How to Fix a Door that Sticks

Your doors will naturally stick and sag in place as they age. While the fastest way to solve this is to plane the rugging edge, it’s a hassle to do and will require you to physically remove the door. Thankfully, there’s an easier way to solve this problem.

In this post, Handyman Connection® of Lincoln discusses how to fix a sticking or sagging door by adjusting the door edge.

How It Works

A bit of a disclaimer: you can’t actually adjust the door hinge since hinges aren’t designed with alteration in mind. Driving a long screw through the jamb and into the framing, however, allows you to draw the hinge and jamb towards the frame. This lets you essentially reposition the door and prevent it from sticking and sagging.

The First Steps

Start by closing the door and check where it rubs against the jamb. If it’s close to the top of the jamb, then you’ll be working on the upper hinge. If the door rubs against the lower side of the jamb, it’s the bottom hinge that you’ll be adjusting. Sometimes, the door will rub along the side jamb. In this case you need to draw all of the hinges.

Removing the Screw

Once you’ve determined which hinge to work on, remove the screw near the middle of the hinge. Next, drive in the 3-inch screw with a drill. Once you feel that the screw is snug against the hinge, then give it another quarter turn to “fit” it in place.

You can check if this fixes the problem by opening and closing the door. If it still sticks or sags, then turn the screw another quarter. You should stop tightening the screw if you feel the gaps in the trim joints. At this point, the door itself won’t stick anymore.

Keep in mind that this is just one way to fix a sticking door without having to plane it. Let Handyman Connection® of Lincoln fix your sticking and sagging door for you. Call us today at (402) 205-2575 or fill out our form to learn more about our remodeling services.