{"id":49152,"date":"2025-12-01T11:30:22","date_gmt":"2025-12-01T11:30:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ratedpeople.com\/blog\/?p=49152"},"modified":"2026-01-20T17:10:11","modified_gmt":"2026-01-20T17:10:11","slug":"basic-door-maintenance-stopping-a-sticking-door-with-a-quick-hinge-adjustment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ratedpeople.com\/blog\/basic-door-maintenance-stopping-a-sticking-door-with-a-quick-hinge-adjustment","title":{"rendered":"Basic door maintenance: Stopping a sticking door with a quick hinge adjustment"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>There&#8217;s nothing more frustrating than an internal door catching on frame, scraping the floor, or refusing to latch properly. These issues are often not due to a warped door but simply a minor misalignment in the frame. Knowing how to fix a rubbing door through a simple door hinge adjustment is a common trick of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ratedpeople.com\/local-handyperson\">handyperson<\/a> trade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Step 1: Diagnose the problem area<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>A quick diagnosis tells you whether you need an adjustment or a shave.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Top\/Bottom rubbing:<\/strong> If the door sticks at the top or scrapes the floor, the door is often <strong>sagging<\/strong> due to loose hinge screws, or swelling due to humidity.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Latch-side rubbing:<\/strong> If the door sticks along the vertical side near the handle (the latch side), the hinges are likely out of alignment or the door is too wide for the frame.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Step 2: The quick door hinge adjustment fix<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>For many cases of a sticking internal door, a simple hinge adjustment is all you need.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Tighten the screws:<\/strong> The simplest way to fix a sticking internal door is to tighten all the screws on the hinges for both the door and the frame. Loose screws are the number one cause of sagging.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Use a longer screw:<\/strong> If the screws keep coming loose, the wood in the frame might be stripped. Replace one short screw in the top hinge (the one taking the most load) with a much longer screw (75mm or longer). Drive this screw deep into the timber stud behind the door frame for extra grip.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Step 3: Adjusting the hinge plates (the tapping trick)<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>If tightening the screws doesn&#8217;t help the internal door catching on frame, you can gently nudge the hinge into a better position.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>When to use:<\/strong> When the door rubs slightly on the latch side (on the frame).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>The method:<\/strong> Remove the screws from the hinge plate that is screwed into the door frame. Place a piece of thin card (like a piece of a business card) behind the hinge plate, then screw the hinge back into place. This subtle shim shifts the door a tiny amount away from the rubbing point, instantly fixing the sticking internal door.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Lubricating door hinges:<\/strong> While not a fix for sticking, a squeaky door needs lubrication. Use a spray lubricant like WD-40 on the hinge pin to quiet the noise.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>If none of these simple steps work, the door may need planing (shaving a millimetre off the sticking edge) or the frame itself may need repositioning\u2014both jobs best left to a skilled <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ratedpeople.com\/local-handyperson\">handyperson<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Why use Rated People for small repairs?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Hanging a door or correcting a warped frame can be a tricky, time-consuming job. Instead of struggling with an awkward, rubbing door, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ratedpeople.com\/local-handyperson\">handypersons<\/a> on our platform can perform a precise door hinge adjustment or planing job quickly. They bring the right tools and expertise to how to fix a rubbing door perfectly, making your home feel effortlessly maintained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>With Rated People, you have the power to get it done.<\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ratedpeople.com\/\"><em> <\/em><em>Find a trusted, local tradesperson today<\/em><\/a><em>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>There&#8217;s nothing more frustrating than an internal door catching on frame, scraping the floor, or refusing to latch properly. These issues are often not due to a warped door but simply a minor misalignment in the frame. Knowing how to fix a rubbing door through a simple door hinge adjustment is a common trick of &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":86,"featured_media":49153,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3228,8],"tags":[3116,1598],"class_list":["post-49152","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-doors","category-how-to","tag-advice-feature","tag-door-fitting"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Fix a sticking internal door with a quick hinge adjustment<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Learn how to fix a rubbing door and stop an internal door catching on frame. Simple steps for door hinge adjustment and lubricating door hinges.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ratedpeople.com\/blog\/basic-door-maintenance-stopping-a-sticking-door-with-a-quick-hinge-adjustment\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Fix a sticking internal door with a quick hinge adjustment\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Learn how to fix a rubbing door and stop an internal door catching on frame. Simple steps for door hinge adjustment and lubricating door hinges.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.ratedpeople.com\/blog\/basic-door-maintenance-stopping-a-sticking-door-with-a-quick-hinge-adjustment\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Rated People Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ratedpeople\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-12-01T11:30:22+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-01-20T17:10:11+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/content.ratedpeople.com\/assets\/2025\/12\/Blog-5-2.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1024\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1024\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Hermione Wright\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Hermione Wright\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ratedpeople.com\\\/blog\\\/basic-door-maintenance-stopping-a-sticking-door-with-a-quick-hinge-adjustment#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ratedpeople.com\\\/blog\\\/basic-door-maintenance-stopping-a-sticking-door-with-a-quick-hinge-adjustment\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Hermione Wright\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ratedpeople.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/a03093a9fe4fea72d07157f936af1ede\"},\"headline\":\"Basic door maintenance: Stopping a sticking door with a quick hinge adjustment\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-12-01T11:30:22+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-01-20T17:10:11+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ratedpeople.com\\\/blog\\\/basic-door-maintenance-stopping-a-sticking-door-with-a-quick-hinge-adjustment\"},\"wordCount\":515,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ratedpeople.com\\\/blog\\\/basic-door-maintenance-stopping-a-sticking-door-with-a-quick-hinge-adjustment#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/content.ratedpeople.com\\\/assets\\\/2025\\\/12\\\/Blog-5-2.png\",\"keywords\":[\"Advice feature\",\"door fitting\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Doors\",\"How-to\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ratedpeople.com\\\/blog\\\/basic-door-maintenance-stopping-a-sticking-door-with-a-quick-hinge-adjustment#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ratedpeople.com\\\/blog\\\/basic-door-maintenance-stopping-a-sticking-door-with-a-quick-hinge-adjustment\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ratedpeople.com\\\/blog\\\/basic-door-maintenance-stopping-a-sticking-door-with-a-quick-hinge-adjustment\",\"name\":\"Fix a sticking internal door with a quick hinge adjustment\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ratedpeople.com\\\/blog\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ratedpeople.com\\\/blog\\\/basic-door-maintenance-stopping-a-sticking-door-with-a-quick-hinge-adjustment#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ratedpeople.com\\\/blog\\\/basic-door-maintenance-stopping-a-sticking-door-with-a-quick-hinge-adjustment#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/content.ratedpeople.com\\\/assets\\\/2025\\\/12\\\/Blog-5-2.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-12-01T11:30:22+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-01-20T17:10:11+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ratedpeople.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/a03093a9fe4fea72d07157f936af1ede\"},\"description\":\"Learn how to fix a rubbing door and stop an internal door catching on frame. 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