Q:
We have a couple of interior doors that will not stay open. How can I keep the doors from closing on their own?
Kay Lewis, via e-mail, None
A:
Roe A. Osborn replies: The door won’t stay put because it’s not hanging perfectly plumb. Yes, you can remove the trim and the jamb, reshim, replumb, retrim, and then tune the door to fit … yikes! Or just pop out the bottom hinge pin, place it on a concrete surface (such as the basement floor), and give the shaft a tap with a hammer to put a slight bend in it. Then put the pin back in the hinge. The friction that is caused by the crooked hinge pin makes the door stay put wherever you want it, either open or closed.
By the way, if the door is heavy and still doesn’t stay put, bend the pin in the next hinge as well. However, I’ve never seen a door that needed more than one doctored hinge, and I’ve used this trick many times.
