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How to Repair a Sticking Door

There are many causes for sticking doors. Investigate the symptoms and find a method to bring your sticky door back in line.

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Adjustable wrench Hammer Paintbrush Plane Prime coat or primer Sandpaper Shim Wire cutter Wood block Wood glue

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How to Repair a Sticking Door

computer-generated transcript - may not be 100% accurate

" Do you have a door that sticks or doesn't latch properly? Here are some great tricks for getting it fixed quickly. First, suspect loose hinges. Open the door and left. Can you see the hinges wiggle? Try to tighten them up. If the screws are stripped and won't tighten, try replacing the screw closest to the center of the jam with the longer screw that will reach beyond the worn wood into new undamaged wood. The other way you can get the screw to grab is to mend the hole by adding wood. Remove the loose screws. Put some wood glue on a wooden match stick or toothpick and stuff it into the screw hole. Let the wood dry completely and then trim the wood. Now, reinsert the screws and the new wood and dried glue will give the screw a solid hold. If the hinges are tight and the door is still rubbing against the door jam, try placing a piece of wood over the place with the door sticking and hit it with a hammer. In many cases, you can widen the door jam just enough for the door to clear. You may need to add some finish nails to hold the door jam in its new position. If that doesn't work, here's another trick. If the door is rubbing against the top of the door jam, try bending the hinge tabs towards the door knob with an adjustable wrench. This will pull the door knob back away from the door knob side of the door frame. If none of these tricks work, it's time for door surgery. Shim the door in place so it won't move. Start with sandpaper wrapped around a block of wood and sand the high spots slightly. Don't take off too much. Check the door from time to time and stop as soon as the door no longer touches. If it is very swollen, use a hand plane and shave off a layer of wood. Always work with the grain to avoid gouging the wood. Sand the planed area smooth when the door fits. If the door seems tilted, try one of these 2 methods to bring the door into plumb. Remove the door and remove some of the wood behind the hinge plate with a chisel until the door is parallel with the frame. By removing a small amount of wood, you will pull the top of the latch side of the door away from the jam. This technique is called gaining. Make sure that the mortise is clean and flat before replacing the hinge. Conversely, if the door is too far away from the frame so that the latch is not catching, you can add a shim or spacer made out of cardboard behind the hinge to bring the door closer and parallel to the frame. Keep adding shims until the door is parallel with the frame and the latch catches. Whether sanding, planing, chiseling, or shimming finally fixes the problem, be sure to prime and paint all the exposed surfaces. Otherwise, the next bout of humidity or moisture will expand the wood and you'll be facing another stuck door again."

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