Fixing Doors that Stick

Examine the space between your door's unhinged side and the frame. If the gap between the door and the frame is nearly non-existent, it may be difficult to close and open your door without it becoming stuck. Before you shave off a section of the door's edge to widen the gap, consider adjusting the door hinges to see if it solves the problem. One of your door hinges might not be correctly seated in the mortise (the indent on the jamb where the hinge plate rests). If your door is just pushed too near to the frame at the top or bottom, you'll only need to adjust the hinge that's level with that area of the door. Here are the main ideas:

1. Remove the bottom hinge on your door and unscrew it.

2. Remove any remaining wood from the mortise with a chisel.

3. Unscrew the hinges and look for compression marks in the mortises.

1. Remove the bottom hinge on your door and unscrew it.

The door hinge can be unscrewed with a screwdriver or a drill. Look for compression marks on the mortise's edge. Compression marks indicate that the door hinge plate was not correctly seated in the mortise. If the door hinge isn't fully seated in the mortise, the door will push outwards into the frame more than it should. Cut following the compression mark lines using a utility knife. Once the excess wood along the compression marks has been removed, the door hinge will be able to seat completely in the mortise. With the utility knife, don't cut any deeper than the remainder of the mortise.

2. Remove any remaining wood from the mortise with a chisel.

Place the chisel's sharp end on one of the lines you've cut. Then smash the chisel's handle to scrape the excess wood away with the chisel. Make sure the mortise and door jamb isn't damaged. Continue chiselling until you've removed all of the superfluous wood from the compression marks.

Replace the hinge on your door. The hinge should now fit perfectly in the mortise after you've removed the excess wood from the door jamb. To prevent the hinge from becoming loose, tighten the screws on the hinge. Rep with the remaining door hinges.

3. Unscrew the hinges and look for compression marks in the mortises.

If there are compression marks in the mortise, cut them out with the utility knife and chisel them out. The gap between the unhinged edge of your door and the frame should be wider after you've adjusted all of the hinges, and your door shouldn't get stuck when you open and close it.

If the problem persists, use a hand plane to shave down your door. A hand plane is a portable tool for removing small amounts of wood from a wooden surface. Shave the unhinged edge of your door that joins the frame with the hand plane so it doesn't become trapped.

WUXI GMB International Corporation, which was established in 2005, is a major exporter and professional provider of door hardware goods such as lock bodies, door handles, lock cylinders, padlocks, door hinges, ball-bearing slides, and other furniture hardware. GMB has created long-term commercial relationships with key organizations in numerous countries and regions, thanks to a strong foundation in the hardware locks industry spanning over 15 years. Year after year, the WUXI GMB business has grown and our volume has increased. We have been focusing on market exploitation and cultivation, as well as developing, designing, and manufacturing high-quality products.