If you’ve got a door that sticks when you try to close it, there are better ways to deal with it than slamming it in anger or cursing at it when it refuses to close all the way. You could go the textbook route and remove the door, sand it and remount it, or you could just try a simple trick that could save you all that work.
An old Yahoo Voices post recommends loosening the top screw of the top hinge a quarter turn. By giving the door a little extra wiggle room, it just might shut normally without protest. If the turn doesn’t work, you can try the same thing with the next-lowest screw.
If your door still sticks after loosening the hinges a bit, you can also try tightening them to see if that adjusts the angle well enough to eliminate the problem.
Fix Your Sticky Door with a Screwdriver [Yahoo Voices]
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I must have opened the wrong page this morning… or consumerist seems to be redirecting to This Old House…please fix, thanks.
The blog police have spoken!
Have you tried loosening the screws on your router?
Screws?? Are you kidding me??
It’s obvious that thread-seal tape is needed here, as is usually the case when the tubes that carry the internet are leaking.
OR, rather than just playing around with things you could spend 30 seconds looking at the door and determining where it is sticking and perhaps what would fix it correctly in the first place.
+1
JUST STOP PHIL, we are on what now, the 45th “How to”. Maybe you can post a “how to” to block certain articles on consumerist
Or “How To” write an informative, well cited blog post that delivers more than just common knowledge.
Oh, I don’t mind a good “how-to”. This is not good.
Also, “How-To” posts should be about things that aren’t common knowledge, and that we haven’t already covered in the recent past.
Try my anti-Phil Greasemonkey script.
” If the turn doesn’t work, you can try the same thing with the next-lowest screw, continuing until all screws are loose, and the door falls off, killing your dog”.
Just fix it RIGHT.
“Consumerist Reader’s Dog Killed By Bad Advice”
Yea, so this is advice aimed at people too lazy and/or inept to fix it right, and we’re telling them to starting loosening screws. This can only end badly.
it’s leap dAY ….AND sOMEONE’S GOT A SCREW LOOSE
it’s leap dAY ….AND SOMEONE’S GOT A SCREW LOOSE
Or you could replace “remove the door, sand it and remount it” with lay a sheet, get on step stool, sand and vacuum if needed. Tough!
Or ask a neighbor for one of these http://www.google.com/imgres?q=wood+plane&hl=en&client=firefox-a&hs=hNm&sa=X&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&biw=1280&bih=694&tbm=isch&prmd=imvns&tbnid=4pi7q84Do401vM:&imgrefurl=http://www.dpchallenge.com/image.php%3FIMAGE_ID%3D34735&docid=8fzHuGnGKb13PM&imgurl=http://images.dpchallenge.com/images_challenge/0-999/131/800/Copyrighted_Image_Reuse_Prohibited_34735.jpg&w=640&h=407&ei=TUFOT4KSDIj20gHu6Pz1Ag&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=288&vpy=283&dur=2527&hovh=179&hovw=282&tx=164&ty=75&sig=101721431246823083218&page=1&tbnh=81&tbnw=128&start=0&ndsp=21&ved=1t:429,r:1,s:0
Please learn about Tiny URL!
http://tinyurl.com/
I have one of those but it has a power cord. MORE POWER!
Next Philler article: How to properly crack an egg.
Only if there is a relevant article to link to.
How to Break an Egg – For Dummies:
http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/how-to-break-an-egg.html
I would totally love a how to peel a hard boiled egg perfectly every single time. I think I get one perfect hard boiled egg in every 3 eggs or so. Blah!
I’ll play along with Phil.
If you have a door that won’t stay open & just swings closed by itself, there’s an easy fix.
Just remove one of the hinge pins, lay it on on an angle & give it a whack with a hammer to put a slight bend in the pin. Replace the pin & the door should now stay open when you want it to.
ummm…. loosening screws increases the stress on the screws (as they wiglle to accomodate the non-fit) and soon you are left with a door falling off the hinges. I like the previous commenters ideas….FIX IT RIGHT!
Keep in mind that sometimes sticky doors are due to changing weather/humidity conditions and you might not want to start shaving parts of the door. Loosening a screw might be the right solution in some cases.
Keep in mind, when you give wiggle room with this screw technique, your latch to keep the door closed may be affected. As mentioned earlier, it puts more stress on the screws as well. Better off fixing it right, sand and/or Plane it down a bit. If the door sticks when the humidity goes up, you need to seal all 6 sides of the door. (front back, and edges), I would even paint/seal inside the door knob hole, and under the hinges, any moisture getting into a wooden door can affect it’s size, obviously do this after a few days of very dry conditions. Sealing all exposed wood will also keep it from warping.
Ok, but how to do I fix my doorframe that’s sagged down 3/4 of an inch on one side?
Pull off the trim and resquare the door frame.
A blacklist for Phil’s posts?
unpossible.
No Phil, in retrospect, I wouldn’t do that to you.
You are a voice here as well,
and I know you can’t help it if it’s a slow day….
i prefer to stick a spring washer under each of the bottom two screws on the bottom hinge if the door is sagging and sticks or sagging and won’t latch properly.
Condensed for your convenience: fiddle with the screws until it works.
This advice is applicable to multitudes of other problems, too!
Condensed for your convenience: fiddle with the screws until it works.
This advice is applicable to multitudes of other problems, too!
Screws are metal rods with built in stress fractures.
I am pretty sure it is rarely a good idea to loosen the screws.
If the door has worked properly in the past, it is time to figure out what has changed?
Settling of the house? Probably in a lot of cases.
My slanted roof over the front door is a perfect example. If there is too much snow / ice piled on it, anymore then 4 inches of heavy dense snow, will cause the front door to not open and close properly.
Fix does not include dismantling the door or loosening the components meant to hold it in place. It involves pulling out the snow removal shovel and removing the snow.
If the door sticks because it is out of square and loosening (or tightening) a screw does not work, I have ONE POSSIBLE FIX. Unscrew the upper or lower plate on the door jam until you can jam a small piece of cardboard (or thin piece of wood) in and retighten.
Just a suggestion that MAY fix the issue.