Fix Sticking Closet Doors

Every summer, these closet doors stick together because of seasonal wood movement. See how to fix a door that sticks and binds. These doors have been sticking for a few years now, and this repair is long overdue. When I look at the edge of the doors, you can see where the paint is wearing off. The first thing to check is that the screws in the hinges are tight. Sometimes the screws in the hinges work loos and let the door sag, causing some binding. These ones are tight, so I know that’s not part of the problem. Another thing to check is if the door jamb is loose. This might be fixed by taking out a hinge screw and replacing it with a longer screw (about 2 to 3 inches long). It could pull the door jamb closer the stud behind the door jam to create more space where the door is binding. The door jamb is tight on this door, so it means I have to take off the door and trim it down. To take off the door, I loosen the top hinge pin first, using a framing nail and a hammer. Then I loosen and remove the bottom hinge pin. The last step is to hold the door with one hand and remove the top hinge pin. The door is now loose and I can take it into the workshop. There are a few ways to trim down the side of a door. You can use a belt sander, but that is dusty and you might end up with an uneven edge. Another way is to use a plane of you have one. I prefer to use a circular saw with a guide because its fast and accurate. To get a quality cut, you’ll need a straight edge to guide the saw. You will also want to cut the door from the back side. A circular saw does the cutting action up, towards the saw. This means that if there’s any tear out on a surface, it’s going to be on the top, not the bottom. By cutting from the back, the front edge will be as crisp as possible. I use a straight edge guide I have in my workshop, and you can see more about it in a video about how to cut large boards https://youtu.be/CyMudtkwoQY I simply line up the edge of the guide to where I want to cut and I clamp it down. I’m taking off 1/16th of an inch. Just enough to stop the doors from touching. I test fit the door to make sure I’m happy with the fit. Then finish the bare wood with primer and two coats of paint. Our woodworking plans - https://woodenitbenice.ca/collections/woodworking-plans Our 1-on-1 woodworking advice sessions - https://woodenitbenice.ca/collections/woodworking-advice-sessions See the tools we use in our workshop and the tools we recommend: https://www.amazon.com/shop/homeimprovementwoodworking 🇨🇦 Canadian link - https://www.amazon.ca/shop/homeimprovementwoodworking For more woodworking knowledge or to contact us directly, visit our website https://WoodenItBeNice.ca Hosted by Scott Bennett, owner of Wooden It Be Nice in Brooklin, Ontario, Canada #closet #closetdoors