# Screw recommendation for door hinges?



## RTSF

I'm currently having my door hinges electroplated, and it's soon going to be time to reinstall them. The original screws were #9 x 1.25" brass, and at 95 years old, in pretty bad shape…so I'm definitely buying new screws.

I want to make sure the new screws seat well (doors are quite heavy), so my question is, should I simply buy the same size screws or would going to a longer 1.5" length be better? Or, I've also seen those "Mr. Grip" thingys which you place in the holes to help the screw adhere better…not sure if that's a good route to go? (Yes, obviously the best idea would be to drill the holes out and glue in a dowel, but we're talking 168 holes, so that's probably not in the cards.) 

Thanks for your help


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## cabinetman

RTSF said:


> I'm currently having my door hinges electroplated, and it's soon going to be time to reinstall them. The original screws were #9 x 1.25" brass, and at 95 years old, in pretty bad shape…so I'm definitely buying new screws.
> 
> I want to make sure the new screws seat well (doors are quite heavy), so my question is, should I simply buy the same size screws or would going to a longer 1.5" length be better? Or, I've also seen those "Mr. Grip" thingys which you place in the holes to help the screw adhere better…not sure if that's a good route to go? (Yes, obviously the best idea would be to drill the holes out and glue in a dowel, but we're talking 168 holes, so that's probably not in the cards.)


You could go to a coarse thread screw at the longer length. Instead of dowels, you could just shove wood toothpicks into the holes, or slice off wood sections to tap into the holes.












 







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## GearWorksguy

Curiosity here... Are we taking about 8 doors with 3 hinges each with 8 screws per hinge or are we talking about something else? 

Yes the longer screws will be better so long as the screws will actually bite into the framing not just the door trim. Questions are related to how much repair work has been done before and how good the trim work was. I have seen fairly large voids between framing and door trim, even in older homes. I use the toothpick trick too (flat toothpicks not round) but I usually use just a little Elmer's white or wood glue and put in 2 pieces; I know the screws won't be loosening up any time soon.

There are recommendations for the number of hinges depending on the weight and size of door so the questions are back to you on the number of hinges needed and the placement for a "heavy door". 

http://www.doorware.com/specials/help-center/door-hinge-replacement-2.cfm

From the above site:
Standard Door Hinge Replace Guide - Door Hinge Sizes Now that you have figured out what type of *Door Hinge Corners* your existing hinges have let's look at the size. 

When replacing an existing door hinge finding the size is as simple as taking a quick measurement. With very few exceptions, all standard door hinges are squares and sized in 1/2" increments (EX: 3 Inches, 3 1/2 inches, 4 Inches). Most residential doors use a 3 1/2" x 3 1/2" hinges. Some larger residential doors, usually entry doors, use a 4" x 4" hinge. 
*
Hinge Size Guidance:* 
If you are installing a new door or just want to see if your existing hinges are the proper size, you need to know the Thickness and Width of the door. Here's a quick chart for guidance: 
 
Thickness of Door   Width of Door   Hinge Size to Use   1 3/8" Door   Up To 32"   3 1/2" Hinge   1 3/8" Door   32" to 36"   4" Hinge   1 3/4" Door   Up to 36"   4 1/2" Hinge   1 3/4" Door   36" to 48"   5" Hinge   1 3/4" Door   Over 48"   6" Hinge   2", 2 1/4", 2 1/2" Door   Up to 42"   5" Heavy Duty Commercial   2", 2 1/4", 2 1/2" Door   Over 42"   6" Heavy Duty Commercial  

Now, just a few things to remember. The above chart is just a guide, it is not a "set in stone" template. 

*Door Hinge Locations:* 
Most doors you see will have only 3 hinges, but taller doors can sometimes have 4. Here we list the basics. These are the U.S. standards commonly used in construction: 
1. The top hinge usually is installed 5-inches down from the top jamb / edge of the door. 
2. The bottom hinge is installed 10 inches up from the bottom edge of the finished floor. 
3. The third hinge is centered between the top and bottom hinges. 
*
How Many Hinges per door:* 
As a general rule you will want to use 1 hinge per every 30 inches of door or fraction thereof. 

Referring to door height: 
1. Doors up to 60 inches need 2 hinges. 
2. Doors over 60 inches, but not over 90 inches, need to use 3 hinges. 
3. Doors over 90 inches but not over 120 inches, 4 hinges are recommended. 

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Hope this helps....


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## RTSF

Thanks for your replies so far. I've actually just had a couple beers(!), but just wanted to post a quick reply:

Regarding the coarser-threaded screws...to be honest, I've found it very hard to find slotted brass screws in a #9 size. As such, I'm lucky when I find them...I'm not seeing any different variations with coarse threads.

As for the number of hinges, here's the long story:
I have around 11 doors here, and they all had two 3.5" hinges on them (6 screws each). The hinges are steel with brass plating, and it's caused a lot of grief and thought, but I decided to keep the original hinges since (1) they were steel/strong; and (2) they'd had 95 years to microscopically bend/adjust with the doors/frames in seismically-active San Francisco (whereas I had fears that brand new hinges would throw everything out of whack).

So...while some of these doors are back-breaking heavy, they've survived for 95 years on 2 steel hinges each...so I think that's how they're going to remain, and they'll stay in their original locations.


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## teesytegs

If you are going to keep all the same I would plug the holes. Just sharpen a few sticks like you would a pencil with a stanly knife and glue and tap them in. After glue has set trim them off flush and use either same size screws as before or if you can, a bit longer.


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## cabinetman

RTSF said:


> Regarding the coarser-threaded screws...to be honest, I've found it very hard to find slotted brass screws in a #9 size. As such, I'm lucky when I find them...I'm not seeing any different variations with coarse threads.


I change mine to flat head phillips.












 







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## SPOG

I have 2 Panel doors from a 1940’s house. They take #10 1” brass screws not #9. I made the mistake of buying 9’s to find out they’re 10’s.


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## NoThankyou

First, the existing screws are probably not brass but rather brass colored.

Second, the advice for #10 is good.

Third, DO NOT, repeat DO NOT use wall board screws.

Fourth, The way that door jambs are installed, longer screws allow you to anchor the hinges into the studs inside the wall, rather than the jamb. Later these longer screws can be used adjust a dragging door rather than taking a plane to the door. 

Fifth, these people have a huge selection. I've not used them but I've heard that their customer service is great. Try an e-mail.
https://www.quickscrews.com/


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## GeorgeC

This thread had been inactive for 9 years.


G


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## NoThankyou

georgec said:


> this thread had been inactive for 9 years.
> 
> 
> G


hysterical


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## Chema

NoThankyou said:


> hysterical


I just found this thread searching on duck duck go and your post was very helpful and answered my question. Here's to reviving 9 year old posts! Thank you!


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## allpurpose

I've always enjoyed necromania when it comes to old posts.. Someone elsewhere called it necroposting, but whatever.. For safety sake I would have suggested 3" or longer screws to keep some yahoo from kicking in the doors, but since they're ancient doors anyway I doubt anyone's gonna kick em in. My folks house had a big, heavy hickory front door some clown tried to kick in, but broke his ankle trying then had the balls to try to sue my mother for her door being so heavy.. Got tossed out of court obviously..


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