Door hardware may look small, but it has an outsized impact on comfort, security, and resale value. A poorly hung door scrapes, rattles, or refuses to close; a well-hung door glides, seals, and delights. At CountBricks, we treat the humble hinge as seriously as any structural element. Our AI estimating engine flags every hinge, screw, and labor minute so nothing slips through the cracks on bid day.
• Standard 3 ½" butt hinges for interior hollow-core doors
• 4" butt hinges for solid-core or exterior doors
• Ball-bearing hinges to reduce squeak on heavy entry slabs
• Spring-loaded hinges when code demands self-closing (garages, fire-rated corridors)
CountBricks takeoff templates automatically match hinge type to door weight and code requirements, eliminating guesswork and costly change-orders.
• Tape measure and combination square
• Sharp pencil or marking knife
• Hinge mortise jig or chisel set
• Router with flush-trim bit (for volume installs)
• #8 x 1" screws for interior; #10 x 1 ½" stainless for exterior
• Cordless drill/driver with countersink bit
Every item appears as a line in your CountBricks materials list, priced to current local supplier data.
1. Mark hinge locations. Standard residential doors use three hinges: 7" from the top, 11" from the bottom, and centered between.
2. Score the outline. Place the hinge leaf against the jamb, trace with a knife, and score depth lines to prevent tear-out.
3. Mortise the jamb. Set your router or chisel 3/32" deep—the thickness of the hinge leaf—creating a snug pocket.
4. Pre-drill pilot holes. Center punch to avoid bit wandering, then use a 1/16" bit for #8 screws.
5. Attach hinges to jamb. Drive screws by hand for the final turns to prevent stripping.
6. Transfer marks to the door edge. Stand the door in the opening, shim to 1/8" reveal at the head, then mark hinge positions.
7. Mortise the door. Repeat depth and pilot steps on the door edge.
8. Hang the door. Insert the hinge pins from top down, tap gently with a mallet—never a framing hammer.
9. Check swing and reveal. Aim for an even 1/8" gap along the jamb. Adjust by tightening top or bottom screws into longer 2 ½" replacements that bite framing.
10. Final test. Close the door and listen—silence means success.
• Over-routing, leaving the hinge proud of the jamb and causing bind
• Forgetting to pilot drill, leading to split jambs
• Mixing screw sizes, resulting in uneven leaf seating
• Ignoring seasonal humidity—CountBricks design libraries specify 3/16" reveal for coastal builds where swelling is expected
AI-Driven Takeoffs
Speak your scope into the CountBricks app and receive instant door schedules, hinge counts, and hardware finishes, all mapped to current SKU pricing.
Labor Benchmarks
Our residential construction database tracks average install times—12 minutes per hinge set—so your bids remain competitive yet profitable.
On-Site Voice Logging
Hands full? Just say “CountBricks, hinge installed at Bedroom 2,” and the software updates progress in real time, syncing with your invoice draft.
• Back-remove one screw and replace with a 3" screw into the stud to pull bowed jambs straight
• Wax hinge pins lightly to eliminate squeak without aerosol mess
• Use a self-centering Vix bit for perfectly aligned pilot holes
• Number door slabs and jambs with painter’s tape during trim-out to keep matched sets together
• Order hinges in contractor packs through CountBricks.com/services for bulk pricing
Complex radius-top doors, solid mahogany entries, or homes with historical trim profiles demand precision beyond DIY. Our carpentry crews combine laser alignment tools with traditional craftsmanship. Request a site visit at CountBricks.com/consultation and receive a same-day AI estimate that includes hardware, labor, and finish touch-ups.
To install door hinges correctly is to respect every homeowner’s first tactile experience with their new space: opening the door. By pairing time-tested techniques with CountBricks’ AI estimating and voice-driven site tools, you ensure the experience is flawless—swing after swing, year after year.
When the Willow Creek townhouse development hit framing completion, the GC faced a tight closing schedule. Forty-eight interior doors had to be hung before paint, and any delay would ripple through flooring and punch-out. CountBricks was called in for a rapid-fire hinge installation blitz.
1. The superintendent dictated, “Sixteen left-hand 30-inch hollow-core, thirty-two right-hand 28-inch hollow-core.” Within minutes, CountBricks generated a door schedule, mapped hinge positions, and exported a pick list to the local supplier—no clipboards required.
2. Labor was auto-calculated at 0.6 hours per door. The crew lead accepted the bid in the app, locking in a guaranteed not-to-exceed price that satisfied the GC’s budget constraints.
• Crews arrived with pre-labeled hinge packs—each door’s hardware shrink-wrapped and QR-coded.
• Voice logs updated progress: “Unit 3B, hinges complete,” instantly adjusting the running invoice.
• When a bowed stud caused a ¼" reveal at the latch side, the carpenter drove a 3" screw through the top hinge into the king stud—an on-the-spot fix documented via smartphone photo inside CountBricks.
• All 48 doors were installed in four eight-hour shifts, two days ahead of schedule.
• Zero punch-list items related to hinge alignment or squeak.
• The GC reported a 12% labor cost savings compared to historical averages, attributed to CountBricks’ precise benchmarks and real-time adjustments.
By leveraging CountBricks’ voice-enabled estimating and documentation, hinge installation becomes a predictable, optimized task rather than a scheduling wildcard. Ready to tighten your timelines? Visit CountBricks.com/consultation to book your next project.
