1.0 What the job involves
Before anything is planed, we read the door. Close it slowly and the gap around it shows where it's tight: a gap that narrows towards the top on the latch side usually means a dropped top hinge, and a gap that closes along the bottom means the whole door has sunk. Planing a door that has only dropped takes wood off for nothing.
Most sticking doors start at the hinges. Hinge screws work loose, or strip the timber they're in, and the door drops on the latch side. We tighten or replace the screws, use longer ones into the frame where they'll hold, and pack a hinge if the door needs to sit over a little.
When a door really is too big, we take the door off, mark the tight edge, and plane it back by hand or with a power plane. A bare edge drinks moisture and swells again, so a planed edge is sealed or primed before the door goes back up, ready for you to paint.
A door that won't latch is usually a strike plate that no longer lines up with the latch. We file it, move it or refit it. Doors that stick in one season and swing free in another are often the house moving as the ground wets and dries; we'll tell you if that's what we're looking at, because the fix is different.
2.0 The process, step by step
- 2.1
Read the gaps
Door closed slowly, gaps and rub marks checked all the way round.
- 2.2
Hinges first
Screws tightened or replaced, longer screws into the frame, packing if needed.
- 2.3
Re-check
Most doors are fixed here. If it still rubs, we mark the tight spot.
- 2.4
Plane
Door off, edge planed back just past the mark, arrises eased.
- 2.5
Seal
Bare timber sealed or primed so it doesn't swell again.
- 2.6
Latch
Strike plate lined up, door closed and latched without a push.
3.0 Included / not included
Included
- Reading the door and telling you the cause
- Hinge screws tightened, replaced or lengthened
- Hinge packing where the door needs to sit over
- Planing and sealing the edge if it's needed
- Strike plates adjusted or moved
- Shavings and dust cleaned up
Not included
- Changing door openings or frames in walls
- Structural repairs if the house itself has moved a lot
- Painting the door (planed edges are sealed, ready for paint)
- Glass in doors
- Automatic or electric door openers
- Security doors
4.0 How pricing works
Every job is a free quote. A door that only needs its hinges set takes much less time than one that has to come off and be planed, so the first thing we work out is which yours is.
Several doors in one visit cost less each, because the travel is shared. A photo of the door closed, showing the gaps, often gets you a firm price before we come.
5.0 Questions
Why does my door stick only in winter?
Timber takes up moisture and swells, and the ground under the house can move as it wets and dries. We'll check which it is before planing anything.
Do you always have to plane it?
No. Most sticking doors are fixed at the hinges. Planing is the last step, not the first.
Can you fix a door that swings open by itself?
Usually. It's often a hinge that's out of line or a frame that isn't plumb; we'll show you which.
Will the planed edge need painting?
We seal or prime it before rehanging the door. Matching your paint colour is up to you, or ask and we'll quote it.
Do you do sliding doors?
We adjust rollers and latches on sliding doors. Damaged tracks in aluminium frames are a different job, and we'll say so.