of product elements;
assembly and structural features that provide the necessary operational and protective properties of the block;
various types of hinges: removable, fixed, screw-in, overhead, mortise, etc.

What tools are needed?

To carry out the procedure for removing an iron door, you will need a hammer, a jack, a thick wedge, a crowbar, a screwdriver, and a pry bar.

Since independent removal of the canvas is complicated by the above factors, it is better to use the help of a second person. It will help hold the sash, supply equipment, etc.

Preparatory activities

You cannot begin dismantling until you understand the type of fastener. The characteristics of the door hinges directly determine how to remove the door, what tools are required for this and how difficult the process will be. The most significant differences are in:

Mechanism - there are detachable and one-piece variations. The former consist of two blocks inserted into each other, while the latter are a single element on hinges.
Installation method - there are card (invoice), mortise and screw-in fasteners.

We will tell you in detail how to remove an old door from its hinges, depending on its type, a little later, but first we will give an approximate list of tools and materials that will be needed for uninstallation:

a screwdriver with a diameter corresponding to the hinges;
screwdriver;
crowbar, ax or stick to create leverage;
lubricant and anti-corrosion compound.

What problems can arise with hinges?

For what reasons may there be a need to repair or replace door awnings? The main malfunctions when operating hinges on entrance metal or wood, interior, garage and other surfaces are:

Corrosion has appeared that needs to be cleaned for the awnings to function properly.
Jamming when opening and closing the door, which occurs due to lack of proper maintenance - regular lubrication of the hinge mechanism.
The occurrence of extraneous sounds during the operation of fittings - creaking, grinding, etc.
Deformation of hinges due to excessive loads. For example, products were bent due to small children rolling on the door, or as a result of an attempt of illegal entry by removing the canvas from the awnings.
Natural wear of the hinge structure due to exhaustion of the working life.
Tearing canopies out of their place in a box or on a canvas. This usually happens due to the wrong size of screws or their loosening in the socket.

Main stages

Nowadays, plastic interior doors are increasingly being installed in apartments and houses. All parts of the mechanism in a plastic product serve to fit it tightly to the box, as well as to smoothly close the canvas.

There are overhead and applied types of loops. Typically, overhead panels are used for interior plastic panels. To remove such a canvas, which has a complex mechanism, you need certain knowledge. If you master this science, you can easily cope with the work, guided by the video:

First you need to remove the caps under which the mechanism is hidden;
Then we open the door a little and, using a hammer, carefully begin to knock out the axle;
When you see the axial mechanism, you need to grab it with pliers and pull it down, as shown in the photo. Please note that the door leaf is heavy, so you need to be careful not to lose it;
Lift the plastic door 5 centimeters to release the bottom pin;
Then move the canvas to the side and remove.

Let's sum it up

Often, in order to replace or repair an interior door, it must be properly removed from its hinges. As you can see, this is not so difficult. The main thing is to know what type of hinges are installed on the frame.