Why doors sag.
A door hangs on two or three hinges, and each hinge is held to the frame by screws that, from the factory, are usually only three quarters of an inch long. Those short screws grab the thin jamb board and nothing behind it.
Every time the door swings, all its weight levers on the top hinge. Over a few years the screws work loose, the top of the door drifts away from the jamb, and the bottom corner on the latch side drops. That drop is what drags on the frame or the carpet. The door has not warped and the house has not shifted — three screws have simply given up.
Diagnose it in 60 seconds.
Open the door halfway, grab the handle, and lift straight up.
- The door moves and the gap changes: loose hinge screws. Keep reading.
- Nothing moves, but the gap along the top is uneven: the frame itself has shifted. Fixable, but it usually means shimming a hinge.
- The door rubs in the middle of the latch edge only: the door has swelled or the jamb has bowed. That is a planing job.
Also look at the hinge screw heads. If any are sunk crooked or spinning freely when you turn them, the hole is stripped.
The fix, step by step.
- 1
Check the top hinge first
Grab the door handle and lift. If the door shifts and the drag disappears, the hinge screws are loose. That is 90% of sagging doors.
- 2
Swap in long screws
Replace the top-hinge screws going into the frame with 3-inch wood screws so they bite into the framing, not just the trim board.
- 3
Test and adjust the strike
Close it slowly. If the latch misses, move the strike plate a sixteenth of an inch instead of touching the door.
1. Shim the door. Slide a folded shim or a paint stir stick under the bottom latch-side corner so the door holds its own weight while you work.
2. Remove one top-hinge screw at a time — the ones going into the frame side, not the door side. Do not take them all out at once.
3. Drive in a 3-inch wood screw in its place. Go slow at the end. You want it snug and flush with the hinge, not cranked down so hard it pulls the jamb inward and creates a new problem. Repeat for the other frame-side screws on that hinge.
4. If a hole is stripped, fill it first. Tap a few wooden golf tees or toothpicks with wood glue into the hole, snap them flush, let it set, then drive the screw into fresh wood.
5. Pull the shim and test. Nine times out of ten the drag is gone and the gap along the top of the door is even again.
When it still will not latch.
Hinges fixed, but the door bounces back instead of catching? The latch is missing the hole in the strike plate by a hair. Do not touch the door.
Color the latch bolt with a pencil or lipstick, close the door against the plate, and open it. The mark shows you exactly where the latch is landing. Unscrew the strike plate, file or chisel the opening a sixteenth of an inch in the direction you need, reset the plate, and test again. On a badly off door you may need to move the whole plate and fill the old screw holes.
Included in the quoted price
- 3-inch wood screws
- A drill or a good screwdriver
- A shim or paint stick
- Wood glue and toothpicks for stripped holes
- A flat file for the strike plate
Quoted separately
- Hinge shims, if the frame has shifted
- A block plane, if the door edge is swollen
- Caulk and touch-up paint, if you move the strike plate
When to call someone.
Bring in help when any of these are true:
- The hinge holes are so chewed up that new screws will not hold.
- The door needs planing — take off too much and you cannot put it back.
- The door is solid-core or an exterior door and too heavy to hold and shim alone.
- Several doors in the same area started sticking around the same time, or new cracks are showing at door and window corners. That is movement, not hardware.
We charge a flat $150 for a door adjustment in Gilbert and Chandler — hinges, strike plate, and testing that the door closes and latches on its own. If it turns out the jamb needs work or trim has to be replaced, you hear that price before we start.
FAQ.
Why is my door suddenly dragging on the frame?
In most homes it is the top hinge. The screws holding it into the door frame work loose over years of use, the top of the door drifts away from the jamb, and the bottom corner drops until it drags. Nothing about the door itself has changed.
Can I fix a sagging door without removing it?
Yes. The standard fix — replacing the short top-hinge screws with 3-inch screws that bite into the framing behind the jamb — is done with the door still hanging. Support the door with a shim underneath while you work.
What size screws should I use on a door hinge?
Three-inch wood screws with a head that matches the hinge. The stock screws are usually only 3/4 inch, which grabs the thin jamb board and nothing else. A 3-inch screw reaches the structural framing behind it.
My door still will not latch after fixing the hinges. Now what?
Move the strike plate rather than the door. Mark where the latch actually hits, unscrew the plate, file or chisel the opening a sixteenth of an inch in the direction you need, and reset it.
How much does it cost to have a sagging door fixed?
We charge a flat $150 for a door adjustment in Gilbert and Chandler, which covers the hinge work, strike plate alignment, and testing that it closes and latches on its own.
When does a sagging door mean a bigger problem?
If several doors in the same part of the house start sticking at once, or you see new cracks at door and window corners, that points to slab movement rather than hinges. That is worth an inspection.