How to Stop Your Door from Sticking

Everyone has experienced this in one house or another. You try and get the door to close, and although you can see all the free space around it, for some reason or another, it will not shut! Not only is it frustrating, it’s almost mind-boggling! Here’s a few suggestions you can try out to fix that sticking door!

First, wash the door completely with soap and water. Like anything else that is old, some doors need to be washed and cleaned. If soap doesn’t do the trick, head over to your local hard-ware store and pick up a bottle of Goo-Gone or some other brand of stick removal.

Next, try oiling the door hinges. When a hinge rusts, put some DW-40 on it and open and close it a few times to get the door to move freely again. Oiling the hinges alone is probably the most frequent solution to a stuck door. Humidity also plays a factor, as the denser the air, the more swollen and warped the wood will be.

Replacing the screws will sometimes, but not always, solve the problem as well. However what is more effective is to simply adjust the door hinges. If they are on too tight or too loose, the door may stick. Also, be sure they are aligned properly! In general, the top one should move away from the door and the bottom one should move toward. Adjusting the hinges is as easy as taking the pin out of the hinge and bending the hinge a little bit at what are called the ‘knuckles’. These are the protruding loops. Once bent, replace the pin and see if it still sticks. Keep in mind that this may take a few tries to get right.

If all else fails adjust the door itself. Sometimes the reason a door is sticking is so hard to figure out that this is the only option you have left! Perhaps the land you are on has moved or shifted? Either way, if the foundation has changed, you will want to readjust the door back to the correct height by shaving off some of the wood from the top or bottom.

Using these suggestions your door should no longer stick. If you like, you can head on over to your local hardware store and check out one of their commercial door lubricants. Be sure to get a grease free one otherwise it may stain the door!