I'm trying to adjust a small door and needed to make adjustments. Does it matter if I shim the hinge connected to the door or the hinge connected to the frame? Are the two essentially equivalent when making such an adjustment?
Doors – Is it better to shim behind hinge leaves against the door or the frame
doorshinges
Related Solutions
If the door resists being closed just as it is almost closed, then you certainly have a hinge problem. I've seen a lot of this particular problem in old houses I've lived in, where it is usually caused by excessive paint thickness on the frame and door edges at the hinge side. These faces meet before the hinges are closed, so when you force the door shut you are actually levering the hinge screws out of the wood. (Don't do that!)
You can see whether this is the problem by looking at the side of the door where the hinges are — if the door and the frame touch before the door is shut, then you have this problem. (Since you mention that there is no clearance on the hinge side, I assume this is the case.) In extreme cases, you will see the hinges lift away from the wood as you force the door shut.
You will need to fix things so that the meeting faces of the hinge plates are flush with (or above) the surface of the door and frame, rather than set below the surface (as depicted in the drawing on the right).
Planing the frame (or door) is certainly one way to do that, but I'm not a real DIYer (I just pay attention to the spaces I live in) so I don't have any experience with which to say which is the right solution. I hope I have helped illustrate the problem.
Your instincts are right. Bumping out the lower hinge just a bit should raise the lock mechanism a bit and may allow it to properly engage the strikeplate. You also get the risk of messing with well functioning hinges. It may cause the door to self-swing (or even bind at the top or sides).
But the test is easy. Slightly loosen the lower hinge screws on the door. Slip a piece of cardboard or two between the hinge plate and the door. Tighten the screws. If all is well, you can leave the shims or replace them with a thin piece of wooden shim. If it doesn't work or causes other problems, reverse the fix.
If that doesn't solve the problem, you may be able to file down just enough of the lower edge of the strikeplate hole to allow the lock to engage. Newer strikeplates are fairly thin material and can be filed fairly easily.
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Best Answer
This is entirely a matter of aesthetics. In one case the hinge pin (the center of pivot) moves, and in the other it doesn't, but the move is small enough that it's unlikely to cause binding. Just keep that point in mind.
Otherwise, do what will result in the shim being least conspicuous. This isn't the ideal way to rectify door alignment, but it is often the quickest and easiest. If you have the option and the will, pull casing from the hinge jamb and do your shimming there, where it's hidden.