Another Door Problem

[marine_man]

I've got a door that won't close... our house has shifted / settled / moved / whatever you want to call it (one of the benefits of living in the Red River Valley - a constantly moving house) to the point that one of my basement doors won't close all the way - the door hits the door jamb.

This isn't a seasonal problem either.. it's been this way since we moved into the house about 2 1/2 years ago.

In my opinion it's beyond cutting the door (jointer, etc) and I'm thinking that I need to pull the trim and re-set the door so it fits in the opening again.

Is that the best method to resolve this problem? Is there another method that would be better / easier?

Thanks!

marine_man

[Gissert]

If it's an interior door, I would gently pry off the trim. Next, take a sawzall and cut the nails on the knob side to free up the jamb that the door is fouling on. A little re-shimming and re-nailing on that side might just take care of your problem.

If not, cut the rest of the nails, and just re-square and re-shim the whole works.

[marine_man]

Sounds good Gissert.. that's what I was thinking but wasn't sure as this will be my first run at it...

marine_man

[Stratosman]

Where is it hitting the jamb? Gissert is right on with his reply, I assume it is hitting on the handle side? Top or bottom?

[soldoncass]

Explaining how to make a door work is tough. The first thing is to evaluate "where" it hits, and how hard it hits.Then check out the space all along the HINGE side between the door and the frame. That should be EVEN, as well as the spacing ABOVE the door. Be PICKY when you look at spacing, as a tiny difference can point to the problem and the solution as well. Lets say the space ABOVE the TOP hinge is wider than the rest of the side spaces, but the space BELOW the BOTTOM hinge is narrower.(common problem on a heavy door) Then you would put a couple longer screws in the TOP hinge, in place of a couple short ones, to pull the hinge and jamb back in place so the space equals out. It ALL depends on HOW it was done originally. Some times I find NO shims BEHIND the jambs at the hinge spots, or some other shortcut similar.Those are easiest to move around, but hardest to make STAY there. Probably 80-90% of door adjustments do not require taking it out and rehanging it. A screw here, a shim there, renail the jamb there ,so it doesn't move again, are all things you can do in combination to get it back where it should be. Another thought.... Basements get humid... heavy, raised panel doors especially ,swell up with humidity and require more room to shut properly. Then a dehumidifier may be required to get the humidity down, in addition to screws and /or shims. Good luck to you. WHEW, I can adjust a door in LESS time , normally, than the time it took me to type this

[marine_man]

The door is hitting on the knob side... and I'll have to look tonight again, but if I recall correctly it seems like the width between the door jambs is less than the width of the door and it hits almost equally all the way down the jamb - if I planed off 1/8" of the door it would probably close, but I'd rather not do that... if I remember correctly the gap is slightly larger on the knob side at the top than it is on the hinge side on the top.

Thanks for the suggestions!

marine_man

[soldoncass]

First thing I would try then is to put a long screw (2 1/2 inches)into each hinge in place of a short one. That may gain a little bit of room, then on the knob side you may be able to get a little more by hitting the jamb with a hammer(use a block of wood so it doesn't damage the jamb). You may have to add a finish nail or 2 to make it stay over there. Hope that helps.

[marine_man]

Thanks for the tips... I'll give it a try over the weekend...

marine_man

[Surface Tension]

You've gotten some very good advice.

I'll add a couple tips.

If the trim is painted use a utility knife to scour the paint before prying it off. That'll save you from having the paint chip off.

A 3" putty knife is the best tool for prying off trim. Being thin and wide it won't gouge the wall or trim.

In your case I'd start by replacing a couple screws on the hinge like stated above. Get them long enough to go through the jamb and into the framing. There should be shims between the jamb and the frame at all hinge locations. So getting the screws in and tight shouldn't distort anything.

This may have corrected the door.

If not pull the casing off the knob side. Use a screwdriver and split the shims and then pull the shims out. Place a block of wood on the jamb next to the nail locations. Gently tap the block to push the jamb toward the farming. The nails if not sniped will push through the jamb, pull them.

Now close the door, adjust the jamb, shim and nail the jamb.

If you still can't get the door set right, pull all the casing off, snip the nails and rehang and shim the door.

[marine_man]

Thanks for the tips Frank... getting this door taken care of is next week's project...

I'll let you know how it goes!

marine_man

[marine_man]

Well, after much delay (ok, about 3 months) I finally got around to tackling this project.

I tried the screws - didn't quite get there with that.

I ended up pulling the trim off the knob side, busting the shims and cutting the nails, which pretty much solved the problem. Once I removed the trim it was obvious that where the jamb hit the door it was bowed from the shims - I removed the shims and voila - fixed. I re-shimed the door and put it all back together.

Thanks again for the help!

marine_man