Adjusting Your Door

Doors swell and start rubbing on the jamb for various reasons. Foundations settle, wood framing members twist, bow and suck up moisture and walls rack out of plumb sometimes due to earthquakes. But the former cause is due to the fact that the top or lowest of the door was not sealed while the painting process. This allows moisture to enter the wood frame from the inside, increasing the door and causing it to rub or even get fully stuck in ultimate circumstances.

Sometimes the fix can be relatively simple. If the latch side of the door is rubbing, try this:

Door Bottom

1. If the top side, latch side of the door is rubbing, take off the top hinge pin. If the lowest side, latch side of the door is rubbing, take off the lowest hinge pin. Only take off one hinge pin at a time.

2. Using a crescent wrench, tighten it colse to each ear of the hinge that is attached to the door. One at a time, bend each ear slightly (about 1/8") in the direction of the lock side of the door. Be specific not to bend the ears too much as this can cause the door to become hinge bound - now rubbing on the hinge side of the jamb. After bending each ear, re-insert the hinge pin and operate the door. You may be surprised at how easy it was to fix the problem.

3. If the hinge side of the door is rubbing, just reverse the direction in which you are bending the hinge ears.

4. Add a microscopic lubricant to the hinges and you are done.

Of course sometimes the door will be rubbing at the top of the jamb. In this case, your only alternative is to plane the top of the door. If you are trying to avoid the use of power tools, you can try a sure form rasp or hand planer. Just plane the door a microscopic at a time and then try it until it no longer rubs. Take your time. You don't want to get in a hurry and plane too much at one time. The door may now close but the fit will look terrible.

After the problem has been resolved, don't forget to seal the top and lowest of the door with a capability paint. Although you will have to use a drop cloth, there are many creative applicators available that will allow you to apply the sealer without having to take off the door.

Adjusting Your Door

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