Not everyone knows how to fix a sticking door. This may seem confusing, but is not nearly as hard as you might think. It’s easy to get discouraged and call in a professional to fix your doors, when all you really need to know is a few basic things.
Don’t throw away your money, when you can take the time and do it yourself! In this article you are going to learn my five favorite ways to fix any sticking door, both interior and exterior. Now let’s take a look at how to fix a sticking door.
What Makes Doors Stick?
To better understand what needs to be fixed, let’s first quickly go over what causes a door to stick in the first place. At the most basic level, the door has shifted enough to cause it to rub against the door jamb (door frame). This is a common thing that happens as we use the door over time.
When doors swing on their hinges as we open and shut them, it causes a centripetal force to be applied. This may cause the door to shift enough to rub against the jamb, causing it to stick. The heavier the door is, the more likely this problem would be to cause a door to stick.
- Door Sticking On Strike Plate
When a door gets out of alignment all of the components will shift, making them offset. This includes the knob and deadbolt. When the door is then closed the latch will make contact with the edge of the strike plate.
A sagging door can cause the latch to get stuck on the strike plate. This can make a larger problem if left unchecked. You may run the risk of breaking a key off in the lock because the latch is too hard to turn.
Another reason doors stick is they may swell up and get locked into place. This happens with wooden doors and can be common as the seasons change. You usually don’t need to worry about this problem happening with fiberglass or metal doors.
2. Tighten The Hinges On A Sticking Door
The first and easiest way to fix a sticking door is to simply tighten the hinges on the door. I like to use a manually powered screwdriver to do this. The screws don’t need to be tightened very much, so handheld screwdrivers are my favorite tool for this fix.
Warning: When using electric screwdrivers, be careful not to overtighten the screws. It is easy to either strip the heads of the screws, or to spin in the wood it’s attached to. When the screw spins freely in the wood it isn’t effectively doing it’s job. This may cause the door to get out of alignment in the future.
3. Chisel The Jamb Below The Hinge
This fix will only take about 10 minutes or less, and needs a few simple tools. The idea is to remove a small amount of wood below the hinge, allowing the door to shift in that direction a small amount.
When the door moves away from the handle side ⅛” that is enough to keep it from sticking anymore. This fix will last a long time as long as the door doesn’t swell with the weather.
The tools required are:
- Screwdriver or drill
- 1 inch chisel
- Hammer
- Broom and dustpan
You really only need to focus on the top hinge.
- Remove the screws from the top hinge on the jamb side
- Make some marks in wood by hammering the chisel in horizontal lines
- Use these lines to grip the wood, taking out a small layer of material
- Smooth it out, ensuring a consistent amount of ⅛” of material was removed
- Reattach the hinge by adding the screws in the same holes.
For this method the main thing to focus on is to remove a layer of material as close to a consistent amount as possible. You want to make sure there aren’t any high spots that will prevent the hinge from sitting flat.
If you put the hinge back on and it doesn’t look like it’s sitting low enough it’s ok to remove it again and chisel away a little more.
Remember that it’s better to take small amounts of wood off from behind the hinge. If too much wood is removed it may cause problems with the door closing from the hinge side.
4. Plane/Sand The Edge Of Sticking Doors
Using an electric sander or hand planer is another good way to get a door to close. This doesn’t take long to do, and I would like to go over the steps.
Tools:
Electric sander or hand planer
Hammer
Flat screwdriver or long nail to pop hinge pins out
Pencil or pieces of masking tape
Step 1:
Take a look at what section of the door is sticking. Make a small mark with a pencil or by putting pieces of tape on the face of the door just past the problem spot.
Step 2:
Pop out the hinge pins, removing the door from it’s frame. This can be done with a hammer and flat screwdriver.
Step 3:
Lay the door vertically, clamping it to a sturdy surface like a workbench or table. Now is when you can remove the handle and hardware if needed.
Step 4:
Use the sander or planer to remove material from the edge of the door. This should be done in small amounts. Also make sure to keep the edge of the door flat, and not round it off.
Step 5:
Once you think you’ve taken enough material off you can now re-install the door. Check your work by closing the door to see if it sticks anymore.
Step 6:
Apply a layer of paint to seal the edge of the door where you were working. This is to keep the wood from expanding over time as the seasons change.
5. Add Longer Screws to Doors That Sag
Adding longer screws to a door’s hinge is a great way to help pull it back into alignment. Hinges come with short screws, typically about ¾” to 1” long. This makes it easy for the screws to strip out the hole they are in. I find this is a problem for heavier doors like solid wood ones.
When choosing a good screw to fix this problem, you want to make sure the head is the same height. If your new screw has a wider head it won’t seat properly into the tapered hole on the hinge. If a screw head sticks out even 1/16” or less it may hit the hinge when the door is closed.
I prefer choosing screws that are 3” or longer for this fix. I like screws that are size 8, but size 10 screws may work depending on your door’s hinges. The screw head type must be what’s called “flat head.” This means the top of the screw head is perfectly flat, allowing the hinge to seat well when the door is closed. I like phillips style screws better than flat head ones. This is only a preference, but flat head screws will work fine also.