Double French doors have been vulnerable to construction or ground movement which can shift the doors from alignment. French doors sometimes are in need of alignment soon after installation due their weight makes them settle on. Irrespective of the cause, fixing uneven French doors is not hard for a do-it-yourself fanatic. The job requires a rather short time. Once complete, the doors will align and function as they should.
Hinges and Screws
Open both doors completely and stabilize each with a doorstop. Set up a power or cordless drill with a screw-tip attachment.
Tighten the screws at the hinges at the edges of the doors and at the faces of the doorjambs at all sides of the opening. If a screw spins and will not tighten snugly, then remove the screw and then put in a 3-inch brass or silver wood screw which matches the end of the first screws.
Remove the doorstops. Shut the doors and scrutinize the alignment at the top edges and the seam where the doors meet. Proceed to the next section if tightening and replacing screws didn’t fix your irregular French doors.
Inserting Wood Shims
Determine which side of the jamb into shim by inspecting the very top, outer corners of the doorways in which they fulfill. The door which is lower at the top corner indicates that the doorjamb on that side of this opening must be shimmed to raise the outer corner of the doorway.
Open the door at the side in which the jamb will be shimmed and stabilize it with a doorstop. Use a wood chisel and hammer to carefully remove the vertical piece of casing across the side of the doorjamb.
Begin at the base of the casing and then insert the tip of the chisel into the seam between the casing and jamb. Gently tap on the handle of the chisel with the hammer so that the chisel is completely in the seam and supporting the casing. Pry the bottom portion of the casing away from the jamb and wall with the chisel. Repeat this at several places across the casing to remove the piece.
Pull any end nails left behind at the edge of the jamb and at the piece of casing with the claws of the hammer. If one or more 3-inch wood screws have been set up at the lowest or middle hinge at the doorjamb on this side, remove these screws.
Remove the doorstop and shut the door. Insert the finish of a wood shim to the flux between the doorjamb and the framing at the wall just over the lowest hinge.
Tap the outer finish of the shim with a hammer till the very top corner of the doorway aligns with the top corner of the other door. .
Inspect the gap at the edge of the doorway and the doorjamb. Install additional shims, as necessary, so the gap is uniform from bottom to top. Reinstall any screws which were removed.
Score the face of every shim vertically along the outer edge of the doorjamb with a utility knife. Break off the excess part of every shim by hand.
Reinstall the casing at the side of the jamb with 4d finish nails at the inner edge and 6d nails at the outer edge from bottom to top. Use the current nail holes as guides and then push the nails just above or below an present hole. Establish the nails 1/16-inch deep for wood rubbed with a nail set and the hammer.