Fix a door that won't close properly
Save £50–80 in 45 mins — no carpenter needed
Doors that stick, drag, or refuse to latch are almost always caused by loose hinges or swollen wood. Both are quick fixes if you work through the causes in the right order.
Last updated: March 2025
Only basic tools needed — most homes already have them.
Before you start
Doors fail to close properly for three reasons: loose hinges (most common — causes dragging), swollen wood from humidity (causes seasonal sticking), or a shifted door frame (causes the latch to miss the keep).
Always check the hinges first. A single loose screw on the top hinge is the cause in around half of all cases — and takes 30 seconds to fix.
You do not need to remove the door to tighten hinges or adjust the keep. Removal is only needed if you have to sand the door edge.
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Tools & materials
- ✓Flat-head screwdriver— to tighten hinge screws and tap out hinge pins
- ✓Cross-head screwdriver— some hinges and keeps use cross-head screws
- ✓Mallet— to tap hinge pins out when removing the door
- !80-grit sandpaper— only needed if hinge tightening does not fix it
- !Wood primer or paint— to seal any bare wood after sanding
Want everything in one go?
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Identify exactly what the door is doing
Close the door slowly and watch where it fails. There are three distinct problems that look similar but have different causes. First, dragging or sticking — the door catches the frame at one point and needs force to close. Second, not latching — the door closes easily but the latch bolt does not catch in the keep (the plate on the frame). Third, bouncing back — the door closes but springs open again on its own. Identifying which you have before touching anything tells you where to look. Why: a door that drags needs a different fix to a door that does not latch. Doing the wrong repair wastes time and can make things worse.
Most people get this done in under 5 minutes.
Where beginners go wrong
Reaching for sandpaper before checking the hinges. Sanding is irreversible. Check every hinge screw first — this fixes more than half of all sticking doors at no cost.
Removing too much material in one pass. Sand a little, rehang, test, sand a little more. A door with too much material removed has a visible gap and lets in draughts permanently.
Not marking the exact sticking point. Sanding in the wrong place takes off wood you cannot put back. Use chalk or paper to locate the contact point precisely before sanding anything.
Skipping the sealing step. Bare sanded wood swells with moisture. The door will stick again within weeks. Prime and paint any area you have sanded before the next rain.
Stop and call a carpenter if...
The door frame is visibly warped, cracked, or no longer square — frame replacement is specialist work
The door sticks all the way around, not just at one point — this suggests a structural shift in the building
The hinge screws pull straight out of the frame — the timber behind is rotten or soft and needs replacing before hinges can hold
Cost breakdown
Recommended starter kit
Five tools that cover most home repairs.
- →Adjustable spannerAmazon·Screwfix
- →Screwdriver setAmazon·Screwfix
- →PTFE tapeAmazon·Screwfix
- →Spirit levelAmazon·Screwfix
- →Tape measureAmazon·Screwfix
Want everything in one go? Get it on Amazon
What you just learned
You understand why doors stick and how to work through the causes in the right order — hinges first, marking second, sanding last. These skills transfer to adjusting door frames, fitting new hinges, and eventually hanging new internal doors.
This unlocks:
⚠️ Watch out if you rent
Sticking doors are the landlord's responsibility to fix. Report it in writing. Tightening a loose hinge screw is fine; sanding the door should have the landlord's agreement first.