Door Sticking? Check These 5 Things

The sticking-door phenomenon is a super common problem, especially in homes with old or low-quality doors. But doors should not stick–they should open and close easily, without requiring much force at all. In fact, doors that do stick usually become damaged after a short time and require replacement. 

Sticking doors may even disrupt the sale of your home. According to the National Association of Realtors, home inspectors may flag sticking doors as potentially serious issues.  

This all means that you’ll want to address sticking doors quickly and take whatever steps are necessary to fix the problem. But to do that, you’ll need to know what to look for and which issues you’ll want to investigate. 

We’ll try to help you do that below, by providing a list of things to consider when a door starts sticking. 

Five Things to Check When Your Doors Stick

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SAgDwFDqxVM

There are a number of reasons that doors can stick, but the vast majority of cases can be traced to a relative handful of causes. So, start by considering these issues; if these things all check out, you may simply need to contact a door-installation professional for help. 

1. Hinges

Loose, damaged, or misaligned door hinges can prevent a door from swinging in a smooth arc, leading to sticking problems. 

Often, you can fix these problems by simply tightening the screws properly. Just don’t overdo it; over tightened screws can damage door frames and lead to alignment issues. If tightening the screws doesn’t work, be sure to examine the hinges carefully and look for significant amounts of dirt, debris, or grime that may be causing problems. 

If neither of those things works, you may have to replace the hinges completely. 

2. Weatherstripping

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HjJanhnlS44

Weatherstripping can cause sticking problems in some cases. And because most residential doors have soft, flexible weatherstripping made from rolled or tubed vinyl (though there are other kinds used in some cases), it often wears out relatively quickly.  

To investigate, visually inspect the weatherstripping on all sides of the door. If you see that it is torn, creased, peeling away, or otherwise damaged, you’ll likely need to remove and replace the weatherstripping. Fortunately, this is a pretty straightforward project that is easy enough for homeowners to complete themselves. 

3. Frame

Damaged frames can cause significant sticking problems, so look for obvious cracks, splits, bowing, or other defects. These kinds of problems are most common in wooden doors and frames, but they can theoretically occur with steel or fiberglass doors too. 

If you don’t see any obvious damage, consider the humidity level in your home or the surrounding area. Air moisture can seep into the wood, causing it to swell or warp. 

Unfortunately, these problems may require complete replacement or professional assistance to repair. 

4. Threshold

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pjndBpL1-eA

The threshold is the plate at the bottom of the door frame, which is designed to help protect the actual frame from wear and tear. But these protective plates can become damaged over time, which may prevent the door from opening and closing smoothly. 

Look at the threshold and see if you can see anything that may be causing friction. In some cases, mud or dirt may have just accumulated on the plate (especially if it features grooves), but in other cases, the plate may have become damaged. 

Soapy water and a rag may solve problems with dirt, but you’ll likely need to replace thresholds that have suffered actual damage. If you find it necessary to replace the threshold, consider spending a few extra bucks on a bronze threshold–they tend to last longer than aluminum thresholds.  

5. The Handle and Lock

Any of the hardware associated with the door’s lock or handle can prevent the door from closing smoothly. These kinds of issues can require a bit of investigation to determine the cause, so look closely at the area while gently opening and closing the door (a flashlight is often helpful while doing so). You may want to experiment by gently turning the handle and locks during the process to help identify the problem. 

Pay special attention to the strike plate–the metal plate surrounding the hole in which the latch bolt fits. Often, this plate’s edges can become bent, leading to sticking problems. But at other times, the latch bolt itself may not be lining up with the hole properly. 

Replacing these components is often easy enough for homeowners to accomplish, but you will typically need some basic tools to do so. 

Additional Reasons Doors May Stick

While reasons discussed above are typically the most common causes for doors that stick, there are several other potential issues you may need to consider.   

For example, as Above Board Building Inspections explains, shifting foundations can also cause doors to stick. Arizona Foundation Solutions agrees that foundation problems may cause door-sticking issues, but they also explain that improper soil compaction beneath the home (especially around the door) can also cause doors to stick.  

Problems with the exterior walls for your home may also cause your doors to stick. So, it may be wise to look around for significant cracks or other signs that your door problem is not actually related to your door at all. 

Knockety Doors: High-Quality Front Doors 

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/sLOqR7IFMhE

These issues are some of the most common reasons that doors stick, but there’s one more important issue to consider: the overall quality of the door. Poorly constructed doors rarely close well. In fact, even if your frame, weatherstripping, threshold, and hardware are all perfectly positioned, low-quality doors are likely to stick. 

So, be sure to avoid low-quality, mass-produced doors manufactured overseas and opt for premium options instead. 

Knockety offers a complete line of high-quality doors that are hand-crafted in the USA. Browse our product line now to see what the best doors in the industry look like (or, if you’re in the Houston area, drop by our showroom and see them in person).