Door repair, starting with the free fixes

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.

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 →

How door repair actually works

1. 1

   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 forAnyone 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.

2. 2

   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 forBeing 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.

3. 3

   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 forA new lockset sold as the fix for a latch that will not catch. Replace the alignment first; the lock is rarely the fault.

4. 4

   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 forRot 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.

5. 5

   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 forWalking 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.

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 →

If the number is the problem, here are the ways people pay for it →