How to Fix a Front Door not Closing Properly - Door Hitting Side of Frame Fix

[@txhondaguy]

Dear sir, thank you so much. I uninstalled my door. Afterwards it would hit against the frame. I changed the hardware and that's all it took. So grateful for your video.

[@matthewbrown7170]

Unbelievable. You showed this so clearly dude, thumbs up!

[@_Shopfix]

Glad it was helpful!

[@oldchickennugs3015]

These ideas are excellent quick fixes to a common problem. I was looking forward to shimming and wrenching the hinges but it turned out using 2.5" screws was enough to fix my problem! 10/10 would recommend to friends if I notice issues like this on their properties.

[@_Shopfix]

It’s amazing how simple the fix is if the longer screws pull the door back up into alignment 👍 thanks for the comment, I wish you well!

[@mirrorayn5786]

I gotta try this as I always need to push my door with a shoulder to close them. Otherwise I think I closed them but they are still open and I need to teach everyone that they need to "kick" my door to close them. Thanks! Any advice on how to paint the front door with peeling paint off? 😂 I took over the lease on the house and I have a lot of work to do around 😅

[@vikk753]

Thank you mate. I used ur formula. Bend hinges. And its fixed. Very well explained in video.

[@_Shopfix]

Glad it fixed your door!

[@raymondreilly3452]

The shims before bending the knuckles is absolutely brilliant! Good stuff

[@_Shopfix]

Hey, thanks! Glad you found that helpful!

[@ejskippy]

Thank you so much. All I needed to do was get longer screws. Door works great now.

[@_Shopfix]

Perfect!!! Such an easy fix when that’s all you have to do!

[@karenlee7755]

Thank you so much for your video! After watching I looked at my front door’s hinges. Believe it or not, I had one screw that was loose and everything is perfect now.

[@barkingmad7407]

To avoid leaving teeth marks on the hinge by using a vice-grip, I used a large crescent wrench. It gave me LOTS of leverage to bend the hinge knuckles and -- TA-DA -- No marks!!! Give it a try, you'll be pleasantly surprised how much easier it is, and how much control you will have, when you have to really bend the knuckles -- and done without leaving any marks. Cheers for a great video!

[@hikgerguy1234]

I had tried a crescent wrench but never could get a tight enough grip on it. That's why I ended up (unfortunately) having to use vice-grips. But definitely do try a crescent wrench first. It could work for you.

[@barkingmad7407]

@@hikgerguy1234 I should've added that I used the crescent wrench only to bend the hinge itself, but not for removing the pin. Oddly, it was not a problem for me to remove the pin. For me, bending the hinge knuckles was the big problem. Because the hinges were attached to an oversized, thick and really heavy door, they too were oversized and made of metal which was unusually thick, which is really why the extra leverage was needed - as it certainly could not have been due to me getting old and weak. 😕

[@_Shopfix]

Thanks for adding that tip, and you are welcome!

[@joshymcdaniel9233]

If it helps anyone what I did after jacking up a few hinges 🤣 take a crappy towel/ rag and put that over hinge / or set rag in vise grip/ pliers that way rag is touching hinge then it won’t scratch your hinge/ remove hinge color if they were black hinges etc’

[@jacibabovec7445]

I really enjoyed your video ..the way you show what to do and verbally explain everything is awesome...thank you

[@hikgerguy1234]

Thank you for this video!! It gave me the confidence to tackle getting my door more square in the frame (completed earlier today). I locked the door with the dead bolt before popping the hinge pins out to make sure it stayed in place. Since I had a pretty big gap in the upper right-hand corner (at the top of the door), I shimmed near the very top (as you did), then about 8" or so from those shims (I cut some of the shims shorter so that I was working with a thicker part of the shim due to the wider gap between the door and door frame in the vertical direction. I also felt I needed to shim under the door, so I pulled the weather stripping (which needed replacing anyway). I also sunk two 3" screws in the middle hinge and one in the upper (ordering more to do all of them). One thing I forgot you did was using locking pliers. I think that would have been better than the channel locks I used (which did scuff up the nice brushed nickel hinges on our door, but not too bad). If you replace the weather stripping, do yourself a favor and take the door off. I tried without taking it off the hinges, but I couldn't get some of the weather strip in properly. Much easier with the door off. Thanks again!!! Great work.

[@_Shopfix]

Glad it gave you confidence to tackle your project! Sounds like that was a big job, hope it turned out nice!

