Fix a Sticking Door

Doors stick for three main reasons: the wood swells with humidity, the hinges sag from years of use, or the house settles and throws the frame out of square. The fix depends on where the door binds. A door that drags along the top usually means sagging hinges. One that catches on the latch side points to wood expansion or frame shift. The good news is that most sticking doors respond to simple adjustments you can make with hand tools in an afternoon. The key is pinpointing exactly where the door meets resistance. Close it slowly and watch where it first catches. Mark that spot with painter's tape. That mark tells you whether you're shimming hinges, planing wood, or adjusting metal. Fix it right and the door will swing free for years.

1. Pinpoint where it sticks. Close the door slowly and note where it catches or drags. Run a piece of cardboard between the door and frame while the door is closed—it will stop where the gap tightens. Mark the tight spot with painter's tape on both the door edge and frame. Open the door and look for shiny wear marks on the paint where wood rubs wood.
2. Tighten every hinge screw. Open the door fully and examine each hinge. Tighten every screw with a screwdriver. If screws spin without tightening, they've stripped the wood. Remove the loose screw, tap a wooden golf tee into the hole, break it off flush, and drive the screw back in. This gives the threads fresh wood to grip.
3. Realign with cardboard shims. If the door binds at the top latch side, the hinge side is sagging. Remove the screws from the bottom hinge, cut a thin cardboard shim to match the hinge leaf shape, place it behind the hinge, and reattach. This kicks the bottom of the door out slightly. Test the swing. Add shims to middle or top hinges if needed to fine-tune the angle.
4. Plane the binding edge. If the door still sticks after hinge work, you need to remove wood. Take the door off its hinges by tapping out the hinge pins from bottom to top. Lay it on sawhorses. Use a block plane on the marked binding area, planing with the grain in thin passes. Check your progress every few strokes by standing the door up and eyeballing the edge. Remove only as much as needed.
5. Seal the planed wood. Once the door closes smoothly, sand the planed area with 120-grit paper to smooth the wood. Brush on a coat of primer or paint that matches the door. Unsealed wood will absorb moisture and swell right back to sticking. Let it dry completely before rehanging.
6. Align the strike plate. If the door closes but the latch won't catch, the strike plate hole is misaligned. Loosen the strike plate screws and tap it up or down with a hammer until the latch slides in cleanly. Tighten the screws. If you need to move it more than an eighth inch, you'll need to chisel the mortise deeper or wider and fill the old screw holes with wood filler first.
7. Verify smooth operation. Lift the door back onto its hinges and tap the pins in from top to bottom. Swing it open and closed ten times, listening for any scraping sounds. It should move freely without force and latch with a light push. If it still drags slightly, mark the new contact point and make a final light pass with the plane.