How to fix stripped screw holes on a metal door latch plate
When traditional dowel and toothpick methods fail on a hollow metal door, the original mounting hardware is often too small for holes that have widened over time from repeated tightening. This prevents the latch plate or closer mechanism from securing properly, leaving the door loose and unable to latch correctly.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
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How to fix stripped screw holes on a metal door latch plate
- 1Using the dowel and toothpick methodDid this help you?
- 2Using Bondo wood fillerDid this help you?
- 3Using a self-tapping screw to try to secure the loose hardware.Did this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“The mounting hardware for the pneumatic closing mechanism has come loose from our screen door.”source ↗
“The original hardware is too small for the holes that have grown overtime from tightening it.”source ↗
“The door is in very good shape-can't say the same for the area behind the latch plate--metal hollow door-have been down the dowel/toothpick road.”source ↗