[@christophers.1517]

Wonderful video! Thank you! Regarding the 2” hinge screws: should you replace just the screws on the top hinge only or for all three hinges?

[@_Shopfix]

You’re welcome! I would replace as many as necessary. You may find your problem fixed after replacing the top ones, if not, I’d replace them all.

[@christophers.1517]

Very good! I will give that a try! Thanks again for your help and your great video!

[@ryanarmishaw3305]

Two great ideas! Thank you. The first worked for now, and I have the second available in the future. Awesome!

[@_Shopfix]

The repair is so easy when the first method with the longer screws works 👍

[@lw7967]

I gotta try this. The door is sagging so much that it is rubbing off the rubber on the bottom of the door. It is an exterior door to the garage. Grandpa keeps putting it off, so this old grandma is going to try it herself...

[@fredrickthomas3998]

This just saved me 200.00 dollars follow the instructions it works

[@greggibson2615]

Thank you for your video. I've adjusted many doors, but I have never seen the method of adjusting the hinge knuckles. Interesting tip. Thanks 👍

[@_Shopfix]

You are very welcome, when I learned of the hinge adjustment method for the first time I was like, wow, how have I not known about this? Glad it helped, take care!

[@7777R]

Thank you for the step by step and clear instructions. Really appreciate your content.

[@mweimorts]

Well done video. Very helpful. Thank you for taking the time to create it.

[@brentjohnson6654]

Thanks for the video. What do you do if the jam is out of plumb, not just the door?

[@joshuacastro8524]

Good video, I'm thinking a mixture of these will help my stuck front door as well.

[@_Shopfix]

I hope it helped fix your problem!!

[@PieroTaruffiOCT12]

Thank you! Bending the hinges did the trick!

[@Jasonrcsd]

very helpful! helped solve my door issue!

[@_Shopfix]

You're welcome!

[@yiayiavnope2944]

Thank you so very much for this invaluable information. You saved me a lot of headache.

[@bobosputnik]

1) Nice and simple directions 2) Appreciate you muting the sound of the hammer strikes : ) 3) Did you have to reset the strike plate?

[@_Shopfix]

Yes I did have to move the strike plate, forgot to show that!

[@uceddiemo]

When adjusting the hinges do you adjust the hinges on the door or do you adjust the hinges on the door frame

[@genod171staircav6]

Frame is what I have seen in other videos

[@lordmaddrox]

Just a thought but after its aligned wouldnt having the pin resting in top knuckle help with lineing up the knuckles as u bend? Since itd cascade down knuckle by knuckle as u go with the bending it seems and keep from fatigue in metal from accidental over bending and back bending to line by eyeball

[@_Shopfix]

It’s worth a shot by trying that method. I think it’ll work either way because once you bend the knuckles to the right position it shouldn’t matter of the pin is reinserted or not.

[@rivercityopry2997]

That was really kind of you to do that for your grandma.

[@haciendadad]

Good job on the video and the multiple tips!

[@a.s.174]

Nicely done! Do you ever answer any questions from subscribers? I just had a door replaced…and when I close it (immediately after got about a second or two) I hear a “rumble” or “growling” sound. Would anyone know what that’s indivisible of? I might not be using the right words to describe the sound…but it is a low-grade kind of rumble…almost as if the door is “adjusting” to something. ?

[@_Shopfix]

Sorry for the late reply. Might be a problem with where the deadbolt hole is positioned in the door jam if its happening after closing. You close the door and it gets locked into the hole of the door jam and then the door might be adjusting to a misplaced hole in the door jam.

[@mjbucar]

A concise informative video - thank you.

[@michaelgarner2384]

My front door sticks at the very top. I've adjusted the hinges so there is an even gap on the latch side top to bottom. The door still binds at the top. Is sanding the only solution?

[@frederickalden9146]

Well taught.

[@_Shopfix]

Thanks!

[@carterscustomrods]

Great video! My door however is sticking at top/bottom from the jamb bending inwards towards the door... it's a weird door.

[@stevenrickett4333]

Clean any gaps then long screws.

[@_Shopfix]

This technique will work wherever it is sticking. However, If it is sticking at the top and bottom at the same time you might consider chiseling out some of the frame or cutting the door height.

[@DonShnip]

PERFECT ...Longer screws did the trick

[@jonatnry6197]

Should you bend the hinge toward the door frame or away from the frame? Looked like you bent away from the frame. Other similar videos say bend toward the frame. Which is best?

