Fixed front door

[Goalpost]

So anyway, I have lived in my house for about twenty years. It is an older house built in the 50s. My front door is wooden and always stuck at certain times of the year, and people always said wooden doors can expand due to weather.

Things got worse over time, my house might have settled some, and I reached the point about a month ago where my door hardly could close, pulling hard to cram, shut, and lock it. Decided to fix it.

I bowl with a locksmith and his first suggestion was to check the hinges. Frequently the screws can loosen so he recommended to check whether they were tightened down. They were ok. Next step was to narrow it down where the contact was being made, and on my door, it was on the top third.

So I took out some sand paper on a block and started sanding up there. That was slow....so got my orbital sander and with a chair stood on, slowly started sanding it down up there. Was very careful constantly checking and eventually I had a door that closed easily, and squared nicely.

I decided to replace the hardware on the door since all the rattling and trying to close the door, putting a key in the hardware etc, had kind of ruined those too. Thirty one bucks, bought a new door knob and a lock bolt.

Replaced the hardware, but the door wasn't bored completely right, there were just small holes for the old hardware so drilled them out into circles. New hardware then fit nice. Unfortunately they were slightly off the strike plates.

Re chiseled the strike plates, just slightly, to now fit the hardware, and my door now closes with a sweet click sound. Re painted the front part of the door, it is white on that side, while the inside is still wooden. Painted around the entry way also. My door is done and now works as it should.

Total time involved. About five hours over various days, sanding, vacuuming, painting, applying hardware, etc.
Difficulty level...easy. Reward...don't know why I procrastinated all these years....

[*bfine32*]

(10-13-2017, 03:17 PM)Goalpost Wrote: So anyway, I have lived in my house for about twenty years.  It is an older house built in the 50s.  My front door is wooden and always stuck at certain times of the year, and people always said wooden doors can expand due to weather.  

Things got worse over time, my house might have settled some, and I reached the point about a month ago where my door hardly could close, pulling hard to cram, shut, and lock it.  Decided to fix it.

I bowl with a locksmith and his first suggestion was to check the hinges.  Frequently the screws can loosen so he recommended to check whether they were tightened down.  They were ok.  Next step was to narrow it down where the contact was being made, and on my door, it was on the top third.

So I took out some sand paper on a block and started sanding up there.  That was slow....so got my orbital sander and with a chair stood on, slowly started sanding it down up there.  Was very careful constantly checking and eventually I had a door that closed easily, and squared nicely.

I decided to replace the hardware on the door since all the rattling and trying to close the door, putting a key in the hardware etc, had kind of ruined those too.  Thirty one bucks, bought a new door knob and a lock bolt.

Replaced the hardware, but the door wasn't bored completely right, there were just small holes for the old hardware so drilled them out into circles.  New hardware then fit nice.  Unfortunately they were slightly off the strike plates.

Re chiseled the strike plates, just slightly, to now fit the hardware, and my door now closes with a sweet click sound.  Re painted the front part of the door, it is white on that side, while the inside is still wooden.  Painted around the entry way also.  My door is done and now works as it should.

Total time involved. About five hours over various days, sanding, vacuuming, painting, applying hardware, etc.
Difficulty level...easy.  Reward...don't know why I procrastinated all these years....

Great work. A good tip for tightening hinges; as they loosen in time in to break off the tips of match sticks and tap into the holes and then rescrew. 

I just replaced my storm door and the new ones are so easy. Probably took less than 1 hour after reading the instructions and watching a couple youtube videos.  

[HarleyDog]

I have a door that works great, sometimes. Depends on the time of year and the weather we have had. Our house was built in the late 60's and has settled as well. It seems when we went through this last drought, all the sudden my back door dropped to the point that when you shut it, it wouldn't latch because it dropped about 1/8th lower than the hole in the strike plate. Then, we've had steady rain the last week and now it closes tightly and smoothly. I'm baffled on what to do with it if anything? I fear if I mess with it, I might disrupt the tightness to prevent cold air from coming in during the winter. But again, it drives me crazy that I can't lock it at times and can only rely on locking the screen door to deter any shenanigans while I'm at work.

[*jason*]

(10-14-2017, 09:36 AM)HarleyDog Wrote: I have a door that works great, sometimes. Depends on the time of year and the weather we have had. Our house was built in the late 60's and has settled as well. It seems when we went through this last drought, all the sudden my back door dropped to the point that when you shut it, it wouldn't latch because it dropped about 1/8th lower than the hole in the strike plate. Then, we've had steady rain the last week and now it closes tightly and smoothly. I'm baffled on what to do with it if anything? I fear if I mess with it, I might disrupt the tightness to prevent cold air from coming in during the winter. But again, it drives me crazy that I can't lock it at times and can only rely on locking the screen door to deter any shenanigans while I'm at work.

