Pro Handyman Blog

Mortising Hinges For A Slab Door

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If you need to replace a door in your house and you buy a replacement at a home center, you will have to mortise the hinges. The mortise will allow the hinge to lay flush with the edge of the door.

You may also need to rip about ¼” from the width of the door before you cut the mortise. So measure carefully.

After you mark out the locations of the hinges, you have a choice between routing out the mortises or cutting them by hand. You can buy a jig that will easily cut the mortises after you set it up, but if you don’t plan on doing many, it’s just as easy to cut them by hand. All you need is a hammer and a chisel.

Cut the perimeter with light taps to the chisel with the bevel facing toward the waste area. Then you can lay the chisel down and tap out the interior of the mortise. Hold the chisel with the bevel facing toward the door and the flat surface facing upward. Hold it between 30-45 degrees and use light taps with the hammer. The more vertical the chisel, the more aggressive the cut, meaning the more material you will remove.

Periodically place the hinge into the mortise to make sure you don’t remove too much or too little material. When the hinge lays flat and the surface is flush, you are done.