How to Fix a Wooden Door That Sticks

As the seasons change, fluctuations in humidity and temperature can cause wood to swell or shrink, making wooden doors prone to sticking. Other factors that can cause doors to stick include things like loose hinges, snapped screws, or worn weatherstrips. While there is none As a universal solution to this problem, there are a few things you can try to address stubborn doors.

Watch out for the gap

The first thing to check when fighting with a door that is difficult to close or open, whether It is square to the door frame. You can tell by holding a side of a square against the door frame and the other side first against the top and then the bottom of the door. If the door doesn’t line up properly with the frame, that’s probably your problem. CCheck your door to see if the gap between the door and the frame is even. There should be between ⅛ and 1/16 inch of clearance between the door and the frame all the way around. If these distances are not consistent, it is a sign that the hardware may have become loose or other types of sagging may have occurred.

Pull the hinges

If your door is not square to the frame, first check the hinges. Sometimes door hinges can become loose over time, causing the door to sag from the frame. Check the hardware to see if it fits snugly against the frame. and use a screwdriver to tighten any loose screws on the hinges. If everything is stuck and the door is still giving you trouble, there are a few more things to try.

Fix broken screws

If any of the screws turn in the hole without tightening them, they are stripped. Remove the screws from the hinge, exposing the wood surface they are attached to. Fill the hole with a wood splitter and some wood glue and let it dry well. then drill again pilot hole with a battery powered or corded drill in the same place then reattach hinge and screw. This should give the threads enough support to pull them tight.

Use a washer

Another reason The door may not be square to the frame that houses lean towards settle over time and let the doors sag a bit. While this isn’t usually a structural issue, it can be the cause of frustrating door scraping and sticking. To fix this you can try a disc behind the bottom hinge to align the door in the frame. All that is required is to remove the screws holding the bottom hinge to the door frame, place the washer behind where the hinge attaches to the frame and reattach the hinge to the door frame. You can use one plummet or a even to check if the door is straight up and down, but the real test is to open and close the door to see how it works.

Change your hinges

If you live in an older structure and Your door is still stuck It seems like everything is tight, you can try switching the top and bottom hinges. Over time, the top hinge a door that supports most of the weight of the door, may flex a little, allowing the top of the door to detach from the frame. Replacing the top hinge with the bottom one can help fix this problem and relieve your sticking or scratching door.

Crop to fit

If none of these fixes helpor if the clearance inside the door frame does not allow shims, It’s time to try some light carpentry. Open and close the door a few times, noting where the door is binding or rubbing against the frame. Use a pencil to mark where the sticky part is, then remove the door from the hinges and place it on a workbench. using a hand planer, you can gently sand down the part to be assembled and re-hang your door. Another option is to use a door trimmerwhich can be handy if you don’t want to remove the door or if you don’t have a handy workbench.

Protect visible wood

Once you’re done, it’s important to paint or seal the exposed wood. This helps control the amount of moisture your door absorbs or emits. to reduce the extent of your door’s swelling and shrinking as the weather changes, and can help you with the repair last longer.