How to fix a sticking door

With all the extraordinary rain we’ve had, many people have found that they can’t close their doors or at best they’re sticking and difficult to close.

What’s the cause and how do you fix it?

Firstly, make sure that there’s no structural issues with the door, door frame or jamb. Check the hinges for looseness, Make sure that nothing is cracked or loose. Chances are that with this weather, it’ll just be due to moisture and the massive expansion created by this absorption.

If it’s just sticking, you may get by with just sanding the face of the door. If you have great difficulty closing and opening, then planing or skimming the face of the door is the only option. In most cases, you will not have to remove the door to do this. Keep doing this until you have an even gap all the way along the door. Keep testing for closing ability. Hopefully after a few attempts, you’ll have a suitable gap and the door will close properly again. Finish off the surface with a nice sand.

If its an external door, its essential to paint the bare surface, at least with an undercoat until you get a chance to paint it properly. If its an internal door, it wont be affected by the weather, so you could leave it bare in the interim until you get a chance to paint it.

Why does this happen?

In 90% of cases, it’s due to that fact that all surfaces were not painted. The front and back of the door are painted. Sometimes the top of the door is painted. And the bottom? Well in my experience this almost never painted! Hence you have an access point for moisture. As it absorbs moisture, the door swells and wont close.

Now, in a stable environment, you may get away with this for a long time but with the amount of rain we’ve had, an incorrectly painted door will pose a few issues. There are also other factors such as what direction the door is facing, how much adverse weather it’s getting, construction material, types of weather exposure and paint type and condition.

If you are experiencing some problems with your door/s speak with your painter or trusted trades person to see what needs to be done to rectify the problem

Contact your local Southern Highlands handyman service for DIY and small job help.