[@gbinman]

I noticed that too.

[@ttbates4479]

Thanks I have the same problem and i'm about to try this out

[@vezina808]

Do I need to first remove all of the pins from the hinges before shimming the door?

[@_Shopfix]

Yes 👍

[@Afritunez]

How long is the new screw?

[@Highflier666]

What do you do when the hinges are ball bearing?

[@lisag5375]

My front door sticks in the top corner only in the wintertime when the weather is cold, it's fine the rest of the year when it's warmer. Any idea why and how to fix that issue?

[@jimmydavila75]

Longer screws fixed the problem, thank you!

[@Chrysta194929]

The steel door between my house and garage sticks so bad I can't close it at all right now. With winter coming, I'm going to head to the hardware store for some 2.5" screws and hope that fixes the problem. I've already got shims in the garage if it doesn't. Thanks for your video. What a simple fix!

[@Afritunez]

Did u manage 2 fix it?

[@laniberyl3399]

I'll try it. A bit worried though because my door swings outward and overnight, it just won't close properly at all.

[@GeneralRock114]

I have a door that’s jamming from the bottom. Would bending the hinges fix my problem?? Since it’s on the bottom, would I bend them to the right instead of to the left as you did. My door alignment is the same as yours. Thanks.

[@_Shopfix]

I would simply go through the steps. Remove the hinge pins, shim the door into alignment and just see which knuckles need to be bent.

[@boswell2k1]

Thanks for the tips on how to correct the door and the inspiration to grow an awesome beard!

[@kayleegrace9910]

Are you leaving the bottom hinge pin in and making the adjustment to the top one then putting the pin back in the top before shifting the lower one? If you take out both pins does the door not fall off?

[@_Shopfix]

The door won’t fall off if you have the door closed when removing the pins. If you can I’d simply remove all the pins at first, I found that to work better to quickly identify which hinges need to be adjusted the most.

[@vezina808]

I tried adjusting the knuckles with the pliers and it’s really hard to bend. What else can I do? Help!

[@_Shopfix]

You’ll want locking pliers to bend them

[@paulyanney3151]

Very helpful thanks 👍

[@frankligas2249]

Thanks for the video. Watched several other guys first. Your fix is great. Hope this comment helps Google's algorythm boost your video to the top of the list.

[@_Shopfix]

You’re welcome and thank you for the positive feedback. I wish you the best of luck with your future projects!

[@Kash305]

I got a different problem my door closes but I have to apply pressure to use my door smart door lock so it will go into hole I forgot the name of it to lock the door if I don't apply pressure my smart lock jams and wont fully extend the latch

[@andrewsjacobs8288]

Good one buddy great job and learned it from. Sgp

[@vendu100]

Thanks for these good ideas. Did you replace all 2inch screws with longer ones or just a few?

[@_Shopfix]

I replaced all of them so it wouldn’t sag anymore.

[@inscrutable67]

what if you have a window right next to the hinge side of the door and dont have room for longer screws? and my hinges feel like theyre made out of steel or something, they wont bend, they pull the whole door but wont actually bend to a new position

[@_Shopfix]

Bending the hinges is fairly difficult so that is understandable. If you can't mount longer screws, you could at least try to mount much thicker screws. And maybe drive a few thicker screws through the frame as well not just where the holes for mounting the hinge are.

[@tracylynngarfieldphotograp6443]

I just got a door just like that for free from a friend with the windows exactly like that. The thing is it’s a left hand door and the current wood door I have is a right hand, is there a way to make the left hand door, a right hand or do I have to buy a whole new door?

[@_Shopfix]

You could but I don’t think it’s worth the time at all. You’ll spend hours to recut the mortise and holes on the other side for the door knob.

[@lynniza]

What kind of pliers did you use? Thanks!

[@stevenrickett4333]

In U.K. they are called vice grip or locking pliers, often used by welders. They have a screw adjustment so they don't slide off the workpiece. Many sizes and shapes available. Slip joint pliers would also probably work. They grip well and have long handles for good leverage. Ordinary pliers probably wouldn't work.

[@_Shopfix]

Locking pliers, you set them for a certain width and then once clamped down they lock in place.

[@denisecox9020]

Mine isn't sticking it is the opposite. Replace hardware will that work.

[@_Shopfix]

We’re you able to get it fixed and if so how did you do it?

