How to Reverse a Door Swing In Under 4 Hours

Before you can work on the frame, you’ll need to remove the door. Use a hammer and chisel or nail to remove the hinge pins, then carefully lift the door off the hinges. Place the door on your sawhorses (or a table, if you don’t have sawhorses) and use a screwdriver or drill to remove the hardware.

When removing all hardware, note where everything goes and how it connects. You’ll install it similarly on the other side, just upside down. So if the hinges are currently facing up, you’ll install them facing down to reverse the swing.

Use wood glue and wood scraps, dowels, or toothpicks to fill the holes left from the old hinge set. Let the filler set until dry, and then cut any excess material so it’s flush with the door. Sand until smooth.

Many parts of a door require attention when reversing a door swing. 

Hinges

Flip the hinges upside down and use a pencil to mark the spot for the screws. Remove the hinge and use a drill to drill pilot holes. Put the hinges back on and screw into place.

Lockset and Deadbolt

Most handles can simply be flipped so the latches match the new frame. Latches typically have a curved and a flat side, with the curved side being what pushes into the door. You’ll have to swap the hardware to let that happen. If your door has a deadbolt, you’ll also need to flip that too.

Use your screwdriver or drill to remove the hardware, flip it around, and reinstall. 

Weather Stripping

If you’re swapping an exterior door, flip the weather stripping, too. If the weather stripping is faded or damaged, now is the time to replace it.

It’s time to give the doorframe some attention. This step requires a bit of patience and attention to detail, so make sure you’re locked in and ready to go.

Make New Holes

Before you tackle spackling the old holes, use them as a guide for your new swing. Measure the distance from the top of the frame to each hinge mortise on the old hinge side, plus the depth of the hinge area, and transfer these measurements to the opposite side.

The hinge should be flush with the door frame, so you need to remove a shallow portion of the wood to allow for this. Place your hinge on the marked area of the frame and trace around it with a pencil. Use a chisel or a router to cut out this area. 

Fill Old Holes

Use wood scraps or even toothpicks to fill the holes left over from your old lockset and hinges. Then, use wood filler to fill the rest of the hole. Once the filler is dry, sand it down to get a smooth finish.

For a finished final product, prime and paint the area while your door and hinges are off.

Finally, it’s time to hang your door back into place. Grab a buddy and align the hinges with new mortises. Start with the middle hinge, dropping the pin into place once it’s aligned. Then, drop the other pins in and screw hinges in place. Only once all the pins are in can you and your helper rest.

Extend the deadbolt and close the door frame. Use a pencil to mark the frame where the top and the bottom deadbolt hits—this is where you’ll make a hole. Repeat the process with the latch.

Once both areas are marked, drill out the holes and use a chisel to cut out enough wood for the strike plate and deadbolt catch to sit flush with the frame. Screw them into place.

Open and shut the door a few times, paying attention to how it swings. If it’s not how you’d like it, try troubleshooting it:

• If the alignment is off: Loosen the screws on the hinges and adjust the door until the fit is right. Once you’re happy with the alignment, retighten the screws. 

• If it won’t latch: You can adjust the latch slightly by loosening the screws and moving the strike plate. If that doesn’t help, you may need to go back to step four and try again.

• If the door squeaks: Apply a lubricant spray to the hinges and moving parts. Open and shut a few times to make sure the lubricant gets into all the little nooks and crannies.