How to Align Saloon Doors?

Get Perfect Alignment on Saloon Doors by following these steps.

What are the best procedures to install and align saloon doors perfectly? Swinging Café Doors has been selling swinging doors for almost two decades, so we have seen a thing or two on installations. If you have not yet installed the doors or have misalignment after installation, here are tips to help.

When swinging saloon doors do not meet in the middle, the most common mistake is proper alignment.

Steps Before Installation of Double Saloon Doors:

Install one door according to the hardware instructions. Placing the doors in the pre-determined location on the door jamb.

After installing the first door, you can determine a “reference line” for the second door.

• Transposing a “reference line” from the installed door to the opposite door jamb.
• The “reference line” can be used to determine where the mating door should hang once installed with hardware. This is NOT the location for the hardware rather that of the door.
• Let the “reference door” close to center. Then you will create a “reference line” for the mating saloon door based on the “reference door” position.
• Using a 4ft level, place the level diagonal across the reference door, letting the level rest across the width of the reference door. Mark a line using the edge of the level on the opposite jamb to determine placement of mating door. This location will be the “reference line” where the mating door should be positioned.

• To determine the location of the hardware. Install the top pivot hardware to the mating door. Position the mating door on the reference line and mark the location of the top pivot assembly holes on the jamb. Make sure to have the mating door at the proper height directly across from the installed door.

Steps After the Doors Have Been Installed:

First, determine if you need to re-mount a door, this will be determined by the misalignment measurement. Positioning doors directly across from one another is one of the most difficult parts of installing saloon doors.

If both saloon doors have been installed but are not aligned with one another and the misalignment is more than 1” it is best to remount the door.

Pick one door as the “reference door” this door will stay installed, and you will determine the opposite door position based on this reference door.

• Let the “reference door” close to center. Then you will create a “reference line” for the mating saloon door based on the “reference door” position.
• Using a 4ft level, place the level diagonal across the reference door, letting the level rest across the width of the reference door. Mark a line using the edge of the level on the opposite jamb to determine placement of mating door. This location will be the “reference line” where the mating door should be positioned.

• To determine the location of the hardware. Install the top pivot hardware to the mating door. Position the mating door on the reference line and mark the location of the top pivot assembly holes on the jamb. Make sure to have the doors at the proper height directly across from the installed door.

Doors need to be remounted: 

If the misalignment measurement is less than 1” then you can shim the doors by adjusting the hardware to make the alignment better. The best option is re-installing but you can always try shimming before remounting a door. We recommend shims to get the doors to align perfectly. How to align does depend on the hardware you have selected.

Can be fixed with Shims:

Standard Gravity Hinges-these hinges do have an in/out alignment adjustment on the hardware. At the bottom of the bottom pivot you can unscrew the screw and change the alignment slightly. This feature allows for a minimal adjustment of the alignment.

Premium Gravity Hinges-these hinges have an in/out alignment adjustment on the hardware. At the bottom of the bottom pivot you can unscrew the screw and change the alignment slightly. This feature allows for a minimal adjustment of the alignment.

Commercial Grade Hinges

Commercial Grade Spring Hinges

These hinges have no in/out alignment included on the hardware, so alignment can be only changed by shimming the hinge. You place shims between the door jamb flange and the door jamb to make the alignment perfect.

Commercial Grade Gravity Hinges

These hinges are able to have the vertical alignment adjusted by removing the nut on the bottom of the bottom hinge and reposition the "square" into the "star". Then hand tighten the nut. If the misalignment is less than 1”, you can shim for the alignment issue. The shims will be placed between the jamb and hinge flange.

These hinges have no in/out alignment included on the hardware, so alignment can be only changed by shimming the hinges. You place shims between the jamb and pivots.

Here are the location for the shims: