Doors · Service

Door repair, starting with the free fixes

Sticking, sagging, won't latch, draughty, rotten. Work out which one you have before anyone quotes you — several of these are a screwdriver and ten minutes. Looking for a garage door? That is a different trade with different parts — start at garage door repair.

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In short

What is door repair?

Door repair covers hinged interior and exterior doors — sticking, sagging, failing to latch, draughts, damaged hardware and rot in the jamb or threshold. (If your problem is a garage door, that is a separate trade with its own springs, cables and openers — go to garage door repair.) A large share of the complaints on this list are caused by three loose hinge screws or a strike plate a few millimetres out of position, and both are free to fix. The ones that genuinely need a pro are rot, racked frames and failed hardware.

Triggers

Signs you need door repair

The door rubs at the top corner on the latch side — the classic sagging-hinge signature
It closes but does not latch unless you lift or pull it, which points at the strike plate rather than the lock
It sticks all year round and the gap around it is uneven — the frame has moved and it is a structural question
The bottom of the jamb or the threshold is dark, soft, or gives when pressed with a screwdriver
You can see daylight at a corner of the closed door rather than evenly along an edge

Seeing something not on this list? Browse doors problems by symptom →

The job

How door repair actually works

Triage — deciding which of five faults you actually have

A competent tech separates a sagging door from a swollen door from a racked frame from a failed strike from rot. They look different and they cost very different amounts to put right, and the fix for one makes another worse.

Watch for: Anyone who plans the work before opening and closing the door a few times and looking at the gap around it. The gap tells you nearly everything.
Hinges and screws — the fix that is usually free

A sagging door is most often the top hinge pulling out of the jamb. Replacing the top-hinge screws with screws long enough to reach the framing behind the jamb pulls the door back up and solves a large share of "won't latch" complaints for the price of the screws.

Watch for: Being quoted for a new door for a fault that a three-inch screw fixes. This is the single most over-sold problem in the industry, which is why it is written here rather than left for the visit.
Strike plate and latch alignment

If the latch touches the plate but will not enter, the plate gets moved or its opening filed. If the door has settled, the plate moves down; if the door has been packed, it moves out. This is minutes of work.

Watch for: A new lockset sold as the fix for a latch that will not catch. Replace the alignment first; the lock is rarely the fault.
Rot assessment on jambs and thresholds

Rot is identified by texture and colour — soft, stringy or crumbling material, often with white or orange discolouration, usually starting in the bottom few inches of the jamb legs and under the threshold. A pro probes rather than guesses.

Watch for: Rot filled and painted over. Filler in a wet jamb hides the problem and holds moisture against the framing behind it, which is worse than leaving it visible.
Weatherseal, closer and final operation check

Once the door hangs and latches, the visit should finish with weatherstripping condition, threshold height, and a closer or latch that does not slam or bounce open. A door that closes square but leaks air is only half fixed.

Watch for: Walking away as soon as the latch clicks. Operate the door from both sides, check for daylight, and confirm locks throw fully without lifting the slab.

Money

What does door repair cost?

Most door repairs are small jobs — commonly $150 to $500 including the call-out, with hardware and alignment work at the low end and jamb or threshold rot repair at the high end. Some of the most common faults cost nothing but a longer screw.

See the full door repair cost guide — by material, size and region →

Straight answer

When door repair is the wrong call

Everyone else ranking for this is paid when you say yes. Here's when you shouldn't.

The door only binds in humid weather. Seasonal swelling is normal in wood. Planing it in August means a draughty gap in January. Live with it, or ease the binding edge very slightly and seal the exposed wood.
It is a garage door. Springs, cables, tracks and openers are a different trade with different tooling and genuinely dangerous stored energy. Start at garage door repair, not here.
It is a sliding patio door. Rollers, tracks and glass units are their own specialism and often their own contractor. Sliding glass door repair covers it properly.
The rot is into the framing, not the trim. At that point you are buying a door and a repair to the wall behind it. Paying for a jamb repair first is money spent twice.
You need a wider or lower-threshold doorway for mobility. That is not a repair — clear width and threshold height are covered by Aging in Place, and starting there gets you the right answer.

Straight answer

Can I do this myself?

Reasonable to DIY

Replacing the top-hinge screws with screws long enough to reach the framing — the highest-value ten minutes in this whole page
Tightening every hinge screw on the door and the jamb before assuming anything is broken
Moving or filing a strike plate so the latch catches
Replacing worn weatherstripping and adjusting a threshold's height screws

Call a licensed pro

Any rot in the jamb, threshold or the framing behind them
A frame that is out of square, which usually means the opening has moved rather than the door
Replacing a jamb leg or threshold on an exterior door, where the sill pan and flashing are involved

Before you sign

What to check when hiring for door repair

What do you think is causing it, before you tell me the price?

A specific answer — top hinge, strike plate, swollen stile, rotten jamb leg — means they diagnosed. A vague answer means the number will move.
Is there a call-out fee, and does it come off the repair?

Standard on small jobs, but you want it said before the van arrives. Door repair tickets are small enough that the trip charge is a real share of them.
If it turns out to be rot, how far are you prepared to open it up?

Rot rarely stops at the visible edge. Agree in advance whether they investigate and re-quote, or stop and hand it to a carpenter.
Are you fixing the alignment or replacing hardware?

New hardware on a misaligned door works for a few weeks. The alignment is the fix and the hardware is often not the problem at all.
What is guaranteed, and for how long?

A short labour warranty on a small repair is normal. A refusal to give one on an alignment fix is worth noticing.

All doors hiring checklists →

Local pros

Door Repair near you

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Related work

Often done at the same time

Sliding Glass Door Repair

Rollers, tracks and foggy glass

Entry Door Replacement

When rot has won

Interior Door Installation

Replacing rather than repairing

Storm Door Installation

Shelter for an exposed entry

All doors services →

Go deeper

Guides & terms

Guides

All doors guides →

Terms on this page

Strike plate

Full doors glossary →

FAQ

Door Repair — questions people ask

Still have a question? Talk to our team →

Why won't my door latch any more?

Nine times out of ten the door has dropped slightly and the latch no longer lines up with the hole in the strike plate. Check by closing the door slowly and watching where the latch meets the plate. The usual cause is the top hinge pulling away from the jamb, and the usual fix is replacing the top-hinge screws with ones long enough to reach the framing behind the jamb. If that does not bring it back into line, moving the strike plate a few millimetres or filing its opening will. Replacing the lock is very rarely the answer.

How can I tell if my door frame is rotten?

Rot lives in the bottom few inches of the jamb legs and under the threshold, where water sits. Press firmly with a screwdriver — sound wood resists, rotten wood gives, and badly affected wood is soft, stringy or crumbly, often with white or orange discolouration. Paint hides it well, so probe rather than look. If the screwdriver sinks in, the question stops being about the door and becomes about where the water is getting in, which is usually a missing sill pan or failed flashing.

Is door repair worth it, or should I just replace the door?

Repair wins for hinges, strike plates, hardware, weatherstripping, thresholds and localised trim damage — those are small, durable fixes. Replacement wins when the frame is racked, when rot has reached the framing, when a hollow-core door is punctured, or when the same fault has been repaired twice already. If a repair quote is approaching what replacement costs, ask for both numbers side by side and compare them yourself.

Do you fix garage doors?

No — and it is worth being clear about, because search engines mix the two constantly and garage door companies show up for this term. Garage doors run on torsion or extension springs under enormous stored tension, with cables, tracks and powered openers. It is a separate trade with separate tooling and genuine injury risk, and you want a garage door specialist rather than a door carpenter. Start at garage door repair.