Interior Doors That Stick, Rub, or Won't Latch?

An interior door that sticks in the frame or refuses to latch shut is one of the most common — and annoying — household headaches. Whether you have to pull up on the doorknob to get it to catch or push with your shoulder to force it closed, these issues rarely require replacing the door entirely.

Most interior door problems boil down to three main culprits: loose hardware, seasonal humidity, or frame misalignment. Here is a guide to diagnosing what is going wrong and fixing it using basic tools around the house.

1. The Door Sags or Rubs Against the Frame

The Problem: Over time, the weight of the door pulls on the top hinge screws. As those screws loosen, the top of the door tilts downward, causing the top latch-side corner or bottom edge to rub against the frame.

The Fixes:

• Tighten the Hinge Screws: Open the door and check the screws on all hinge leaves. Use a manual Phillips screwdriver (a power drill can easily strip the wood) to snug every screw tight.
• The Long-Screw Trick: If a screw spins freely because the hole is stripped, replace one of the short middle screws on the top hinge with a 3-inch wood screw. Drive it all the way through the jamb and into the solid wall stud behind it. This pulls the top of the door back toward the frame and lifts the sagging edge immediately.
• The Toothpick Repair: If you prefer keeping standard screws, back out the stripped screw, pack the hole with wood glue and wooden toothpicks or matchsticks, trim them flush, let it dry, and drive the original screw back in.

2. The Latch Doesn't Align with the Strike Plate

The Problem: You swing the door shut, but the latch bolt hits the metal plate on the frame instead of sliding smoothly into the hole.

The Fixes:

• Find the Rub Point: Apply a small dab of lipstick, chalk, or painter's tape to the latch bolt. Close the door a few times to leave a mark on the strike plate showing exactly where the latch is striking.
• File the Opening: If the misaligned distance is very small (less than 1/8 inch), remove the strike plate or leave it in place and use a small curved metal hand file or rotary tool to widen the opening slightly in the direction of the mark.
• Relocate the Strike Plate: If the latch is significantly off-center, unscrew the strike plate, use a wood chisel to extend the mortise (the shallow cutout in the wood frame), and reinstall the plate in its new position. Fill the old screw holes with wood glue and dowels so the new screws have solid wood to bite into.

3. Seasonal Swelling or Wood Expansion

The Problem: The door worked fine in the winter, but during humid summer months, it sticks tight inside the jamb. Solid wood and composite interior doors absorb ambient moisture and swell.

The Fixes:

• Manage Indoor Humidity: Running a dehumidifier or air conditioning can pull excess moisture out of the air and cause swollen doors to shrink back to their normal dimensions.
• Plane or Sand High Spots: If the rubbing persists, locate the exact sticking area by sliding a sheet of paper around the edges while the door is closed. Mark the binding area with a pencil, remove the door, and use a hand planer or coarse sandpaper (80- to 120-grit) to shave off a minimal amount of material.
• Seal the Exposed Wood: Always seal any freshly sanded or planed wood with a coat of paint or varnish to prevent the unsealed wood from absorbing humidity again.

Quick Diagnostic Checklist