Top Reasons Your Door Won’t Close and How to Fix It

Everyone has gone through that situation where your door won’t close for an unknown reason. This can be very stressful, especially if you are late for an appointment. Fortunately, finding the motive and fixing it is not that difficult. Check out the top reasons your door won’t close and how to fix it below.

Door Hinges

The problem is often found in the door hinges. Before analyzing all your doors, check the hinges first. See if they have any screws that are loose or check if your door is sagging. A  screwdriver can be used to help reinforce the loose screws, if there are any. Sometimes the screws will turn without getting tighter. In that case, use screws that are longer.

You can try to add a small amount of wood glue on a section of wood, even a matchstick or a toothpick. If you use a matchstick, cut the tip-off. Then, place this piece in the hole. After it’s dry, try adding the screws. That way, your screw will have more to take hold of, therefore making the hinge section more secure. You could try to add a shim behind a lower hinge as well.

Door Jambs

The door jambs are the side posts and top lining of its frame, so you can clearly see the problem if the lower or upper corners of your doors are getting jammed, stuck or even scuffed when you go to close it. Overall, when that happens, it shows that your door probably has an alignment problem.

Misalignment can be temporarily fixed without removing the door or replacing any part of it. All you have to do is to use sandpaper or an electric planer to trim down the sides where the door is getting consistently jammed or when it doesn’t allow you to close the door entirely.

Door Latches

Does your door make that disturbing grinding sound when you try to close it? That probably means that you have some problem with the door latches.  Let’s cover a technique that allows you to check if this is the problem.

Take a lipstick, preferably one you don’t use anymore, and mark the latch. A slow-drying marker will also do the job. After that, place a piece of tape on the center of the metal plate, which the latch strikes to lock itself. It is known as strike plate. The latch is probably the problem if the lipstick or marker goes missing once you open the door.

To fix it, try to use a file made of metal or even an electric plane to etch the strike plate, scraping its hole edge just until it is big enough for the latch to fit.

Yet, even after doing all these steps, sometimes the problem can only be fixed with the aid of a professional locksmith. Overall, you can spend less money by hiring an expert to avoid making mistakes that worsen the situation.

S.O.S Locksmith is the right option for those who are looking for a professional locksmith company that works in London, Ontario, and surrounding areas. Contact S.O.S Locksmith today.