Sticking, sagging and drafty doors made right
Squeaking hinges, sticking locks, sagging slabs and new exterior doors hung true.
Chapter 01
Wood doors take on moisture. Humid Ohio summers swell a slab until it rubs the jamb in July, and the same door swings free again in January. That seasonal swell is normal. A door that rubs all year, or only at the top latch corner, is usually something else: hinge screws that have pulled loose and let the slab sag.
A squeak is a dry or dirty hinge pin, cleaned and lubricated in a few minutes. A lock that sticks is often not the lock at all but the strike plate sitting a few millimetres off from where the latch lands, which the door only shows once the house has settled.
Navy front door with a nickel handle set in white trim on a brick porch
The lasting fix for a sagging door is longer screws. Swapping the short hinge screws for three-inch ones puts the hinge into the framing stud and pulls the whole jamb back toward plumb. Where the gap beside the door is uneven, shims behind the hinge leaf bring the reveal back to an even line.
Then the strike and latch are lined up so the door closes with a click rather than a shove. On exterior doors that is also when weatherstripping and a door sweep are checked, since a drafty door in an older Columbus brick home costs money every winter.
Chapter 03
Exterior door installations start with the opening: the sill is checked for rot, the frame is set level and plumb on shims, the gaps are filled with low-expansion foam, and the threshold, lockset and trim go on last. A door hung that way swings on one finger and seals against the weather.
Painting doors is the finishing step that keeps them working. The top and bottom edges are sealed as well as the faces, because those unpainted edges are where moisture gets in and swells the slab. Cabinets and wardrobes with doors are put together and hung square in the same visit when they are on the list.
One-year workmanship warranty on all work. Call or text 380-283-9950.
Work order: door
Text over
Closed, latched and sealed
Which door, what it is doing and what should happen after the repair. A photo of the gap does most of the talking. Text it to 380-283-9950 for a free estimate, or add the door to a longer list on the contact page.