I've got a couple of doors in my house that sit too high on the handle side. Because of this, they scrape against the top when trying to close, and the strike plate is positioned too low to catch the latch. I was hoping to find some solid advice on how to fix this issue. Most of the solutions I come across address doors that are sagging the other way. Any tips?
3 Answers
Make sure all sides of the door frame are level and plumb. If the door was installed incorrectly from the start, it might never line up properly. Adjusting the installation may be necessary for a complete fix.
If the height issue isn’t too severe, you might just want to plane or sand down the top of the door a bit. Also, see if you can move the strike plate up, or use a file to make the strike opening taller. Both are pretty straightforward fixes that could help!
First, check if all the hinge screws are tight, especially the bottom hinge. If the door is still rubbing at the top, try removing the top hinge screws and placing a cardboard shim beneath the hinge plate that fits the mortise. Then, reattach the hinge on top of the shim to see if that helps. You can also slightly loosen the screws on the middle hinge.