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Adjusting door strike plate9/7/2023 When the problem is caused by sunken hinges, shimming usually corrects the alignment of the door. Replace the hinge after the cardboard has been inserted and check the door. In order to shim the hinges, remove them from the door frame and cut a small piece of cardboard (or similar material) to fit into the mortise of the hinge. Replace the hinges and verify that they are flush with the door frame and that the door is balanced properly. In this case, sand the hinge mortise down to the correct depth and sand the edges to accommodate the hinge. Locking issues are often caused by hinge mortises that are too shallow or too small for the hinge's size. If the problem persists, the door frame may need to be sanded or shimmed. Now you should be able to shut the door and lock it normally. Reattach the side and top pieces of the door stop. (The nails can be reused.) Reinstall the door stop on the jamb, placing it 1/4 inch away from its original position. Then use diagonal pliers to remove the nails from the door stop. Remove it by prying up on it until it comes loose. On the strike side of the jamb, tap the end of a chisel under the door stop. If this doesn’t solve the locking problem, try adjusting the door stop (steps are outlined below). Place the plate back in the mortise if it has slipped out, and tighten the screws with a Phillips screwdriver if it is loose. If sagging hinges aren’t the issue, check the strike plate. If the latch contacts above the strike plate hole, drive a screw into the bottom hole to help pull the door down. In cases where the latch contacts below the strike plate hole, drive a 3” screw into the top hinge to help lift the door into place. If tightening the screws doesn't fix the problem, consider drilling a longer 3” screw into the jamb side of the hinge so that it grabs the wall framing and pulls back the entire frame. If sagging appears to be the source of the locking issue, ensure that the door is properly supported by the door frame by tightening the screws in the hinges. The door may swing in a different direction as a result, leading to a misaligned latch that contacts below the strike plate hole. Sagging can occur at the hinges of older and frequently used doors as gravity pulls them down. In contrast, if contact is made above the strike hole, then the strike plate's position is more likely to be at fault. If the mark lies below the strike plate hole, sagging hinges may be to blame. If the latch had been in contact with the strike plate hole, a mark should have been left by the dry-erase ink. Tape a strip of masking or painters tape to the strike plate, close the door, and re-open it. Test where the latch contacts the door by applying a dry-erase marker or a similar marking material. Step #1: Identify the Source of the Misalignment In this article, the team at Access Residential Hardware explains how to fix a door that won’t lock.ĭepending on the source of the locking issue, you may need the following tools for this project: Whether a door is meant to be locked for security or privacy reasons, failure to do so can mean embarrassment at best (think a bathroom door that won’t latch) or a security issue at worst. Locking problems are common issues but they need to be addressed. When the door closes, the strike doesn't slide past its plate into the jamb's receiving hole, or it goes in but doesn't reach bottom, preventing the door from locking properly. If a strike fails to penetrate a door jamb, either the door has become warped or the screws have loosened and the plate has shifted. If your door isn’t locking, chances are that the problem is with the latch instead of the locking mechanism.
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