A door that has worked for fifteen years starts catching on the frame, or stops latching, and nothing obvious has happened. It is one of the most common calls we get, and the cause is almost never the door.
1. The top hinge screws have lost their grip
This is the big one. Over years, the weight of the door slowly pulls the top hinge screws out of the frame — often only a couple of millimetres, which is enough. The door drops on its outer edge and starts catching on the latch side.
This one you can often fix yourself. Open the door, look at the top hinge where it meets the frame, and try tightening those screws. If they just spin, replace one of them with a longer screw — 60mm or so — that reaches past the frame lining into the solid timber behind. That single screw pulls the whole door back into square surprisingly often.
2. The house has moved
Perth soils move with the seasons, and so do houses. Frames go slightly out of square, which shows up first as a door that catches in one corner. If several doors in the house have started sticking at once, this is usually why.
Hairline cracks appearing at cornices at the same time point the same way. That is normal seasonal movement rather than a problem — though cracks that keep growing are worth a look.
3. Humidity
Timber doors swell in damp weather and shrink again when it dries. A door that only catches in winter is probably doing exactly this, and planing it in July means a gap you can see daylight through in January. Better to adjust the hinges than remove timber.
4. New flooring
Carpet or floating floors are often thicker than what came out. A door that binds on the floor rather than the frame, right after new flooring went in, needs the bottom trimmed.
When it is worth calling someone
If the screw trick does not do it, the fix is usually taking the door off, packing or repositioning a hinge, and rehanging it square — occasionally planing an edge and resealing it. It is an hour or so and it does not come back.
Also worth calling if the door is external and no longer locking properly, since that is a security issue rather than an annoyance. See door, lock and handle repairs.
General information only. This article is general in nature. It does not take account of your property, your circumstances or current local requirements, and it is not a substitute for an inspection or professional advice. Please consider your own situation before acting on anything here, and get qualified advice where the work involves safety, structure, electrical, gas or plumbing. Kangaroo Building Works accepts no liability for any loss or damage arising from reliance on this information.
