(03) 8686 9309

Why is my Door Sticking to the Frame? 8 Reasons Why and if You Should be Worried

You probably don’t spend much time thinking about the doors in your home until they start misbehaving. But once a door in your home starts sticking, you will find your frustration wear thin very quickly.

 

There are many reasons that might be causing your sticking door but some are much more serious than others. It is important that when you recognise the cause you take the correct measures to identify and fix the problem.

 

This article will take you through 8 common reasons for a sticking doors in your home and, of course, we will give you a few effective tips to make a fix.

 

Improper Installation

This is one of the most common and obvious reasons for a sticking door. While they may look like simple enough structures, doors need great precision and attention to detail when being installed. A small mistake during the installation can be all it takes for sticking problems further down the track.

 

The good news is that this is an easy problem to fix. In most cases re-installing the door with better care and precision in your measurements will reduce any sticking.

 

Foundation Shifting

If you are living in a house that has not had a proper pre-build inspection before it was built there is always the risk that the foundations can shift after construction.

 

While you may not see a physical change from a distance, a house is a massive structure which gives a great level of pressure to its foundation and if it shifts it can force the windows and door frames into a different shape, getting them jammed/stuck as a result. Depending on the severity of the shifting, your doors and windows can eventually be damaged beyond repair.

 

If this is the cause of your doors sticking, the only good news we have for you is that sticking doors are the least of your problems. It will essentially require you to repair your foundation, and fix and windows and doors which were damaged along the way as well.

 

Humidity Expansion/Contraction

Weather and temperature can play a big role in the issues with sticking doors, especially doors that lead to the outside of the house since they are exposed to the most extreme conditions. Humidity in the air can cause wooden doors to expand as they absorb the moisture from the surroundings.

 

This issue can be dealt with relatively easily by taking off the door from the frame and sanding/planning the edge of the door all around. It is important to have some know-how when completing this task so that you don’t make a large gap when doing so.

 

Door Obstructions and the Accumulation of Dirt and Debris

Sometimes the reason for the door sticking could be a slight obstruction that is not directly visible, or the accumulation of dirt in the hinges. Both these problems can be avoided by making sure that your door is well cleaned at least once every three months.

 

If your door has already started to stick, take it off and clean thoroughly including in the hinges as well. Then run a bar of soap along the edge for some extra help, and re-install carefully.

 

Sagging Hinges

The sticking issue of your door can happen due to improperly installed or sagging door hinges. This happens when the screws of the hinges get loosened up and the door gets lopsided (this will commonly happen in homes with children who love to hang off the door handles).

 

This is quite an easy problem to solve. Check the hinges; if they are in good condition and only loosened up, screw them tightly in place. (Oh, and make sure to tell the kids not to hang off the door as well!)

 

Issues with the Latch

The door latch is a common reason for doors to stick to the frame. More often than not, the reason here is that the door latches have been misaligned. This causes the door to not properly connect with the strike plate.

 

You can easily fix this by unscrewing your strike plate and properly aligning it for a close fit with the door when it closes.

 

Wear and Tear

Everything loses its efficiency given the curse of time. If your door is quite old, the reason that it tends to stick often can be simple wear and tear. It is generally going to happen over a long enough period and the best remedy is to replace your door with a new one, being sure to measure and install everything properly to get the best lifetime value (and least frustration) out of your home’s doors.

 

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Call For A Free Quote