How to Fix a Door
You can do this! And we’re here to help.
Doors are a big deal at Fixer. They’re our most requested repair, and get requested almost twice as much as the next most requested task! While they can certainly come with a lot of tweaks a quirks, here we’ll cover some of the most common door repairs we get asked about. If you’re trying this at home and something doesn’t quite match up with what you’re looking at, feel free to hop on a video chat with us. We’d love to help!
2564+
Doors Fixed
4.8/5
Average Stars
$33
Average Materials
16-50
Minutes
Total time: 16-50 minutes for most smaller door repairs. A little longer once you get into replacing or installing.
How to Repair Doors
How to Fix a Sagging Door
Whether you need to know how to fix an uneven door, how to fix a sticking door, or just how to fix a door in general, you’re in the right place. There are several ways to tackle this, so we’ll start with the easiest.
How to fix a door that sticks at the top: Check the screws attaching the top hinge to the door frame and tighten them. If they’re stripped, replace them with longer screws to get a tight fit.
How to adjust a door that sticks anywhere else: You can take the pin out of the hinge, and slightly bend the parts on the frame-side of the hinge, to guide the pin in the right direction. If a bigger adjustment needs to be made, chisel out the mortise behind the hinge to create a little more space.
Tada! Now you know how to fix a crooked door.
Screen Door Repair
There are a few topics to cover when it comes to patio screen door repair. Let’s start with how to fix a screen door that isn’t closing properly.
If your door closer has broken or the brackets have been removed from either side, mark the location of the screw holes on the door frame and on the door. If the screws holding it in the door have stripped, you may need to use one of the other holes provided on the bracket. If the screws on the frame of the door have stripped, you’ll need some longer screws. Once your brackets are in place, insert the closer (and don’t forget the hold-open tab!). To adjust the speed at which the door closes, adjust the screw on the door-side of the closer.
Now, how to repair screen door netting is a totally different type of problem, but just as easily fixed. If there’s a small hole, you can simply purchase a patch. If the whole screen or netting needs to be replaced, you can purchase a screen door repair kit. When you buy screen door repair parts as a kit, it usually comes with some netting, a spline that holds it in place, and a roller to help insert the spline.Â
Screen Door Repair Kit
Start by removing any old spline and screen from the door or door insert. Then cut your netting a little larger than the frame; you don’t have to be precise at this point. Use the roller to push the screen into the frame, and then insert the spline on one side, securing it with the roller. The second side you do should be the opposite, so something like left, right, top, and bottom. This helps keep the screen taught when you’re securing it. Once you’ve made it all the way around, trim off the excess screen netting with a utility knife.
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How to Fix a Hole in a Door
It’s not every day you need to know how to fix a hole in a wooden door, but here we are! Chances are, to be more specific, what you need know is how to fix a hole in a hollow door. These doors are much flimsier than their solid counterparts, because they’re made with two thin layers and some spacers like cardboard in between them. In general, you’re going to want to fill the hole with a piece of wood almost the size of the hole, and then fill in the rest with wood filler. Leave it to dry, then sand it down, prime it and paint it. Check out the video for more specific instructions.
Pro tip: the techniques in the videos here also show you how to fix a crack in a hollow door, if that’s the problem you’ve got. If you’re concerned about reinforcing the area, add a block just like in the first example. If you don’t need to reinforce the area, simply start with the filler, then dry, sand, prime and paint.
How to Install a Door Knob
In order to explain how to fix a door knob, it helps to understand the parts involved, and how they’re installed. There’s the interior knob (which is where you’ll find the screws), the exterior knob, a spindle that connects the two, and the latch mechanism. If you know how to install a door knob in a new door, you’ll know exactly how to fix door knobs too.
- If you’re removing an older style door knob first, start by locating the set screw on the interior knob, located at the narrowest part. Turn a few times counterclockwise to loosen it and the knob should slide right off.Â
Let’s pause briefly: You can see the spindle is squared, and the set screw holds the knob to one of the flat edges allowing you to rotate the spindle. Hopefully, this explains how to fix a loose door knob! You just need to tighten that set screw.
- Moving on, now loosen the screws on the interior knob against the door. These are long screws that go all the way through to the exterior knob; be careful not to let the knobs fall and scratch your floors as the screws release.
- Remove both knobs and the spindle.
- Unscrew the two screws holding the plate to the edge of the door. This will release the plate, and allow you to remove the latch.
- Do those steps in reverse, and now you know how to install door knobs! First you insert the latch and screw the plate onto the door’s edge, then you insert the spindle, add the exterior knob and then screw on the interior knob, tighten your set screws, and voila. Enjoy your slick new knobs!