How To Fix a Door That Won't Latch- It's Simpler Than You Think!

[@drock1742]

Been in my house for 5 years. That door has annoyed me the whole time. Just fixed it. Thank you!

[@TheFunnyCarpenter]

Nice work Derek!

[@BoneCK15]

Lol same. Had the Dremel with the bit on my bench the whole time lol. Took 2 minutes.

[@joelsero]

FIVE years! 😅

[@dhivyaathangavel5853]

@TheFunnyCarpenter I have a different issue with door , it opens with push from my toddler, think the latch is not working. There are no issues in closing the door. This started happening after I added a sponge in the gap between door and floor to block light coming inside room . Now I had removed it but still door just opens with a small push from outside. Can you recommend any solution

[@cmasterson]

lol I beat you. I’m on year 4 and I need this door fixed TONIGHT! lol my OCD won’t let me go another year. lol 😂

[@SuperKenndog]

Virtual beer for this man. Saved me a return trip to Home Depot. Only took 2 minutes. Salute

[@dbsr1975]

Lmaooo😂

[@KingKongLaQuiesha]

Finally fixed my door today, thank you for the tips. For anyone who doesn’t want to go buy a dremel, I cut a strip of sand paper and tightly wrapped it vertically around a chisel then ducked taped the ends so it stayed put. Worked perfectly for me and fixed the latch.

[@TheFunnyCarpenter]

Crafty 🍻

[@liz8984]

As a 50 something y/o female, I cannot tell you how helpful your videos are helping me to rectify the many issues I am having in my new older home! Thanks, I Love them!!!

[@TheFunnyCarpenter]

Glad they are helping!

[@ChrisSherwood-r6u]

Great fix. You saved me money from hiring someone to do this. The family is super happy that they don’t have to lift the door up to latch it now.

[@RosaleinRed]

These are the first DIY videos I’ve ever watched that I actually felt like I could do, and then went and did! Thank you so much for this! I just went and did this to two doors in our house. Really enjoying your videos and your humor😄

[@TheFunnyCarpenter]

Thank you Rosie, best wishes on your repairs!

[@SledDog5678]

He is good!

[@16vaqueros]

I tried some crazy stuff to fix mine and then found this video. Fixed it in two minutes. Thank you!

[@TheFunnyCarpenter]

Great stuff!

[@TheresaStiffler]

Thank you so much! I just Fixed my side door and I'm so proud of myself. I lost my husband a couple years ago and this was a first rodeo for me😂 Thank you so much!

[@cakeworkorange]

Thanks man, it worked, I just lifted it up and bit and it clicked into place! Ur a life saver!!!

[@billyvision1360]

Thanks! Your video is 2 years old but it just help me to fix two doors that wouldn’t latch. Bought the Dremel and was fixed in 5 minutes. THANK YOU!!!👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼

[@MGiosparky]

Thank you for saving me hours of work! I was planning on pulling two doors completely out and re-hanging them in order to fix the issues we were having with them. The information in this video and your other door fixes video saved me half a Saturday.

[@blondon99]

It worked! I tried bending the hinge first, and that kind of helped, but filing down the strike plate did the trick. That door hasn't closed in years. Thanks!!

[@The1readme]

Just like you said this video is golden.

[@ryanv7195]

Thank you so much. I have my inlaws visiting, and our washroom door was like this one. One or two of my kids pushed the door open when my father in law was shi.ting. As you can imagine, he was not happy, and my wife was not happy. I've been taking the strike plate off and trying to bend and Twist it to fit. Thankfully, I didn't destroy it too much. This solution worked wonderfully. Ground down the hole a bit, and now the door latches and the lock works. I'm subscribing!

[@LucasMassey]

Tried about 4 other “fixes” before landing on this video, and gotta say that this is the one that did the trick. Thanks a bunch!!

[@andyarkley]

Thanks so much! This worked! I was about ready to pull the plate off and then saw this video. 🙏

[@IdeasExchange1]

This is one of those, "why didn't I think of that" type of deals. Simply genius!

[@WillHampson]

Finally!!!!!! Fixed it in 5 min after previously trying all the other failed options you mentioned in the beginning

[@beastlybryan11]

3:55 The perfect hack to fix my door that wouldn't latch all the way. I used his second option - a drill bit. I have a titanium drill bit, and it took a few passes to get it to the right spot to latch. Thank you so much! 😊

[@Youhaveaname]

Had this exact thing happened replacing the doorknob last night. I thought this would be a solution. You just helped validate that. Thank you!

