Loose hinges and swollen wood are two possible culprits.
Wood doors tend to stick as they get older for a number of reasons. Sometimes the problem is as simple as the hinges getting loose. Other times, the door may swell slightly in humid weather, causing to to fit too tightly in the door frame. If your closet door is sticking, there are several steps that you can take to make it fit better before resorting to buying a replacement. Try each of these steps in order until the door works again. Does this Spark an idea?
Tighten the Hinges
Check the connection of the hinges to the door and jamb. The screws sometimes come loose due to the door's constant movement, and may be allowing the door to hang too far. Tighten the screws to fix this problem.
If the screws turn but don't tighten, the wood has been stripped. Remove the screws and replace them with ones that are an inch longer.
Deepen the Hinge Mortises
If the door still doesn't close properly, some material must be removed. Remove the door from the hinges. Use a hammer and chisel to make a row of 1/8-inch notches along the length of each hinge mortise (the gap where the hinge lies). Once the entire mortise is filled with these small notches, lay the chisel flat against the side of the door and scrape out the small pieces of wood, deepening the mortise.
Put the door back on the hinges and try closing it again.
Planing the Door
Use a carpenter's plane to narrow the door.
If the door still does not close, the end by the doorknob must be planed. Remove the door from the hinges and set it with the hinge-side facing up. Run a carpenter's plane with a sharp blade along the length of the hinge side, shaving off strips of wood and narrowing the door. If the door sticks on the top or bottom, plane those areas. Use a carpenter's square to make sure that the edges and corners are straight. Sand the edges smooth once you have finished.
Replace the Door
If the door still does not close properly after all of the previous repairs, it must be replaced. Carefully measure the height, width and depth of the doorframe, as well as the locations of the hinges and latch bolt. Purchase a new door at your local hardware store. If you are sick of working with doors at this point, see if someone from the store will install it for you.
Tags: door still, along length, carpenter plane, close properly, does close, door door, door from
