Easy tune-up for binding doors

Bathroom time is private time, unless you have a door that won't quite close, in which case bathroom time is ravaged by uncertainty, particularly on days when the cleaning lady is around.

To determine exactly why your door doesn't close you need sleuthing skills, fortitude and possibly a helper. Of these three requirements, the helper is the one who can really screw things up. You will be working in extreme proximity to this person, so choose someone cheerful and pleasant-smelling.

Every sticky door has its own reasons for going wonky. Your unique door problem may stem from one or more of the following:

1. Hinge issues - failing screws, bent hinges, sloppy hinge installation
2. House issues - settling problems or structural framing shrinkage which may have racked the doorjambs
3. Door issues - door shrinkage, door joints coming apart, latch hardware that needs adjusting
4. Paint issues - exterior doors that haven't been painted on the top and bottom edges can absorb water and swell badly, making them bind. Or, too many coats of paint can make a door too large to fit its opening
5. Humidity issues - sometimes doors only stick seasonally; the swelling may be occurring in the door or the frame, or both
6. Installation issues - even with factory pre-hung doors in brand new houses, there can be binding problems that weren't corrected by the carpenter who installed the doors

Sleuth or Consequences

Deciding which problem(s) you have is the sleuthing part. Pore over your door searching for clues. When you look at your door as it sits in the frame, you should see an even 1/8" gap around the outside edge of the whole door. If the gap is not consistent, your sleuthing job has begun. Here are some additional tips to help:

• 90% of binding trouble can be traced to the hinges
• If the door is binding near the top on the latch side, the problem is usually a loose top hinge
• If the latch isn't lining up and catching, the door may be warped and/or the strike plate needs to be moved
• If none of the hinges are loose, crooked or bent but the door is still binding on the threshold or top jamb, then either the door OR the frame is racked. You'll have to take the door off and trim it to fit the opening

WARNING: Bear in mind that there are often several things wrong with a door. You can fix the hinges and then the latch doesn't work. Or you plane the edge of the door and then discover that the real problem was with the hinges and now you're really ticked. Remember, mood control is the highest attainment of home maintenance.

On the Loose

Since loose hinges cause most door problems, it's reassuring to know that the solution is fairly basic.

Just shim the bottom edge of the door to support its weight. Then remove the loose hinge-screw(s). Insert wooden matchsticks and/or toothpicks into the hole with a dab of glue. Allow 20 minutes for the glue to dry and then re-install the screw. Longer screws (three-inch usually work well) may also help attach the hinge securely to the doorjamb.

Another common reason for the door to be sitting weirdly in the frame is that one of the hinges has been mortised too deeply in the doorframe. You can adjust it by loosening the screws , shoving shims under the hinge plate, then re-tightening the screws.

Case In Point

Let me demonstrate how tricky this door thing can be. I currently live in a newer house. The bathroom door is hinged to an exterior wall that runs along the back of the house. That wall is evidently settling, pulling the interior framing with it. So the doorframe is getting pulled out of shape, forming a slight parallelogram. Which is why the perfectly rectangular door won't close. And since the cleaning lady is coming today, I'm planning to ensure that she doesn't surprise my husband in the shower like she did last week. Not that she complained.

Hinge at the Thought

Naturally it's easier to refit the door than to jack up a two-story wall. Close the door as far as it will go and then make marks along the binding edge of the door, allowing for a nice even 1/8" final gap.

Starting with the bottom hinge, tap out the hinge-pins with a hammer and screwdriver. Balance the door on shims, books, one foot, or get your helper to balance it for you. Once you've removed the hinge pins, lift the door off the hinge sleeves and lay it on a steady work surface.

Draw a straight line that tapers between the marks you made earlier. If you have a veneered door, score the veneer first with a utility knife to prevent tear-out. Trim the excess material with a saw or plane.

Re-install the door. Test to see if that did the trick or if there are more edges that need to be planed. Fixing doors is a kind of cruel IQ test pitting you against the forces of a pitiless carpentry god. If you feel a sense of creeping despair, send your helper out for libations and load some Doritos into your toolbelt. This is one battle you're going to win.

Tools:

• Pencil
• Screwdriver
• Hammer
• Ruler
• Plane or saw