Common Door Problems and How to Avoid Them

Many common door problems are unavoidable, but they can be fixed. Doors can be a great focal point on any home. They’re one of the first things people see when they enter your home, and one of the last things they see before they leave.

Having not only a nice looking, but a functioning door is important to make you feel good about how your home looks and makes it convenient for everyday use.

Swings Open or Closed

One common door problem is when a door is unable to stay in a fixed position, it will slowly swing open or start to close. This is caused by one thing, and that is the hinges. All of the hinges have to be in a straight vertical line for the door to maintain a fixed open position.

Several things can cause the hinges to be out of line. When a house settles, the door jamb can shift disturbing a previously aligned set of hinges. If you have an older home or your door has gone through a lot of use the screws can start working themselves out of the frame allowing the hinge to move out of place.

To stop your door from moving out of place, you need to determine which hinges are out of place, realign them, and tighten the hinge screws to the door frame. Once you have all three hinges aligned the door will stay in place.

Squeaking, Creaking and Rattling

Squeaking, creaking and rattling is often a problem associated with the hinges of the door. The hinges can dry out over time and the pin within the hinge can rub against the plate creating a scraping noise when the door is being opened or closed. Although this isn’t a serious problem, it can be a very irritating and persistent one. Fortunately, there are a few very simple solutions for this.

The simplest and most effective fix is to use a flat head screw driver and gently pry the pin out of the hinge sleeves a little less than half way. Once it’s pulled up you can drip a few drops of oil down the pin. You can use any kind of lubricating oil whether that’s motor oil or just regular cooking oil. When you slide the pin back in it will spread the oil down the rest of  hinge. You can also remove the pin completely and coat it with paraffin wax and it’ll have the same effect.

If this doesn’t work, there may be rust on the pin grinding within the hinge. To fix this, it’s best to remove the pin completely. Once the pin is removed, you can scrub it with steel wool and a mild soap solution to remove any built up rust from the pin and the hinge itself. After the rust is removed you can oil the pin and replace it.

Drafty Doors

Replacing a door can be costly, but living with a drafty door can be much more expensive. If you live in a climate with extreme high or low temperatures, having drafty doors can really take a toll on your monthly energy bill.

A drafty door can be fixed by adding some weather stripping or door sweeps around the edges of your door. Weather stripping is used to fill the gaps between the door and its frame. Adding weather stripping will ensure a tight seal when you close your door keeping your heat or air conditioning inside. Door sweeps work in a similar way, but they’re placed at the bottom of the door to fill in any space between the bottom of the door and the start of the floor.

Sticking

A door that sticks can be an annoying problem to deal with. Many factors can cause your door to start sticking such as humidity causing the door to swell, or your home settling over the years throwing off the alignment of the door frame.

To fix a sticking door you first need to determine where the door is sticking. You can typically see signs of wear or paint chipping in the area that’s rubbing the door frame. Once you’ve determined where the door is sticking you can look at the hinges. Typically, if there’s a loose hinge causing the door to stick, it will be the one that’s directly across from the area hitting the frame.

If the hinges seem loose, you can tighten the screws. If the door continues to stick and the hinges are in working order, you can begin to sand down the area that rubs on the door frame. It’s best to do this while the door is still hung, because you only want to sand down enough for the door to close comfortably.

Door Won’t Stay Closed

When a door doesn’t stay shut, there’s typically an alignment problem between the strike plate and the latch. This can be due to improper installation, the settling of the home, or excessive wear and tear. When the latch doesn’t properly align, it can’t sit correctly within the strike plate. The result is a door that closes, but can be easily pushed open or blown open by the wind.

To fix a door that won’t stay firmly closed, you have to realign the latch with the strike plate. This can be done by rehanging the door if you think the hinges have settled out of place, or by simply relocating the strike plate to align with the doors latch. Once the latch is realigned the door should be able to stay closed.

Eliminate Your Door Problems with a New Door From Feldco

Are you sick of dealing with your door problems? Feldco has a huge selection of entry, patio and storm doors to choose from. Since many of these door problems come from improper installation, having an experienced company do the installation for you can give you the comfort of knowing it was done right the first time.

Get a free quote today to start your project with Feldco.