Doors That Stick or Scrape? We Realign Them Properly

Why doors drop and bind

Doors are heavy panels hung on hinges in a house that moves. Screws work loose in soft timber or in frames fixed to plasterboard, hinge pins wear, timber swells in humid summers and shrinks in winter, and new floor coverings change the clearance underneath. A door that has scraped for months also wears its own latch edge, so the problem gets progressively worse. Realignment starts with finding which of these is actually happening, because each has a different fix.

Reading the evidence

We start by watching the door work. Where does it bind — the top, the latch edge, the bottom? Is there an even gap all the way round, or a wedge shape that says the door has dropped on one side? We check the hinges for wear and loose screws, look at how the latch meets the strike plate, and open and close it slowly to find the exact point of contact. On UPVC and composite doors we check the hinge cams and the keeps instead, because a dropped sash is almost always an adjustment issue rather than a door problem.

How we realign a wooden door

Often the fix is simple and permanent: tightening or replacing worn hinge screws — sometimes with slightly longer screws that bite into the frame rather than the loose plug — and re-seating the hinge leaf. If the door has swollen, we ease the binding edge with a plane, taking the minimum material and sealing the raw timber afterwards so moisture cannot get back in. If the latch is striking high or low, we reposition or pack the strike plate. Where a door sits crooked on its hinges, packing behind the hinge brings it square again. The aim is a door that closes on the latch without a shove and stays where you leave it.

UPVC and composite doors

These doors adjust rather than get planed. Modern hinges have cams that move the sash up, down and sideways by a few millimetres, and the keeps on the frame move too, bringing the locking points back into line. It is careful, incremental work — a half-turn at a time, testing after each — because over-adjustment leaves the door standing proud of its weather seal. When a UPVC door needs this treatment regularly, that usually points to worn hinges or a tired mechanism, which we can also assess and quote.

The limits of adjustment

Realignment fixes fit, not structure. If the frame itself has moved — cracks running from the corners, or a gap that is widening over time — that is a building movement question for a builder or surveyor, and adjusting the door would only hide it for a while. We will point that out rather than sell you an adjustment that will not last. Very old doors that have been planed repeatedly may have become too small for their frames; the honest answer there is a replacement door, which we can discuss. Planing also cuts through paint or stain, so expect a touch-up to be needed on the treated edge — decoration is not included unless agreed.

Aftercare

Oil the hinges once or twice a year and treat a binding edge promptly, because a door that rubs damages its own edge, the frame and the latch. If a realigned door starts binding again within months in the same place, tell us — that pattern says something bigger is going on, and it is cheaper to investigate early.

Booking

We cover the West Midlands and same-day slots may be available depending on when you get in touch. A booking fee is paid when you reserve; the hourly labour rate depends on how soon you need the visit, and the full cost is quoted and approved by you before work starts.