[@marketbuy]

So which knuckles do you bend? DOOR SIDE, OR JAMB SIDE? Please be specific.

[@_Shopfix]

I'm bending the knuckles of the 3-pronged hinge attached to the door.

[@nelsonkieffer6514]

you can bend the hinges without the use of shims or removing the pins, simply by bending the knuckles attached to the jam toward the jam.

[@_Shopfix]

True but you could only estimate how far you would need to bend them to get the door to fit perfectly which is why I used the shims.

[@Oakshield2]

I thought that was what was happening to my door but after looking I realized the latch is not fully retracting, therefore whenever I try to open the door, I gotta put some strength into it. I opened the lock up, cleaned everything, checked the springs and they're still in good shape, applied lubrication and the latch is still not fully retracting. The handles aren't loose either. Is the latch replaceable? Appreciate any help, thanks. I've also looked around for a solution and after about 20 videos, couldn't find it.

[@vezina808]

Will this recipe work with chicken also?

[@jameslund221]

This is very clever. But what do I do if my door is out of plane? The bottom hinge side is pushed out, and now I can’t close the door. The striker won’t latch and the door doesn’t fit into the frame. Please help!

[@_Shopfix]

After adjusting the door you will need to readjust the striker and may need to drill the hole a little bigger to compensate for the movement. If the door isn’t fitting then you’ll need to adjust the hinges.

[@dianadaughterofthemosthigh2610]

Mine is stuck at the top and I cant even open it now. 😢

[@wessonytvwes4752]

This worked perfect! Thanks!!

[@dukejay3594]

i realize I am kinda off topic but does anyone know a good website to watch newly released movies online ?

[@jdn_4163]

@@dukejay3594 soap2day

[@_Shopfix]

You’re very welcome! I wish you the best of luck on your future projects, and thank you for supporting the channel!

[@nathanday2595]

Great vid

[@socialimpact2094]

Wow ! I did not know “ shim bending” technique . Thank you sharing 👍👍👍

[@_Shopfix]

You’re very welcome! I wish you the best of luck on your future projects, and thank you for supporting the channel!

[@joshschlueter4630]

Vice grips are stripping the door hinges terribly for me.. replaced the hinges and have to try again

[@stevenrickett4333]

Try slip joint pliers.

[@_Shopfix]

They won’t leave the hinges in perfect condition but it’s kind of the price of fixing the bigger issue.

[@lordmaddrox]

A little trick for that is a thick peice of cloth or thin folded a few times inbetween the jaws of grips and hinge will help from gouging the hinge just make sure its fabric u dont mind gettn torn. Even better is leather or a thick rubber but not everyone has that material on hand .

[@franciosjeanbaptist5659]

Thanks for this video. I have a hard time to fix a door like this. But 2morrow i believe i will fix it

[@_Shopfix]

You’re very welcome! I wish you the best of luck on your future projects, and thank you for supporting the channel!

[@brianakin1494]

THANK YOU! fixed my problem

[@_Shopfix]

You’re welcome and thank you for the positive feedback. I wish you the best of luck with your future projects!

[@bluestar.8938]

Thank you : )

[@_Shopfix]

You’re welcome!

[@BG-io8zd]

Ok what am I doing this weekend? I am fixing my door 👍

[@christopherhogue2310]

Longer screws, thats brilliant.

[@thelifeofjonnelleohtv3168]

Where do I get shims

[@_Shopfix]

You can buy shims at pretty much any hardware store, or big box lumber store. You can even buy them online if needed!

[@Bman67]

I tried to bend the knuckles on one of my hinges and it pulled the hinge partially out of the door. So if anyone is going to try it be careful.

[@That_one_guy03]

My problem is the opposite need to go towards the latch

[@krisbergin8628]

FIXED HINGE PINS: You have to remove the entire hinge and grind the bottom of the pin off so you can pry it out. the rest is the same. Also, you should install the two hinge pieces on the door before hitting the pin back in as it is difficult when they are not held in place.

[@reyna683]

So glad you made this video, my wife has been asking me to do this for a while now for our front door. Gonna try it now, hopefully it works for me, the wife will be happy (happy wife = happy life) lol....... Thanks again!

[@_Shopfix]

You are welcome, were you able to correct your door problem by following the video?

