How should I fix this sagging internal wooden door?

[mjgreen81]

Hi all,

I have a wooden door that is sagging badly and the catch is no longer landing in the hole. I have tried to tighten the screws but it has not made any difference.

I am a bit confused about what my next step is to try and get things aligned. As you can see below, the alignment is quite bad.

The only option I can think if at the moment is to extend the cut out bit of the frame where the bottom hinge sits (apologies, I dont know the proper term - see pic below) to allow me to move the hinge upwards a little bit. I am not convinced this is the correct approach though.

Any tips appreciated.

 

[JohnD]

Measure the door, and the panels, corner to corner.

Either the door, or the frame, has gone trapezoid.

How old is the house?

 

[mjgreen81]

Measure the door, and the panels, corner to corner.

Either the door, or the frame, has gone trapezoid.

How old is the house?

House is 60/70 years old

 

[mjgreen81]

It looks like it is the door that is quite badly warped. Maybe as much as 1cm out of square.

Spoke to the wife and she says she doesnt care about the sagging, she just wants to ensure that the catch works so the cats cant get in the room.

I think I will just look at extending the catch hole for an easy win.

 

[diy_fun_uk]

It looks like it is the door that is quite badly warped. Maybe as much as 1cm out of square.

Spoke to the wife and she says she doesnt care about the sagging, she just wants to ensure that the catch works so the cats cant get in the room.

I think I will just look at extending the catch hole for an easy win.

Agree it's the quickest way to resolve. Had to do this on one of my mum's doors. Just remove the strike plate, chisel rebate and hole as required (looks as though plate needs dropped around 1cm?) reattach and job's done

 

[mjgreen81]

Agree it's the quickest way to resolve. Had to do this on one of my mum's doors. Just remove the strike plate, chisel rebate and hole as required (looks as though plate needs dropped around 1cm?) reattach and job's done

Easier said than done with these strike plates as the screws are near impossible to get any purchase on (they are probably original and have layer upon layer of gloss on).

I'm sure I will get there though. Thanks for the advice

 

[diy_fun_uk]

Easier said than done with these strike plates as the screws are near impossible to get any purchase on (they are probably original and have layer upon layer of gloss on).

I'm sure I will get there though. Thanks for the advice

Before you try removing the screws, take a chisel or even a smaller screwdriver edge and remove what paint you can from the screw head to give yourself the best chance of getting them removed. I faced the same challenge when doing mum's door, one screw removed no probs ... the other was 'challenging' but take your time and you'll win the battle

 

[mjgreen81]

Before you try removing the screws, take a chisel or even a smaller screwdriver edge and remove what paint you can from the screw head to give yourself the best chance of getting them removed. I faced the same challenge when doing mum's door, one screw removed no probs ... the other was 'challenging' but take your time and you'll win the battle

Thanks, I will give that a go before I resort to less subtle hammer/chisel approach

 

[chris1982]

You could try bringing the bottom hinge a bit out, e.g. putting thick paper behind it. Not sure it will be enough but easy to try before moving hinges or the strike plate.