Is it the deadbolt that won't lock?

[Goalpost]

(10-14-2017, 09:36 AM)HarleyDog Wrote: I have a door that works great, sometimes. Depends on the time of year and the weather we have had. Our house was built in the late 60's and has settled as well. It seems when we went through this last drought, all the sudden my back door dropped to the point that when you shut it, it wouldn't latch because it dropped about 1/8th lower than the hole in the strike plate. Then, we've had steady rain the last week and now it closes tightly and smoothly. I'm baffled on what to do with it if anything? I fear if I mess with it, I might disrupt the tightness to prevent cold air from coming in during the winter. But again, it drives me crazy that I can't lock it at times and can only rely on locking the screen door to deter any shenanigans while I'm at work.

Check the hinges first.  My locksmith friend says that hinges are usually the problem.  Not always as in my case but usually. Make sure they are tightened. 

Without seeing it, my guess is it might be fixable by changing the strike plate out.  They make an oversized one that is vertically a bit longer, maybe it would compensate. 

[Sabretooth]

With wooden doors the edges also need to be sealed or painted to prevent swelling/warping.( 4 edges in addition to front and back)

Good work Goalpost, gives one a sense of satisfaction eh ?

[HarleyDog]

(10-14-2017, 01:35 PM)jason Wrote: Is it the deadbolt that won't lock?

Neither the dead bolt or the doorknob latch. Since yesterday, I've been able to shut and lock it.

[*bfine32*]

(10-14-2017, 10:38 PM)HarleyDog Wrote: Neither the dead bolt or the doorknob latch. Since yesterday, I've been able to shut and lock it.

Most likely the hinges. As wood dries it "shrinks". This may have happened to your door jam/door and the holes that mount hinges enlarged. three things I would try:

Ensure all hinge screws are tightened as tight as you can get them

Take out screws and but some wooden "filler" in the holes (toothpicks, wood slivers, ect)

Final and least preferred, use bigger screws in every other hole in the hinges 

[Benton]

(10-14-2017, 09:36 AM)HarleyDog Wrote: I have a door that works great, sometimes. Depends on the time of year and the weather we have had. Our house was built in the late 60's and has settled as well. It seems when we went through this last drought, all the sudden my back door dropped to the point that when you shut it, it wouldn't latch because it dropped about 1/8th lower than the hole in the strike plate. Then, we've had steady rain the last week and now it closes tightly and smoothly. I'm baffled on what to do with it if anything? I fear if I mess with it, I might disrupt the tightness to prevent cold air from coming in during the winter. But again, it drives me crazy that I can't lock it at times and can only rely on locking the screen door to deter any shenanigans while I'm at work.

I had a door like that once. It's pretty humid in western KY, so dry years/winters change things. Anyway, I used paint to see where the bolt was striking, then used a Dremel to grind off just a bit (about 1/8th) of the kick plate. Never had the issue again.

[HarleyDog]

(10-16-2017, 04:41 PM)Benton Wrote: I had a door like that once. It's pretty humid in western KY, so dry years/winters change things. Anyway, I used paint to see where the bolt was striking, then used a Dremel to grind off just a bit (about 1/8th) of the kick plate. Never had the issue again.

Ahhh, the good old trusted dremel. Now that sounds doable.

[McC]

(10-13-2017, 06:40 PM)bfine32 Wrote: Great work. A good tip for tightening hinges; as they loosen in time in to break off the tips of match sticks and tap into the holes and then rescrew. 

I just replaced my storm door and the new ones are so easy. Probably took less than 1 hour after reading the instructions and watching a couple youtube videos.  

Good one.  Filing that one away for future use.   Thank you.

[HarleyDog]

Dremel worked. Door works terrific.

[*rfaulk34*]

(10-16-2017, 04:41 PM)Benton Wrote: I had a door like that once. It's pretty humid in western KY, so dry years/winters change things. Anyway, I used paint to see where the bolt was striking, then used a Dremel to grind off just a bit (about 1/8th) of the kick plate. Never had the issue again.

Dremel is my favorite tool ever. It's what i use to fix people's door strike issues. Use to be, i'd have to take the plate off the frame, go out to my truck, stick it in the vice and hand file it. Now...takes about 2 minutes to widen (lengthen vertically, actually) the strike plate hole. 

Then i get to go back in and see the shocked face when they see a bill for work that took me, beginning to end, about 10-12 minutes. 

[*rfaulk34*]

(10-21-2017, 03:07 AM)McC Wrote: Good one.  Filing that one away for future use.   Thank you.

One more tip for those that have already used bigger and bigger screws over the years, in soft wood. 

Use these.


Don't use the pan head screws though. Drywall screws work just fine.