[@andreastevenson2173]

Thank you thank you from the bottom of this 67year old heart. Great fix

[@ElizabethKern_1andOnly]

I just came here to say thanks! I was able to fix my door with the help of this video. I just had to buy the bit but it was so worth it.

[@ililililililililliil]

I live in a very old house and the house would shift to where multiple doors in the house would start to get stuck when closed or would not close at all. My bedroom door was giving me anxiety because when I closed the door my cat would open my door when I'm not home and would wreck my stuff and I was worried about people in the house who may steal from me. Watching this video gave me confidence to inspect my door and strike plate. The latch of my door was touching the top and side of the strike plate, preventing it to stay closed and I was able to see inside the strike plate and see that it had a lot of extra space so I unscrewed it and with only using the screw and a screwdriver, I made my own holes when I moved the strike plate and I fixed my problem. My sister took the idea of grinding the strike plate to fix her door and that worked as well, so thank you tremendously for the help!

[@TheRobChase]

Amazing suggestion. So simple and easy. Had to buy a Dremel and the bit but the fix is done after years of annoyance, and now I have a new Dremel!

[@resonance-ym8mo]

Thank you very much. I have been trying to get someone to fix it for a week. I thought it was complicated but it is actually simple and did it myself. Took about 20 mins.

[@TheFunnyCarpenter]

That is great news! I’m always happy when I hear about someone fixing something from one of the vids:)

[@nayimanayima6711]

It worked great , did it with dermel tool as recommended, and done in 5 min, thanks!

[@magana1984]

Best video AND easiest solution for this problem. I tried it today and it worked like a charm. Thank you!

[@Brendelson]

I didn’t have a Dremel tool so I used a drill bit. Kinda tricky but it worked like a charm. Excellent video!

[@fishtexas777]

Great video! Fixed in under 30 minutes using Dremel and a metal bit that came with the kit! Glad I found your video! Thank you so much

[@rd2mark]

The dremel trick worked perfectly for me today, thanks so much! I could see the strike plate had previously been raised, so lowering it again would have been tricky.

[@dhammaboy1203]

You legend - a recent storm had either caused swelling or the foundations shifted slightly & I haven't been able to close or lock my front door for 4 days. I fixed it on a few minutes. : ) Thanks for the practical tip!

[@megjones5433]

The Dremel tip worked! Just started watching your videos and they are so helpful. 😊

[@TheFunnyCarpenter]

That’s great!

[@adriennebreen2180]

Hi! What an easy fix! Used a drill and sunglasses to be safe.. :-) Took me just 10 minutes and found that the side was what needed to be drilled. You rock!

[@slgod]

Great video. I was ready to move the strike plate, but this was super easy and saved me time and money! Thank you for your advice. The best!!

[@alainahart4350]

Thank you!!! This helped me a lot! The dogs kept pushing our bedroom door open and dragging everything out. I was able to fix our door with this tip : )

[@titodejesus6238]

Man this is the first video of yours that I see and it was quite entertaining. You are a no nonsense guy.

[@TheFunnyCarpenter]

Thanks Tito

[@meganwoehl5277]

Thank you. This didn't completely solve our problem but it made enough of a difference that our door can finally latch without just being pushed back open. It was just all of a sudden one day that our door no longer latched, right around the time the temperature started rising. We found we could get it to latch if we slammed it with all our might, but even then sometimes we would have to slam it 4 or 5 times to finally get it to latch. We didn't have a drimmel so we used a drill bit and ground a little from the bottom away...now we can close it, give it a slight lift, and it latches. We'll probably grind more away once we have a carbide bit, but for now at least we can sleep at night. So thank you for this video. Hopefully we won't be living in this place much longer. We've learned to not even call maintenance anymore as they either ignore the problems or make them worse.

[@stepbackjack4194]

Thanks for the help. the Dremel option worked for my door.

[@Bellamammal]

I wish you had tips for EVERYTHING in life! All your tips always work! Thank you!!!

[@TheFunnyCarpenter]

You are so welcome!

[@indigobrooklyn1234]

Thank you. It worked! But I had to use regular nail files to file all around the hinge and whatever you call that's attached to the wall. Hey got the job done In about 3 minutes or less!

[@RPmusic06]

Yessss finaly a video again!!!! Thank you for the useful tip again budd!!!

