Ask House Spouse · Doors & Windows · Locks & Hardware
How do I fix a door that won't latch or stay closed?
Short answer
Most often, a door won't latch because seasonal humidity changes or house settling have caused it to misalign with the door jamb. The simplest fix is tightening the hinge screws, which can correct sagging. If that fails, adjusting the position of the strike plate or filing its opening slightly larger usually solves the problem.
Step 1: Tighten Everything Up
The first and easiest fix is to check for loose hardware. Open the door and use a screwdriver to tighten every screw on all three hinges, both on the door side and the jamb side. If you find a screw that just spins without tightening, the wood is stripped. You can fix this by replacing it with a longer 3-inch screw that will reach the wall stud behind the jamb for a solid hold, which often pulls a sagging door back into alignment.
Step 2: Adjust the Strike Plate
If tightening the hinges didn't work, the strike plate is your next target. If the latch is off by a very small amount, you can use a round or flat metal file to enlarge the opening in the plate. File a little at a time, testing the door after each pass. If a larger adjustment is needed, you'll need to reposition the plate. To do this, unscrew the plate, use wood putty or a golf tee and wood glue to fill the old screw holes, let it dry, and then reinstall the plate in the correct position, drilling new pilot holes for the screws.
Step 3: Address Hinge Issues
Sometimes the problem lies with the hinges themselves. If the door is too tight against the latch-side jamb, you may need to 'mortise' the hinges deeper into the door frame. This involves removing a hinge and carefully chiseling away a small amount of wood from the recess where it sits. Conversely, if the gap is too large, you can 'shim' the hinge by placing a thin piece of cardboard behind it before screwing it back on. These are more advanced adjustments that require precision.
When Does the Door Itself Need Work?
If you see scrape marks along the top of the door or notice it's sticking tightly in the frame, the wood itself has likely swollen due to moisture. This is common in older Seattle homes with solid wood doors. In this case, the solution is often to remove the door and use a hand plane or a sander to shave a small amount of wood off the binding edge. This requires care to avoid removing too much material, so it's a task best left to an experienced handyman.
Why it happens
In the Pacific Northwest, wood doors and their frames are constantly expanding and contracting with our wet winters and dry summers. This movement, combined with a home’s natural settling over time, causes the door's latch bolt to fall out of alignment with the strike plate on the jamb. Less frequently, the issue can be caused by loose screws in the door hinges, allowing the entire door to sag downward and miss the latch opening.
How to diagnose it
- 1Close the door slowly and watch where the latch bolt hits the strike plate. Is it too high, too low, or off to one side?
- 2Use a Phillips head screwdriver to check every screw on all door hinges. If any are loose, the door is likely sagging.
- 3Perform the 'lipstick test'. Color the end of the latch bolt with a dry-erase marker or lipstick, then close the door. The mark left on the strike plate will show you precisely where it's hitting.
- 4Check for rubbing marks along the top, bottom, or side edge of the door, which indicate where it's binding against the frame.
DIY vs. professional
DIY-friendly if…
Tightening hinge screws and filing the strike plate opening are great DIY tasks for any homeowner with a screwdriver and a metal file.
Call a pro when…
Call a professional handyman when the strike plate needs to be moved, hinge mortises need to be deepened, or the door itself is swollen and needs to be planed down to fit.
Cost expectations
$250–$580typical WA labor + materials
A simple door adjustment often falls into our $580 minimum handyman visit, which covers up to 4 hours of labor for a list of small repairs.
Every House Spouse job is quoted in writing before we start. 12-month workmanship warranty included.
What we see on Home Health Assessments
Around 74% of PNW roofs we assess show active moss establishment — accelerates shingle wear by an estimated 3–5 years if untreated.
Caught early on assessment: $220–$650 · Left until failure: $3,500–$22,000
During a Home Health Assessment, we check every interior and exterior door for proper latching, alignment, and hardware function. Catching a misaligned door early prevents drafts, improves security, and avoids damage to the door or frame from forcing it shut.
How the Home Health Assessment works