How To Fix Door Lock Gap

A visible door gap between the door and door frame.

How to fix door lock gap.

If the hinges are fine you may need to take the door off and re square it from scratch. Reducing door gap in a latch side hinge adjustments. Examine the weatherstripping on the bottom of the door to see if there are holes or worn areas. If the screws are loose in the casing replace them with larger ones to create a tighter fit.

Gaps along the latch side of a door may be reduced by shimming out the hinges in some cases. Tighten the screws or repair the screw holes. A binding door may need to be planed but often simpler repairs will solve the problem. 3 if this does not help remove the knob.

A misaligned door results in uneven gaps along the edges and often affects closing and latching. Tighten the hinge screws. With a drill you re more likely to over tighten the screw and strip the screw holes or chew up the screwheads. Continue pulling until it completely.

If your door rubs near the top or drags on the floor use a screwdriver not a drill to tighten the screws. Other times the misaligned door requires a more challenging repair like shimming the hinges. Remove the trim and cut the nails holding the frame to the studs. You can tighten a simple interior mortise lockset like the one shown at left as follows.

A drafty door with chilly drafts air blowing through your entryway. Door gap fix repair door gaps and drafty doors a door gap resulting in light under the door or peeking around the edges of the door. In some cases a simple fix like tightening the hinges is enough. Then re nail the door stops on leaving a 1 2mm gap all the way around to allow for paint fix them tighter if no decorating needs doing afterward.

If that doesn t work shim the hinge side. 2 hold the knob on the other side of the door and turn the loose knob clockwise until it fits snugly. If the gap along the side of your door is so large that the latch won t catch or barely catches. If a door binds on the latch side at the top the upper hinge may be loose.

Water leaking from the top of the door frame. Screws magically work themselves loose over the years. 1 loosen the setscrew on the knob s shank.