How To Fix A Sagging Door Easy Without Sanding or Planing
If You’re asking How to Fix a Sagging Door Sticking door a door that rubs or has gaps and lets in cold air your in the right place because they have something in common.
Most door problems no matter what it almost always involves the hinges. Adjusting hinges almost always will fix any door problem. I have been doing this for a long time and when I hear someone say lets plane a sticking door I cringe. If you have noticed some or all of the problems below, we are going to fix them today.
- The door sticks or rubs when closing or is hard to close.
- entry door you can see light through and lets in drafts
- A door being proud of the door frame
So What Causes Sagging Or Sticking Doors
- Plane Old Wear and Tear
- Foundation Settling Over time
- Improper Installation
- Aggressive climate changes
How to Fix a Sagging, Sticking, Rubbing, or Lopsided Door By Adjusting Hinges
First Check The Hinges
Look at the big picture first
Before adjusting hinges look at the whole door. Where is it sticking or sagging? If it is sticking at the top is the door leaning on the jamb at the latch side? Or at the bottom of the latch side? Or does it look like the door is not fitting in the opening? Seeing the big picture will help you figure out what is wrong with your door.
First Check The Screws On The Hinges
The most common problem is the screws on the hinges. When they install doors most installers use the short screws that come with the door. Most of the time these come loose because they are not driven into the studs of the door frame.
First, make sure the screws are tight on the door side. PRO TIP: Use a screwdriver and not a power drill. You might strip the threads and make the problem worse. When doors are installed they use short screws in the hinges. overtime these get loose and worn causing the door to pull away from the hinges.
Remove Old Screws At The Hing Side
Knowing how to fix a sagging door just by replacing screws can save you a lot of time.
- First, if you have some gulf tees hanging around put some wood glue on them and stuff them in the old holes. If you don’t gulf toothpicks work well too.
- Allow a few hours for the glue to dry and cut them off flush with the door.
- Now pre-drill holes for the new screws so as to not split the material we used to fill in the old holes.
- Use 4 – 5-inch deck screws to remount the hinges. These long screws will grab the door frame and suck your door back into alignment.
- Check the door.
This procedure should have fixed some of the issues described above. If there are still some alignment issues then the next step wold be to adjust the hinges.
How To Adjust Hinges
There are a few ways to adjust hinges. They are the “squeeze and the spread”. The squeeze is when you bend the knuckles that are attached to the door and the spread is when you stick something inside the hinge at the knuckle and push the door against it to spread them apart.
The video below is the best that I have found that describes to the tee how to adjust hinges. This is a simple process and for 99% of the time will always get your door back into alignment.
When Learning How To Fix A Sagging Door Do Not Sand Or Plane The Door To Make It Fit.
There should be no reason to sand or plane a door to make it fit. The door was made to fit in the frame. It fit once it just needs help to fit again. The Only reason you might need to plane or sand a door is if you custom made it. If the hinges are tight against the jamb and the door needs a little tweaking to fit on the latch side then you need to plane or sand.
How To Plane A Door That Sticks
The perfect guy to teach you how to plane a door that sticks is Bob Vila. I also will give you my 2 cents worth. It seems the best way to trim a door is with an electric planer like the one in the image below that you can get from Amazon.
If you don’t have one of these you can use a belt sander also at Amazon, either way, you need to take the door off the hinges and put it on a flat surface like a set of saw horses or a work table. Next, you need to use some painters tape and tape one side at the edge.
Then draw a line 1/8th inch from the latch side. With your planer set it for 1/8 inch and plane it in one pass. If you are using a belt sander, sand it down to the line checking every so often using a square. Make sure you are not creating a bevel.
Now check the door. This should resolve your problem.
Conclusion On How To Fix A Sagging Door
Knowing how to fix a sagging door isn’t rocket science. 99% of the time it will be the hinges that are the problem because of the short screws installers use and over time will let loose. But in the rare instance with a faulty install you may have to do some tweaking by sanding or planing.
If you have just fixed an entry door you may find you need to install new weather stripping to seal the door properly. There are many different products to accomplish this depending on the type of door you have. Check out these products on Amazon which will explain the differences.
If you live in the Waterbury CT and need help call Connecticut Handyman Services 240-882-7183