Doors that stick or will not close

The short answer

A door that catches at the top corner has usually dropped on worn hinges; one that binds along the leading edge has swollen with damp. Both are joinery visits of under an hour per door. A frame that is visibly out of square points at movement in the building and should be looked at rather than planed away.

What the work involves

Checking hinge screws and packing, adjusting or replacing hinges, easing and planing the leaf, re-hanging, adjusting the latch keep, and sealing any newly planed edge.

Rules and responsibilities in Scotland

Fire doors in flats and HMOs must not be planed beyond their tolerance or have their intumescent seals removed; altering them can breach fire safety requirements.

What commonly goes wrong

Planing a door to fit a moving frame, and shaving down a fire door in a common stair.

What it usually costs

Indicative ranges only, to help you judge a quote. They are not an estimate for your property — only the business doing the work can give you that.

• Several doors in one joinery visit is much cheaper than one at a time.
• Re-hanging with new hinges costs little more than easing.
• A new fire door with correct seals is a much larger cost than an adjustment.

What to do, in order

1. 1Note exactly where each door catches.
2. 2Tighten the hinge screws first — it fixes many of them.
3. 3Book one joinery visit for every sticking door.
4. 4Ask whether any of them are fire doors.
5. 5Re-check after the heating season changes the humidity.

Local detail for the Lothians

• Edinburgh tenement flat entrance doors onto a common stair are usually fire doors and must not be altered casually.
• Original panelled doors are worth easing rather than replacing.
• Damp-related swelling in ground-floor and basement flats often returns unless the damp is dealt with.

When you need a professional

Any door onto a common stair, or in an HMO, needs a joiner who understands fire door requirements.

Common questions

Why does my door stick only in winter?

Humidity and heating cycles move timber. Seasonal sticking is normal; year-round sticking is a hinge or frame issue.

How long does re-hanging a door take?

Typically 30–60 minutes per door once the joiner is on site.

Related pages

• Sash window easing and cord repairs

  Getting a painted-shut or rattling sash working again without replacing it.

• Kitchen door and drawer repairs

  Realigning doors, replacing hinges and runners so a sound kitchen is worth keeping.

• Creaking and loose floorboards

  Silencing floors and fixing loose boards, especially where neighbours below can hear them.