Pro Handyman Blog

When you buy a slab door to replace, for example, a bedroom door, you will need to mortise the door to accept the hinges. This means you will need to cut the edge of the door to the exact profile of the hinges, both in length and width, as well as depth.

This will allow the edge of the door’s surface to be flat, even with the hinges installed as they will be recessed into the edge of the door.

If the old door is still hung, remove it and set it on the floor standing up side-by-side with the new door so that the hinged sides face up. This will allow you to mark the locations of the hinges on the new door. You can trace the outline of the hinges on the edge of the door at this point.

You can buy power tools that will do this job quickly (after some minor set-up). Or, grab a chisel and a hammer and tap out the wood. I first make a downward cut with the chisel to cut the perimeter of the hinge and then remove the wood in between the cut. Turn the chisel so that the beveled edge is facing downward (on the wood) and use small taps to remove small amounts of wood, rather than chopping out a hunk that you didn’t want to. Keep checking the fit by placing the hinge into the recess and use the chisel to get a good fit. When you have all hinge locations cut out, you can install the door.