Fixing a Sticky Door: An Open-and-Shut Case in Five Steps

It's mighty irritating when a door won't close completely, or when a door binds in its jamb as you try to open it. If you have a door that sticks, try our five-step cure, which calls for healthier hinges and a bit of edge therapy.

There are several reasons why a door might bind in its jamb. Loose hinges are a common cause, as are hinges that sit too shallow or too deep in their mortises. Excess humidity is another culprit: It can cause a wooden door to swell so that it no longer opens and shuts smoothly. If your door binds only during certain seasons, humidity is probably the cause. If you're not sure why your door is binding, try the five steps described below.

Step by Step
1. Fix loose hinges. The three or four short screws that hold each hinge leaf can easily work loose over time. You'll be able to move a loose hinge with your hand when the door is partway open. Tightening the screws can make your hinges snug again, but often the screw holes have become too large to hold the screws. If that's the case, you can either replace the screws with longer ones, as shown, or plug the holes with small sticks of wood, bore new pilot holes and reinstall the hinge. (Golf tees and wooden matches make good plugs for old screw holes; just be sure to glue them in place.) If you're replacing your old screws, use Phillips head screws, which are easier to put in with a cordless screwdriver and less likely to strip out the next time someone has to repair the door. Make sure the new screws are set flush with the hinge surface; otherwise, the door will bind when you close it.

2. Make hinges fit flush. A door often binds when hinges aren't flush in their mortises. This condition also causes hinge screws to work loose. To make hinges fit flush, take down the door and remove the offending hinges. If a hinge mortise is too shallow, use a sharp wood chisel and hammer to deepen it. If a hinge sits too deep in its mortise, shim it out with thin stiff cardboard, cut to fit in the mortise. Playing cards and sheet aluminum (from, say, a soda can) work well as shim stock, too. Remount the hinges, then the door, and then move on to the next steps if your door still binds.

3. Mark edges that bind. If the preceding hinge tune-ups don't unstick your door, you'll need to trim some material from the other three edges. Look and feel for where the door's edges are catching against the jamb, and use a straightedge and pencil to mark the edge sections that bind. Mark the contact areas clearly and generously you'll be planing these marks off in the next step. If you can't see where the door is sticking, rub a little chalk or pencil lead on the door edge in the suspect area. Then open and close the door a few times. You'll see telltale marks on the jamb where the door sticks.

4. Plane off your marks. If you can, leave the door in place for this step; otherwise, take it down. Also, remove any hardware or weatherstripping that might get in the way. As you plane, always go along with the wood grain, angling the plane at 45 degrees to the line of travel, as shown. This way, the plane makes a shearing cut and moves more easily. If you need to plane across end grain at the top or bottom of the door, plane from the edge into the center to prevent splitting. Don't try to remove too much wood at once. Instead, set the plane blade for a thin cut, so that you remove small amounts with each stroke. By the way, this is an ideal project for a power plane; it can handle a bit of paint, and it's fast and accurate.

5. Seal and finish the door. This step will help maintain your door's dimensional stability as moisture conditions change. If it's not time to paint or finish the entire door, just seal its edges. Pay special attention to the door's bottom edge, which usually gets the most moisture. The dry season is the best time to paint or finish that's when your door has shrunk to its smallest size.

TOOLS AND MATERIALS
Screwdriver or cordless screwdriver
Phillips head screws
Wood chisel
Shim stock
Hammer
Pencil
Straightedge
Bench plane,block plane or power plane