How to Fix Sticking Doors the Easy Way
There are several reasons why a swinging door may stick when you try to open or close it. Improper installation, temperature, humidity, and settling are the most common. This article will teach you a minimally invasive, quick method to remedy a sticking interior or exterior swinging door.
First, diagnose the problem. Most of the time, a door sticks because it rubs on one section of the jamb (frame) assembly. Open and close the door several times to find where the door rubs the jamb. Sometimes it is a bit tricky to ascertain exactly where the rubbing is taking place. Sometimes, the door slab (the actual part of the door that swings) rubs the top jamb. Most often though, the slab rubs somewhere on the strike side jamb - either near the top or the bottom. If it is hard to see where the slab hits the jamb, often you can see evidence of rubbing in the form of damage to the jamb's finish.
Next, assemble the necessary tools and items to fix the sticking door. In most cases, this is what you will need:
- A hammer
- A cordless drill with a screw-driving bit
- A few wood shims
- A nail set (punch)
- Some 2-1/2" hardened finish nails
- 3" bugle head screws that match the finish of your hinges
- Putty to match the finish of your door jambs
Everything on this list is readily available at your local hardware store, or home improvement store.
Now, using your diagnosis of the problem, plan a course of action. If the door slab rubs near the top of the strike side jamb, you will start work on the top hinge. If the slab rubs near the bottom of the strike side jamb or at the top jamb piece, you will start work on the bottom hinge. Now that you know which hinge needs to be worked on, it is now time to start the repair job.
First, remove one of the existing screws that fasten the hinge leaf to the hinge side jamb using the cordless drill with the screw-driving bit. Press hard to prevent stripping the screw. Ideally, the hinge screw to be removed is one furthest from the hinge pin. Discard the old screw (which is usually about 1" in length) and install one of the 3" bugle head screws in its place. Now for the trick - as you are driving in the longer screw, slightly over-tighten the screw into the hinge. The longer screw enters the rough framing and pulls the jamb slightly into the rough opening thus skewing the whole door assembly. Do not over-over-tighten the screw. Doing so will cause the door to become "hinge bound" where the door slab hits the hinge side jamb too soon and doesn't close properly. One half to one full extra rotation of the screw is usually all that is needed. Once again, a considerable force with the drill is needed on the screw as you drive it in to prevent stripping.
Now, test the door. If it no longer rubs, you're done! If it still rubs, a little more work still needs to be done. Using the hammer, drive one 2-1/2" hardened finish nail through the jamb near where the door slab was rubbing against it. Drive the nail flush to the face of the jamb. Continue pounding on the jamb with the hammer in the location of the nail, but hold a wood shim to the jamb to prevent the hammer from marring the finish on the jamb. The idea here is to move the jamb a bit to prevent the slab from rubbing in that area. Do not try to move the jamb too much. Doing so may damage the door trim. Test the door again. By this point, 90% of sticking doors will be fixed. If not, more invasive techniques are needed to stop the door from sticking.
To finish this project, use the hammer and nail set to drive the finish nail past flush in the jamb and apply putty over the nail head to make the repair almost invisible. Hopefully, your door no longer sticks. You should notice your stress level decreasing as one source of irritation has been exterminated.
We know how often various things at home needs to be repaired. If you have more problems I advise you to visit https://www.hometalk.com/. This website helped me many times.
First, diagnose the problem. Most of the time, a door sticks because it rubs on one section of the jamb (frame) assembly. Open and close the door several times to find where the door rubs the jamb. Sometimes it is a bit tricky to ascertain exactly where the rubbing is taking place. Sometimes, the door slab (the actual part of the door that swings) rubs the top jamb. Most often though, the slab rubs somewhere on the strike side jamb - either near the top or the bottom. If it is hard to see where the slab hits the jamb, often you can see evidence of rubbing in the form of damage to the jamb's finish.
Next, assemble the necessary tools and items to fix the sticking door. In most cases, this is what you will need:
- A hammer
- A cordless drill with a screw-driving bit
- A few wood shims
- A nail set (punch)
- Some 2-1/2" hardened finish nails
- 3" bugle head screws that match the finish of your hinges
- Putty to match the finish of your door jambs
Everything on this list is readily available at your local hardware store, or home improvement store.
Now, using your diagnosis of the problem, plan a course of action. If the door slab rubs near the top of the strike side jamb, you will start work on the top hinge. If the slab rubs near the bottom of the strike side jamb or at the top jamb piece, you will start work on the bottom hinge. Now that you know which hinge needs to be worked on, it is now time to start the repair job.
First, remove one of the existing screws that fasten the hinge leaf to the hinge side jamb using the cordless drill with the screw-driving bit. Press hard to prevent stripping the screw. Ideally, the hinge screw to be removed is one furthest from the hinge pin. Discard the old screw (which is usually about 1" in length) and install one of the 3" bugle head screws in its place. Now for the trick - as you are driving in the longer screw, slightly over-tighten the screw into the hinge. The longer screw enters the rough framing and pulls the jamb slightly into the rough opening thus skewing the whole door assembly. Do not over-over-tighten the screw. Doing so will cause the door to become "hinge bound" where the door slab hits the hinge side jamb too soon and doesn't close properly. One half to one full extra rotation of the screw is usually all that is needed. Once again, a considerable force with the drill is needed on the screw as you drive it in to prevent stripping.
Now, test the door. If it no longer rubs, you're done! If it still rubs, a little more work still needs to be done. Using the hammer, drive one 2-1/2" hardened finish nail through the jamb near where the door slab was rubbing against it. Drive the nail flush to the face of the jamb. Continue pounding on the jamb with the hammer in the location of the nail, but hold a wood shim to the jamb to prevent the hammer from marring the finish on the jamb. The idea here is to move the jamb a bit to prevent the slab from rubbing in that area. Do not try to move the jamb too much. Doing so may damage the door trim. Test the door again. By this point, 90% of sticking doors will be fixed. If not, more invasive techniques are needed to stop the door from sticking.
To finish this project, use the hammer and nail set to drive the finish nail past flush in the jamb and apply putty over the nail head to make the repair almost invisible. Hopefully, your door no longer sticks. You should notice your stress level decreasing as one source of irritation has been exterminated.
We know how often various things at home needs to be repaired. If you have more problems I advise you to visit https://www.hometalk.com/. This website helped me many times.