Is a sticking, squeaking, or drafty door getting you down? Never fear! The Home Know-It-All’s easy door repair pointers are here (carefully culled from some of my favorite sources, of course).
Some door problems come up time and time again (to the frustration of homeowners, no doubt). Here are some of the peskiest:
Sticking Doors. If your door is sticking along the frame, try lubricating the doorjamb and frame with candle wax. Tightening the door hinges sometimes helps too. If that doesn’t solve the problem, you might have to resize your door. The folks at HGTV recommend placing a piece of carbon paper (carbon side down) on the door in the area where it appears to be sticking. Close the door. The marks on the carbon paper should show you where it’s not fitting right. Then you can use sandpaper or a rotary tool to sand those spots down. If the door sticks at the bottom, slide a stack of sandpaper sheets under the door and open and close the door over the sandpaper to sand down any uneven areas.
Squeaking Doors. Lubricate your door hinges with a few drops of oil. If that doesn’t do the trick, slide a shim under the door and remove the hinge pin. Clean the pin with steel wool and poke the pin hole with a wire-brush pipe cleaner. Apply a coat of graphite to the moving parts of the hinge before returning the pin to its place.
Drafty Doors. Apply self-adhesive weatherstripping to the sides and top of the doorframe. Then cut a door sweep to match the width of your door and screw the strip on so the bristles deter the wind without interfering with door opening and closing. Learn how to attach a door sweep and seal doorjambs.
Of course, different kinds of doors are susceptible to different challenges and require specific solutions. For instance, exterior wood doors can swell and stick due to excess moisture; sliding glass doors can run off track; and the screens on storm doors may tear. DoItYourself.com has a slew of projects related to fixing these door problems and more.
Fill me in on what you do to solve door problems large and small. What do you do to remedy dents, dings, and cracks? Maybe your pointers will make it into a future post!
Until Monday,
The Home Know-It-All
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