Said It Here

How to fix a door that is sagging or rubbing against the frame

Doors shift and sag because houses settle or hinges loosen over time, causing latches to miss their strikes and edges to catch on the frame. This misalignment prevents doors from closing or latching properly without forcing them or carving out the frame.

What people tried

Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.

  1. 1
    widening the door latch hole
  2. 2
    using wooden shims or playing cards to align hinges
  3. 3
    tightening loose hinge screws or using toothpicks in stripped screw holes
  4. 4
    using a pump air wedge or a crescent wrench to bend and align hinges
  5. 5
    chiseling hinge recesses or sanding down the door or frame
  6. 6
    Lowering the strike plate
  7. 7
    Raising the hinge side door frame
  8. 8
    Tightening frame screws
  9. 9
    Checking for storm door sag
  10. 10
    Lubricating the hardware with lightweight dry lube
  11. 11
    Tightening loose screws on the hinge
  12. 12
    Replacing the door
  13. 13
    moving the bracket to the reinforced stile in the middle
  14. 14
    installing a side mount opener with a new spring
  15. 15
    using a bent arm type connection that pivots a bit
  16. 16
    Readjusting the hinges to lift the gate
  17. 17
    Repositioning the bolt or latch
  18. 18
    Installing a turnbuckle anti-sag kit

In their words

Unedited, most upvoted first, each linked to the thread it came from.

I noticed whenever I open my garage, the metal panel flex. Does this whole garage door need to be replaced?source ↗

Rocko99T · r/homeowners · 13 upvotes

Recently installed a fence and the slide bolt has started settling below the latch.source ↗

Is there anything I could do to lubricate or coat in lieu of repositioning the bolt or latch?source ↗

uhgulp · r/HomeImprovement · 2 upvotes

I have some doors in my house (one is the door from the garage to the inside and the other is a set of exterior french doors) that have shifted due to settling.source ↗

The garage door is getting pushed in such a way that the latch won't sit in the hole for it and I've had to widen it to keep the door closed.source ↗

For the french doors, one door is sort of pushed upward and is a few mm from the top.source ↗

DifferentAd4968 · r/HomeMaintenance · 1 upvotes

My front screen door has started to catch on the latch. It’s like it’s not being pushed in enough when you pull the handle down and it catches on the frame. Is there a way I can adjust this door in a little bit?source ↗

rmesure · r/HomeMaintenance · 1 upvotes

Where this came up

People with this problem also raised