Every June the door starts catching on the top of the latch side, and by October it swings free again. I do not want to plane it in summer and end up with a 5mm gap all winter. Hinges look fine and the screws are tight. Is there a fix that survives both seasons?
Long screw in the top hinge. Highest return five minutes in home repair, and it has rescued doors people were about to rehang.
Rub chalk along the door edge and close it. The rub marks show you exactly where it is catching rather than roughly, which stops you removing material from the wrong 30cm.
Also check whether the door has been repainted four times. Layers add up and behave exactly like swelling.
@cast_iron_carl · 7mo ago · 3 replies
Do not plane it, and you have already worked out why.
Check the top hinge screws first, and not just whether they turn - take one out and look at how long it is. On a door catching at the top latch side, the classic cause is the top hinge pulling away slightly because the screws only reach the jamb lining rather than the framing behind it. Replace one screw per hinge leaf with a 65 to 75mm one that bites into the stud and the door lifts back square. Ten minutes, and it fixes far more sticking doors than planing does.
If that does not do it and it truly is seasonal swelling, plane only where it catches, in the wet season, then seal the top edge and the planed edge with paint or varnish. Bare timber edges drink humidity - most doors are sealed on the faces and naked on top.
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@saltcrust_nia · 7mo ago
The top edge is definitely bare. Nobody ever paints the bit you cannot see.
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@cast_iron_carl · 7mo ago
Nobody ever does, and then everybody has a door that swells in summer.
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