"How To Fix A Door That Will Not Close:"

Everyone's known, at least once in their life, The Door That Wouldn't Close. This could be an outside door that scrapes against the jamb, a bathroom door that requires a Herculean jerk to pull flush, or a basement door with a suspect latch that just keeps swinging open. In this section we'll take a look at addressing these minor, but annoying, problems, using simple methods that will allow you to get your doors functioning again.

The first things you want to know are the proper names for the parts of a door. The door frame is made up of the pieces that outline the door opening, but are not part of the door itself. The jamb is usually used to refer to the part of the frame against which the door closes-on the side where the latching hardware (strike plates) is installed (though it may also refer to the hinge side).

The header is the top horizontal part of the frame.

If your door isn't closing properly, the first thing you should do is check the hinges. If they are loose, they may be allowing the door to sag down and scrape against the sill (bottom part of the frame). This may be remedied by a good tightening with your handy screwdriver, or it may call for replacement screws, especially if the holes have been damaged. In this case, replacing the old, non- gripping screws with longer screws will often solve the problem.

If the hinge isn't the issue, next take a look at the jamb and frame. Are they the culprits, bending out to impede the door? Nail or screw any protruding parts of the frame carefully back into position. If the jamb seems loose, and the door is rubbing on that side, you may also be able to tack the jamb tighter against the frame, using a hand- driven screw for which you've drilled a starter, or "pilot," hole.

If the frame and the hinges are right, then we must next look to the door itself. Wood expands and contracts in different weather, and some kinds of doors will perform differently every season.

If the door is catching only a bit, sanding may do the trick. In this case, you can either do a spot sand job on the portion that's catching-working the offending edge with a medium-grit sandpaper until it opens and closes well, then finishing with a fine grit and applying stain or paint.

If you'd like to learn about the 5 additional ways to help keep that door from ever sticking again, we encourage you to read our book, "Do-It-Yourself Handyman Guide"

Available now.