Repairing Doors
Some door problems take a good deal of time to fix even if they do not seem major. If the door itself is twisted or warped or if the door is structurally unsound, the best solution usually is to install a new one and often a new prehung door frame as well. This often requires advanced carpentry skills for which you may choose to hire an expert. But there are some minor door repairs that most homeowners can do themselves. And that’s what we’ll tackle today and in our next blog posts.
Moving a stop or strike plate.
If the door latch is not catching, it may be because the stop is set wrong by a fraction of an inch. Try placing a block of wood against the stop and tapping with a hammer to move it in the right direction. If the latch bolt fails to engage the strike plate solidly, mark the jamb with a pencil to show the needed adjustment, it will probably be very slight. Scribe the line with a knife and chisel out enough of the jamb to raise or lower the shallow pocket into which the strike plate will be set. You may need to enlarge the latch-bolt hole in the jamb as well. Seat the strike plate, drill pilot holes for screws and reinstall the strike plate in the new location. If the gap between the door and jamb is too large, shim the strike plate with a piece of cardboard cut to fit.
Shimming out a hinge.
If the door is warped at the top or bottom. Or if the hinge is set too deeply in the frame so as to cause the door to bind, you can shim the hinge. First, support the door by pushing some pieces of wood, books or other objects under the bottom edge at two points so it will not move once the hinge is disengaged. Remove the frame side of the hinge. Cut one or more pieces of cardboard to fit in the mortise which is the cavity into which the hinge half is seated. When the hinge is perfectly flush with the door, reattach the hinge. You may need to make several attempts before you get the hinge positioned right. Once you shim the hinge out, you will have moved the door in the direction of the latch jamb so you might need to sand or plane the other side of the door to achieve a proper fit.
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