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Making out-of-plumb “look right”

KevinW | Posted in General Discussion on October 26, 2005 07:05am

My house was built around 1930 and (as is to be expected) nothing is plumb or level. I am currently doing a complete reno on the bathroom, part of which involves a new door (the old one was a retrofitted pocket door inside an add-on wall which had been a haven for mould and mildew). The old doorway rough opening is 24″ wide but there is plenty room for a 30″ opening and a 28″ door. I just marked out the new doorway on the wall, plumb on the sides and level at the top, laid the new door in place against the wall, and walked away to see how it looked from across the room.

Oh dear.  The perpendicular wall about 30″ away to the left is 1″ out of plumb in the height of the door, and the LR doorway 40″ away to the right is about the same. The new plumb doorway looks like it is leaning wildly to one side!

So, should I slope the doorway to match the house? It just doesn’t seem right to do that but if I keep it plumb it will look so wrong.

Kevin

Powell River, BC, Canada

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Replies

  1. Pierre1 | Oct 26, 2005 07:09am | #1

    Hang it plumb. Case it plumb. Put a tall plant in each corner.

    Then crack open a cold one and all will be well.

    http://www.costofwar.com/

  2. traini | Oct 26, 2005 07:23am | #2

    Kevin

    I just finished a house that was out of plumb, if you do not install the door plumb it will swing open or closed on it's own, i found that the best you could do is cheat on the trim a little, I even had to scap ripped 2x4 over the existing walls to plumb them so the rooms looked ok near doors.

    good luck

  3. CAGIV | Oct 26, 2005 08:13am | #3

    In my opinion, it's often better to make things look right, then be right, Door's isn't one of them, if you hang it out of plumb you're going to have more problems then you fixed.

     

    Team Logo

    1. KevinW | Nov 08, 2005 07:12am | #4

      Thanks all, for the clear consensus. The door goes in plumb.

      Kevin

      1. User avater
        Huck | Nov 08, 2005 07:46am | #5

        had a similar problem in my living room. Hung the door plumb, cheated the casingm then painted everything the same color, so it didn't stand out.

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