How to fix a front door that is tight?

usrreddy972

Hi,

The front door feels quite tight at the bottom. Is this something fixable or do I need to hire a carpenter.

JacobZ

Thank you for your question about your front door.

Do you have a photo of where the door is rubbing that you can share? This will help our members offer their best advice based on the specifics of your issue.

Let me know if you need help uploading images. I am happy to help if required.

A likely solution is to remove some material from the location where it is rubbing. If it is in a location that is accessible while still hung, you might be able to do it in place, but if not, mark the location where it is rubbing and unscrew the hinges and move the door to a surface where you can work on it.

Where your mark is, you will need to remove some material. This can be done with a hand plane, or by simply giving it a good sand with an aggressive grit sandpaper such as this 60 Grit Sandpaper.

Once you have sanded or planed back the door, test-swing the door to see if it is swinging nicely. Once you are happy with it, apply a coat of paint to finish up and return your door to regular use.

Let me know what you think, and if you have further questions, please don't hesitate to ask.

Jacob

AlanM52

Hi @usrreddy972,

Please post some photos so we can visually access the situation.

Include photos of the whole door, the bottom of the door and one from outside.

Things to check:

Is the door square

Is the gap on the hinge side even all the way from top to bottom.

The bottom hinge with a cardboard shim could be a easy fix.

Cheers

usrreddy972

Thanks Alan and Jacob. I have attached some images. The door is sticking at the bottom. Also the bottom hinge has less spacing on the side compared to the top hinge. Since this is the front door, will a cardboard shim be suitable. Are there any links for a suitable front door bootom frameBottom hingeTop hingeproduct?

EricL

Hello @usrreddy972

Thank you very much for sharing those photos of your door. It's possible that the rebate made in the door is too deep and is pulling the door very close to the door frame. I agree with @JacobZ's recommendation and that is to either sand it down or to plane it so that there will be enough space between the door and the frame. Please make sure to repaint the surface of the exposed door so that it will not get moisture damaged.

If you have any other questions we can help with, please let us know.

Eric

DIYGnome

Hello @usrreddy972 welcome to the forums 👋

Weather conditions cause the materials in the door (especially wood) to expand/contract which is the cause of your door sticking at the bottom of the frame, I note that the gap is larger at the top of the frame than the bottom, had it been hung a few millimetres higher on installation that door (in it's current form) would not be sticking, you can of course re-hang the door slightly higher but planing off a few milimetres from the base is far less labour intensive, note that when warmer weather returns the gap will increase slightly as the door contracts, so go easy on the planing 😉

AlanM52

Hi @usrreddy972,

I was not tagged and slow to respond.

RE: The bottom hinge with a cardboard shim could be a easy fix.

Yes... shim the bottom hinge with cardboard.

Cheers

R4addZ

Hi @usrreddy972

I'm not sure I understand which edge you believe is sticking, Is it the actual bottom of the door or the lower edge where it can rub on the door frame upright?

If it is the bottom edge then shimming the hinge may work but it may then cause it to catch on the side upright of the frame. I have in the past , where it is the bottom of the door, found that simply putting a piece of sandpaper down on the floor and opening and closing the door repeatedly till it shaves down the door to stop the sticking. The same can work for the side edge but you will need to take more off to allow for repainting the exposed edges.