[@thenexthobby]

Residential exterior doors from the last several decades typically attach with #9 screws, not drywall screws ... I tell my kids drywall screws fix everything, but I'm joking when I say that. Anyway, it's very easy to buy long #9 screws online in a variety of colors. They have the proper thread pitch and the heads match flush with the hinges. Most residential hinges are junk. It's worth replacing them as part of this fix. Along the way, you'll learn which screw holes are stripped and if you need to do the toothpick trick to glue more wood in there. Replacing hinges won't cost a lot, because again, they're junk. But with old OR new, consider removing the pins and adding some light oil. The door will swing more freely, even with new hinges. You can also consider ball bearing hinges, which are not usually sold locally, because the race to the bottom on price "demands" stores not sticking them.

[@kmnmalaska]

lol that gap on top of the door is still a mile wide. Looks to be 3/8" on the latch side, and a little under a 1/4" on the hinge side. Try spreading the bottom hinge to raise that top left corner. By spreading, I mean insert a nail set when the door is open in between the leaves of the hinge, and then pull very gently. You should see it close the gap. And I mean gently.

[@arashsahba7554]

Do you have an example of this? I can't picture how to do this. I have a huge gap in my door and these tips don't work. I want to fix the gap before I start putting in new weatherstripping.

[@stevenrickett4333]

By 'pull' he means close the door gently to reshape the hinge. So you are using the door itself for leverage rather than pliers. Remove the nail or whatever you are using between hinge leaves. And check results by closing the door. Repeat as necessary. If possible use some evenly shaped metal the length of the hinge rather than a complete nail. I.e. A bolt with the head cut off.. to avoid twisting the hinge.

[@SB-nh7ie]

So if pulling means close the door gently, does that mean you're doing this while standing outside? I was picturing all these fixes to be done from inside. He said to use a "nail set" in the leaves of the hinge. I'm also having a hard time picturing how to do this. Not sure what is meant by the leaves and how you would get the nail set to stay in place while you pull the door shut. Which hinge would you do this to? My DIY skills are not horrible, but not great either. I have installed lights, door lock sets, tile etc. but I need detailed instructions and usually videos or pictures to guide me 😀 Your video was great and the best I've seen in the two years I've been trying to find a solution to our door having a huge gap at the top. I have tried everything, but our door still has a small gap at top that is enough to prevent the door from closing tight enough for the electronic latch I recently installed, to engage automatically. For it to even engage manually we have to pull hard on the door when leaving or push when inside. I want to try this one last thing to see if it will work. Thank you for any suggestions.

[@_Shopfix]

You are probably right, it’s not perfect but the door to this day works so smoothly and latches perfectly so the repair served it’s purpose!

[@piquat1]

Because hinges aren't ANYTHING to do with this problem and this is NOT the correct way to fix this. The door frame has sagged due to the house settling. The proper way to fix this is remove all the trim and reshim the door frame back to square. I see so many of these "hinge diddling" videos when it's obvious that the frame is out of square.

[@raymondbohn428]

Just bought a 40 yr old home and was planning to hire an "expert" to fix out front door. Thank you.

[@jond2955]

That's really good - thank you!

[@_Shopfix]

Thank you! I appreciate the comment and wish you luck on your future projects!

[@will0413]

My hinge knuckles dont exist. They are a solid piece. Now what

[@lindaholding9324]

I can't open mine too.

[@shrimpinpat]

funny enough my screws are solid! the actual hing has pulled off the door lol

[@shrimpinpat]

Still looks saggy at the end but im going to try

[@iSwearToCod]

guy said quick fix

[@johnnguyen5286]

❤😊

[@NuIVIb]

I could not for the life of me, bend those hinges.

[@_Shopfix]

Locking pliers are the key

[@NuIVIb]

@@_Shopfix I went and bought me some, but I wonder if the ones I got were too big. I just couldn’t get a good angle on the hinges. The door frame/trim kept getting in the way

[@_Shopfix]

@@NuIVIb I gotcha, well you could measure it, mark which way they need to be bent with sharpie and then unscrew the hinges, put them in a vice and bend them like that, that would be my solution anyways.

[@douglas9607]

I get it. I can do this. Thank you for the video. sub/likie

[@mzsexidreadz]

🥂

[@Paula-vr5rm]

your door doesn’t look even at the top

[@_Shopfix]

Are you referring to before or after the repair?

[@TheSweettalk]

Dude who have noooo clue what you are doing

[@amalias8888]

Nice job but...why didn't you clean that place before filming. Yuck!! Dirty door, dirty floor.

[@giggadygoogog]

Really useful. Thanks