How-To
Quick Door Fixes
Use this handy diagnostic chart to fix common door problems.
Symptom |
Cause or Significance |
What To Do |
| Hinged doors, general | ||
| Door binds against top of latch jamb or scrapes floor | Loose hinges allowing door to sag into opening | Rescrew hinge to jamb, replacing inner screws with ones long enough to reach studs, if needed |
| Hinge-screw holes in jambs are stripped | Larger-diameter screws won’t fit holes in hinges | Use longer screws or fill holes with wood plug glued in, let dry, and rescrew |
| Door binds along latch jamb but hinges are tight | Hinge may be bent | Use adjustable wrench to bend hinge-leaf knuckles on door |
| Door binds on latch jamb but hinges are tight; big gap seen along hinge jamb | Hinges not mortised deep enough into door or frame | Remove hinges, chisel hinge gains (recesses) deeper, and reattach hinges |
| Door binds along hinge jamb | Hinge leaves set too deep | Remove hinges, place cardboard shims under hinges, and reattach |
| Door binds because door frame is racked (out of square) | Seasonal shifting or foundation has settled | Scribe and trim door to fit skewed opening or replace old frame with squared, prehung door unit |
| Door shuts but won’t latch | Strike plate is misaligned | Raise or lower strike plate |
| Pocket doors | ||
| Door slides roughly | Built-up dirt or floor wax on floor | Vacuum track thoroughly |
| Door slides roughly; floor abraded under door | Top track sagging or mechanism needs adjustment | Remove trim to expose top-hung mechanism; adjust to raise door |
| Door does not slide at all; hard to operate | Door has fallen off track | If bottom track, lift door back onto it; if top track, remove trim and set tracking wheels up onto overhead track |
| Door drags, balking at certain points; wheels squeal | Wheels not turning freely or are rusty; track bent or broken | Remove trim, swing door out, and oil or replace wheels; use flashlight to examine track inside pocket |
| Door face abraded; door difficult to operate | Door off track or stud has bowed into pocket | Lift door onto track; if problem persists, remove finish wall on one side—may need to plane down or replace stud |
| Exterior doors | ||
| Drafts around door | Door not fitting tightly to frame | Install weatherstripping or new threshold |
| Water damage to wood doorsill, finish floors, and subfloor | Water collecting around doorsill area, soaking wood | Replace damaged materials; install overhang outside and water-return threshold beneath door |
| Water stains on interior walls, especially around top of door | Absent or poorly installed cap flashing on exterior | Remove siding above top of door frame and retrofit head flashing |
| Heavy condensation on metal sliding door; floor is water damaged | Metal frames conduct cold; moisture condenses on them | Replace with clad door unit with better insulating properties |
| Door frame not square; casing tilts; large diagonal cracks at corners of doors or windows | Possible foundation settlement | Have structural engineer check foundation |
For additional quick-diagnostic charts such as this one, see House Check: Finding and Fixing Common House Problems by Michael Litchfield with Roger Robinson (The Taunton Press, 2003).
Excerpted from Renovation, 5th Edition (The Taunton Press, 2019) by Michael Litchfield and Chip Harley
Available in the Taunton Store and at Amazon.com.
