How to free a stuck door

Inspired by a helpful YouTube guide. This walk-through draws on Roger Bisby's Skill Builder channel — a proper UK building resource from the man who was Watchdog and Rogue Traders' building expert. His sticking door repair video hammers home the point that most people reach for a plane when the real culprit is a loose hinge. Good shout.

1. Work out where it is actually catching

Open and close it slowly. Watch for the exact point it rubs. Could be the top corner, the latch edge, the bottom, or the hinge side.

A shiny rub mark, scraped paint, or a pinched gap will tell you the spot without much guesswork.

2. Check the hinges before anything else

This is the bit most people skip. Loose hinge screws let the door drop a few millimetres, and that is often the whole problem. Nip the screws up with the right size screwdriver — not a drill, you will strip the heads.

If a screw just spins, the hole is worn. A matchstick or a proper wooden plug with a bit of wood glue will usually give you something to bite into again.

3. Have a think about the weather

Timber doors swell in damp weather — bathrooms, back doors, anywhere that catches moisture. If yours only sticks when it is wet out, do not plane it in summer. You will end up with a door that rattles in July and still sticks in November.

Let it dry, improve ventilation, and see if it settles before taking a shaving off.

4. Look at the latch and keep plate

If it closes but will not click, the latch is missing the keep. You will usually see it hitting a touch high, low, or off to one side.

Small alignment tweaks are fine, but go easy — file too much and the door will rattle or the lock will not engage properly.

5. Only plane as a last resort

If the hinges are tight, the weather is dry, and it still rubs, then yes — a plane comes out. Mark the rub line in pencil, take the door off, and shave the edge slowly with a sharp block plane. Little and often. You can always take more off. Putting it back is another story.

6. Do not force the handle or the lock

If the handle is straining or the key is fighting you, stop. A dropped door or a misaligned latch can wreck the lock mechanism in about a week, and that is a bigger bill than a hinge adjustment.

When to call a handyman

Call Richard if the door keeps dropping, the screw holes have gone, it needs easing down and rehanging, or the frame has moved. A tenner's worth of adjustment now beats a new door later.