This article was co-authored by Ryaan Tuttle and by wikiHow staff writer, Hunter Rising. Ryaan Tuttle is a Home Improvement Specialist and the CEO of Best Handyman, Inc. in Boston, Massachusetts. With over 17 years of experience, he specializes in building home service businesses, focusing on creating scalable and efficient brands. With the help of his global team, the companies have achieved over 10+ million in sales and received recognition through magazine features, and enjoy partnerships with wikiHow and Jobber field service software. Boston Magazine and LocalBest.com have named Best Handyman Boston the Best Handyman in Boston. Ryaan holds Construction Supervisor and Home Improvement Contractor Licenses.
There are 7 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page.
This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources.
If you want more privacy and security, then it’s important to fix that door that isn’t latching or closing properly. Whether you have an interior or exterior door that won’t latch, the repairs are pretty simple for a DIYer. Keep reading, and we’ll walk you through why your door won’t latch and how to fix it on your own. We also spoke with home improvement specialist Ryaan Tuttle and locksmith Ray Lawrence for more info on adjusting hinges and replacing a knob that won’t lock.
Quick Steps to Fix a Door Not Latching
- Clean out the latch with compressed air.
- Tighten the screws on the door frame hinges.
- Add shims under the hinges to fix a sagging door.
- Enlarge the strike plate’s hole with a file.
- Bend the hinges to even out your door.
- Move the strike plate to the latch’s height.
Steps
9 Possible Fixes for a Door That Won’t Latch
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Clean and lubricate the latch if it’s dirty. If the latch is sticking or if the strike plate hole has debris in it, cleaning it out may be enough for your door to close and latch properly.[1]
- Spray compressed air into the latch and strike plate hole. Also, spray the keyhole if there’s a lock on the door.
- Apply WD-40 to the latch and turn the handle to spread the lubricant.
- Try closing your door and testing if the latch moves properly.
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Tighten the door hinges if they’re loose. When your door starts to sag or rub against the frame, loose screws on the hinges are usually the main culprit. Luckily, they’re also the easiest to fix.[2]
- Open your door to expose the screws on your hinges.
- Use a screwdriver to tighten all of the hinge screws until they’re hand-tight.
- If the screw hole is stripped and the screws don’t tighten, fill the hole with wooden dowels, golf tees, or toothpicks. After that, screw the hinge back in for a secure hold.
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Add longer wood screws if the screw holes are stripped. Using longer screws in door hinges holds them tighter to the door jamb so they don’t sag or rub against the frame. Where you place the screw depends on the latch’s position.
- If the latch is below the strike plate hole, then use a longer screw on the top hinge.
- For a latch that’s above the strike plate hole, place the long screw on the bottom hinge.
- According to Tuttle, start by taking the screws out from the hinge that’s on the door frame. Leave the other hinge attached to the door.
- Drive a 3 in (7.6 cm) wood screw through one of the holes in the hinge and secure it to the frame.
- Reattach the rest of the screws to the hinge and close the door to check that it latches.
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Raise hinges with shims if they’re sunken. Wooden shims help make the hinges flush with the frame so your door doesn’t rub or get stuck.[3]
- Close the door and tap out the hinge pins with a hammer and screwdriver.
- Remove the door from the frame.
- Unscrew the sunken hinges from the frame to remove them.
- Place a thin wooden shim in the mortise behind the hinge. Place the hinge on top to check that it’s flush with the door frame.
- Screw the hinge back in place.
- Reattach the door and hinge pins to test if it latches.
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Sand the mortises if the hinges are raised. Hinges butting out from the frame can cause your door to stop and not close properly, so sanding the area behind the hinges can alleviate the issue.[4]
- Close the door and remove the hinge pins with a screwdriver and hammer.
- Unscrew the raised hinges from the door frame.
- Use sandpaper to smooth out bumps and raised areas from the mortise behind the hinge. Occasionally place the hinge back in the mortise to check if it’s flush.
- Screw the hinge back into the frame and reattach the door.
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Bend the hinges if the door is rubbing against the frame. According to Tuttle, when your door sags or rubs against the frame near the bottom, repositioning the door with shims and bending the hinges into place can be a simple way to make it latch again.
- To start, Tuttle says, “Take the bottom hinge pin out of the door and put a small shim under the knob side [of the door] to make the gap even.”
- He continues, “Take the hinges with a wrench and bend them a little bit [so they line up with the door] and put the hinge pin back in.”
- Remove the shims and the door will hang in the correct position so you’re able to close it.
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File a larger hole on the strike plate if the latch barely misses it. If the door latch is only off the strike plate hole by 1⁄8 inch (0.32 cm), then filing the hole is the best fix.[5]
- Place a rounded file at the top of the strike plate hole if the latch is too high or at the bottom of the latch is too low. Alternatively, use a rotary tool with a rounded filing bit to work faster.
- Apply firm pressure and push the file into the strike plate hole to shave away some of the metal.
- Keep filing the strike plate and testing the latch location until your door closes and latches securely.
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Smooth out the door or frame if there are warps and bulges. If you’ve adjusted your hinges and the door still rubs against the frame, then use sandpaper or an electric sander to remove the extra material.[6]
- If the frame looks warped, then sand any raised spots on the frame.
- If the frame is square but the door is uneven or too large, sand the door edge that’s rubbing against the frame.
- Only sand for a few seconds at a time before testing the door again so you don’t accidentally remove too much material.
- If there’s too much to sand from the door, then remove it from the frame and trim the excess material off. Just be careful not to remove so much that there are large gaps between the frame and door.
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Move the strike plate to the latch’s height as a final fix. If repairs don’t work for realigning your door, then repositioning the strike plate ensures the latch lines up properly.[7]
- Unscrew the strike plate from the door frame.
- Position the plate on the frame so it aligns with the latch and mark the location.
- Cut a new mortise with a chisel.
- Fill the original screw holes with wood dowels, toothpicks, or matchsticks.
- Screw the strike plate back into its new position.
- Fill in gaps around the strike plate with wood filler, wait for it to dry, and then paint it to match the rest of the frame.
Expert Q&A
Video
Tips
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The door and frame can swell with changes in the weather. If you notice your door doesn’t latch during a certain time of year but works normally during the other months, it may be seasonal changes.Thanks
Warnings
- Always be slow and cautious if you’re using power tools so you don’t injure yourself.Thanks
References
- ↑ https://www.housedigest.com/1324101/clean-door-lock-stop-sticking/
- ↑ https://youtu.be/YrITwN9kefU?t=49
- ↑ https://todayshomeowner.com/doors/guides/dont-shave-door-shim/
- ↑ https://youtu.be/KU_FMR4TdDY?t=170
- ↑ https://youtu.be/YrITwN9kefU?t=170
- ↑ https://youtu.be/J0uOGW4n4Wg?t=130
- ↑ https://youtu.be/wx5Slkr_QR0?t=304