Wednesday 15 August 2012

How To Repair Interior Doors



Do your interior doors open and close by themselves? Come unlatched when you're certain you closed it properly? No, your house isn't haunted, identify the real issue and fix it.


(Image: Houzz)

Problem: Binds at outside top edge
The door is sticking to the top edge because the screws have stripped or loosened over time.
Solution: Drive in a long screw
Remove the loose screw and drive a No. 8, 3-in. screw into the trimmer stud closest to the stop. Brace yourself against the latch-side jamb and push hard to avoid stripping the screw head.


Problem: Binds at inside bottom edge
The lower door jamb is out of plumb and the door is catching at the bottom.
Solution: Re-nail the jamb 
Pry out the inside casing with a stiff putty knife. Drive a casing nail through the jamb and existing shim into the trimmer stud. Punch the nail slightly below the wood surface with a nail set, then putty the hole, sand smooth and refinish.


Problem: Binds along the entire edge

The whole door is binding along the edge, mostly only when the weather is humid.
Solution: Sand the edge
With the door installed, using the jamb as a guide mark the trim line with tape. Then remove the door and sand down to the tape with a belt sander.


Problem: Doesn't latch
The latch won't catch unless you lift or slam the door
.
Solution: File the strike plate
Clamp the plate in a vise and file down the side that needs to be enlarged. Choose a flat metal file approximately the same width as the strike opening to make filing easier.

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