[@TheFunnyCarpenter]

Every Friday! Although I’m sure one of these days I’ll have to just post a video of me walking the dogs and talking about the problem with crappy tape measures or something😂😂

[@RPmusic06]

@@TheFunnyCarpenter i would love a video like that!!!!🤣🤣

[@edbuurman3262]

Simple and elegant, like all your videos and suggestions. One important thing that I have come to realize while doing work around the house is that doors once were hung perfectly. This means that normally one would not have to move or adjust hardware, let alone taking wood off of doors. Therefore I would prefer the earlier solution you posted. Typically the doors and molding you work with are (virtually) new. I think it would be helpful if you could also the post the stuff DIYers come across in century-old homes (for example, failed/ugly repair jobs, warped doors, and work with stained instead of painted wood) and how to restore those. Thanks!

[@lauracannon2630]

Thank you! My front door wouldn’t latch. I adjusted the hinges and it still wouldn’t latch. Saw your video and immediately tried it. It worked !!! 🎉

[@TheFunnyCarpenter]

That’s great, thanks for the comment

[@lashedsuns4529]

I knew it was going to be a Dremel fix! I just fixed the door not closing and then it stopped latching. I'll be picking up the bit at ACE this afternoon. Thank you, sir!

[@heerujanweja5145]

Very useful, used a drill and had this done in under 5 mins. Thank you !

[@MatthewCyr-y8n]

It was very cool to me to find you doing this. While I don't do repair work for others anymore, I thought thinking this up was such a life saver so again, too cool to see you doing the same thing lol

[@michaelclaus2004]

Like many others, Thanks, had the dremel, purchased the bit and got 2 doors to latch in minutes

[@TheFunnyCarpenter]

Excellent!

[@mariannetiffany8723]

I’ve fixed two different door based on two of your door videos….you rock,guy!!!!!!

[@rajsolankiart]

Just did this and it worked great! Thanks!

[@MyLeglover]

As a handyman with my own business I have used this method and it does work.

[@Hay-Sam]

Hey Funny Carpenter, I eyeballed my door as you advised and grinded my problem away on the upper side, thank you sooooo much for this fix, regards

[@JayThomasofficial]

perfect tutorial .. not a moment wasted and all good easy to follow entertaining info

[@danielhanish8871]

Harbor Freight Rotary Tool. Check. Carbide attachment. Check. Door closing and Latching. Check. Great video. Thank you sir.

[@MyMy-tv7fd]

this is why we watch here, great tips

[@TheFunnyCarpenter]

🍺🍺cheers

[@donnaskelcy]

Another Terrific video!

[@yukiouchiha744]

Thank you so much for this video. I'm not much of a handyman, but you've made this very easy to understand.

[@scurvemond]

The hall bathroom door has been a problem for years. Not anymore! Thanks so much! Super easy.

[@edbaldow4107]

Thanks for sharing such simple but life saving info at the same time. I was even considering changing lock. Problem solved in less than 3 min!

[@whoami543]

Thank you. My bedroom door has had this problem for years. Such a simple 5 minute fix!

[@jamesmccoy9396]

Thank you so much. I put in a door for the first time and of course it wouldn't latch! Your video helped this novice figure it out!

[@cullenlamb5413]

Thanks man I ended up lowering it and worked like a charm 👍

[@Leejzoo]

This is what I’m going to do tomorrow, thanks for your tips sir

[@jacobingram8152]

I'm about to order my Dremel tool today for I can fix my nephew's, sister's, and downstairs bathroom door. Don't worry, I have experience in hands on work!👍

[@jonathankeeler]

Wow! Thanks! Incredibly simple solution! Thank you!

[@randallprice75]

The drill bit worked for me. It's what I have, thanks!

[@Lovinthegame]

Video just helped me, thanks for showing the alternative methods. I used a drill bit

[@pimousdu13]

WoW 😯 I was fighting with my door since a week I watched your video and I did what you said and it’s fixed Thanks 🙏

[@latanyaclark7205]

I fixed my door using a small diamond crusted drill bit with my drill-took all of 5 minutes. Door closes perfectly! Thank you!! Thanks for your pointers!!

[@samsaslow4443]

This was way to easy 😂😂. Took less than 2 mins. Thank you!

[@nessajones1577]

Thank God I'm glad I came across your video because I was stuck. Thank you so much ☺️

[@denimbones]

Ty literally the second I heard you say gap I tried lifting the door a bit and it worked

[@dasadopeboy]

Oh man. This door has been annoying me for 8years. Just fixed it.Worked great. Just used a filing tool to round out the edges.😁

[@joesixer]

Worked like a charm. Fixed three doors in 15 minutes. No more pull and lift. Thanks.

