Why Won't My Front Door Close Properly?

A front door that sticks, drags on the floor, or refuses to latch is more than an annoyance — it is a security problem and an energy leak. The cause is almost always one of three things: loose or worn hinges, seasonal wood swelling, or a shifted frame. Each has a distinct signature and a distinct fix.

Quick diagnosis: what exactly is wrong?

• Door sticks or rubs at the top → the top hinge is loose or the door is sagging. See Steps 1–2.
• Door sticks on the lock side (latch edge) → seasonal swelling or paint buildup. See Step 3.
• Door drags on the floor/threshold → sagging hinges or a settled frame. See Steps 1–2.
• Door closes but won’t latch → strike plate misaligned. See Step 4.
• Problem comes and goes with the seasons → humidity swelling. See Step 3.

What you will need

• #2 Phillips screwdriver (or drill/driver)
• 3-inch wood screws (to replace short hinge screws)
• Wood shims or a folded business card
• Hand plane or belt sander (for swelling)
• Utility knife
• Chisel and hammer (for strike plate adjustment)
• Pencil and painter’s tape

Step 1: Check and tighten the hinges

Open the door and lift it by the handle. If you feel it move up and down, the hinges are loose — this is the #1 cause of doors that suddenly stop closing.

1. Tighten all hinge screws, starting with the top hinge (it carries most of the weight).
2. If a screw spins without gripping, the hole is stripped. Remove the screw, push in a wooden golf tee or dowel coated with wood glue, let it dry, trim flush, and re-drive the screw.
3. Replace one short screw per hinge with a 3-inch screw driven into the framing stud behind the jamb. This single upgrade fixes most sagging doors permanently — the long screw pulls the whole jamb back to the framing.

Test the door. If it closes cleanly now, you are done.

Step 2: Shim a sagging hinge

If tightening is not enough and the door still sags (gap wider at the top on the latch side):

1. Remove the screws from the bottom hinge leaf on the jamb side.
2. Slide a thin cardboard shim (a folded business card works) behind the hinge leaf and re-screw.
3. This tilts the door upward slightly, countering the sag. Test and add a second shim if needed.

Conversely, if the door binds at the top, shim the top hinge instead.

Step 3: Fix swelling and rubbing spots

Wood doors swell in humid weather. If the problem is seasonal and the hinges are tight:

1. Find the rub. Close the door slowly and look for where it contacts the frame. For precision, rub pencil or chalk on the frame edge and close the door — the transfer mark shows the exact rub spot.
2. Mark the area with painter’s tape so you do not over-remove.
3. Remove the door (tap the hinge pins up and out with a nail and hammer) and lay it flat.
4. Plane or sand the marked area — remove a little at a time. A hand plane gives the most control; a belt sander is faster but aggressive.
5. Seal the raw wood. Bare wood absorbs moisture and swells again. Paint or varnish every planed edge — including the top and bottom of the door, which are often left unsealed from the factory and are the main moisture entry points.
6. Rehang and test.

Step 4: Realign the strike plate

If the door closes but the latch will not catch:

1. Mark where the latch bolt hits the strike plate (lipstick or chalk on the bolt works).
2. If it is off by less than 1/8 inch, file the strike plate opening wider in the direction of the miss.
3. If it is off more, move the strike plate: unscrew it, chisel the mortise slightly in the needed direction, and reattach. Fill old screw holes with a glued dowel first if the screws would land in them.
4. For a quick fix on a door that almost latches, a slightly larger strike plate opening filed with a metal file is often enough.

What this costs

Mistakes to avoid

• Planing before checking hinges. Most “swollen” doors are actually sagging. Tighten first, plane last.
• Removing too much wood. You can always take off more; you cannot put it back. Remove a hair at a time.
• Leaving planed edges unsealed. Unsealed wood re-absorbs moisture and the problem returns worse than before.
• Ignoring a door that won’t latch. A door that does not latch is a door that does not lock. Treat latch problems as urgent.
• Shimming the wrong hinge. Shimming the bottom hinge raises the latch side; shimming the top hinge lowers it. Get it backwards and you make the problem worse.

Frequently asked questions

Why does my door only stick in summer? Wood absorbs moisture from humid air and expands. Exterior doors are most affected. Sealing all six edges of the door (including top and bottom) is the long-term fix.

Can I fix a sagging door without removing it? Yes — the 3-inch screw trick (Step 1) and hinge shimming (Step 2) are both done with the door in place.

My door drags on the new flooring — what now? The floor raised the threshold. You may need to trim the bottom of the door — mark it, remove it, and plane or saw 1/4 inch off, then reseal the cut edge.

How do I know if the frame itself shifted? Check the reveal (the gap around the door). It should be roughly even — about 1/8 inch all around. If the gap is wide at the top on one side and tight at the bottom on the other, the frame racked and may need a carpenter to re-square it.

When to call a pro

• The frame is visibly racked or the house has settled — re-squaring a door frame is carpenter work ($200–$400).
• The door is steel or fiberglass and warped — these cannot be planed; replacement is the fix.
• The latch will not engage and you need security tonight — a locksmith can adjust the strike on the spot.
• Water is coming under the door — the threshold or weatherstripping has failed and may need replacement.