[@myfaaammilly1607]

Lol I know right!!

[@sustainablesteph]

Thank you so much! You really helped me fix the side garage door! I am very grateful, 2 years after you posted this video.😇🤩

[@TheFunnyCarpenter]

Glad it helped!

[@marcobowow]

Awesome idea. Once I had the Dremel Tungsten Carbide Carving bit #9901-03 in my Dremel drill, it was only a matter of seconds till my problem was solved!

[@jennahr3617]

Thank you I will be trying this sounds like it’s fixed most peoples issues

[@kiddyzheng]

the most realistic method to fix this problem on youtube.

[@acreguy3156]

Good video. I'd also run a vacuum cleaner at the grinding site to capture the filings. They hurt when they get in your socks 🤣!.

[@thebewitchinghour831]

1:53.....this has been my crappy go-to many a times. LOL Keep meaning to get that dremel tool. Maybe my Christmas present to myself this year.

[@HFRajuncajun]

I've got the M12 rotary tool and use it all the time for little things like this. Never thought about using it for this. A1 tip bud!

[@TheFunnyCarpenter]

Perfect!

[@jeffe6176]

Thanks for this. Front door was perfect for 3 years and then all of the sudden it wasn't. Was trying to figure out how to move the latch forward when it actually needed more room on the bottom. Just like you said. Door gap on top by hinges was wider than door gap on the bottom.

[@douggaskell4586]

Spot on. The solution worked perfectly!

[@No1GreyGhost]

Worked like a charm. Thank you very much!

[@QbeesQuest]

I just dremeled the door latch and now my door stays closed perfectly. Thank you! :)

[@bbsunstud]

I actually found an “adjustable” sliding door plate, that worked for me!

[@Blessd-savingrace]

3:12 LOVE the subtle channel name placement 🤣🤣💯 & ❤️note for Makita!! 💯🤣 I ❤️Makita too!! 💯 For real subbed just bc of this reason!

[@TheFunnyCarpenter]

Thank you

[@a1tech11]

Used a paddle bit did the job. Thanks for the tip. Took two minutes to fix 👍🏽

[@mikefoodee7846]

If manufacturers made the strike plates with oblong holes they can easily be adjusted.

[@SledDog5678]

Manufacturers with the consumer in mind? Yaaa.....riiiiight.

[@seanmclaughlin9482]

No. We are design engineers. We are infallible. You know, the guys who put the fuel filler door on the passenger side of the car.

[@JohnBaglioTeacher]

This was great. Have this exact problem. You are definitely one of the best home repair channels I have found! Thanks!! Just subbed as well.

[@problemasconelswingdegolf988]

Like this video so much, I'll try to do the Dremel fix!

[@dddhhh2612]

Nice video! Thanks. I used my hand file. A bit of work but I didn't know about the dremel option.

[@Kerosenecanada]

i use tape and magic markers to determine the striker placement or realignmnet. I just put masking or painter's tape on the striker and marker up the catch then close. leaves a nice mark for realignment. great video. cheers

[@markpalmer2562]

Are you seriously kidding me right now? I literally moved a strike plate on a door just 10 hours ago by patching screw holes and using a hand chisel. NOW KZbin shows this video to me! I never thought about making the strike plate hole bigger. Would have been easier had I seen this video first. Great tip!

[@TheFunnyCarpenter]

😂next time!

[@wp1631]

@@TheFunnyCarpenter What would you do if the plate misaligns by 3/8 or 1/2”? 😨 That’s my predicament

[@TheFunnyCarpenter]

W P can you straighten the door out by adjusting the hinges?

[@nataliewood6415]

Great video and easy solution!

[@aliarcindustries]

It worked perfectly! Thank you

[@TheFunnyCarpenter]

Great to hear!

[@shumbane]

Way to solve my problem. Thank you so much for this great video it was very helpful.

[@kristydavies1665]

Thank you! I just fixed the lock doorbell from my laundry to my garage from this video. Only locked myself out one too.

[@Mr.GucciClass1A]

Another Goodie!!! I’m going to go fix all them doors right this minute!!!!! 😉

[@TheFunnyCarpenter]

Go and get em!

[@MarcKrulewitch]

Awesome! Worked perfectly. Thank you so much!

[@spunx44]

This worked so quickly! Thank you!