A door that sticks, drops, rattles or will not latch is rarely a door that needs replacing. In most cases the problem sits in one of a few places: the hinges, the latch and strike plate, the handle mechanism, or the fit of the door in its frame. Door repair starts with finding which one, because planing a door that has only dropped on a loose hinge makes the gap worse, not better.
Voltify Contractors repairs internal doors, front and back doors, and door handles, hinges and latches in homes, rented properties and commercial premises across East and South-East London, including Canary Wharf, Stratford, Bow, Canning Town, Greenwich, Woolwich and Barking. It is part of our handyman and property maintenance service.
Where Is the Door Catching?
The quickest way to understand a sticking door is to look at the gaps around it when it is closed. An even gap on all sides means the door is sitting correctly; a gap that is wide at one corner and tight at the opposite one points to where the fault is. Our guide to common door problems adds a few more quick checks, and the signs that the cause is not the door at all.
| What you notice | Usual cause | Usual fix |
|---|---|---|
| Catches along the top on the handle side; gap at the top hinge | Door has dropped. Top hinge screws loose, stripped or in worn holes | Tighten or re-fix the hinge with longer screws or packed holes, then check the gaps again before removing any wood |
| Rubs along the whole latch edge, worse in winter | Timber has swollen with moisture, or layers of paint have built up | Ease the edge, then seal the bare timber so it does not swell again |
| Scrapes the floor after new flooring or a thicker carpet | The floor is now higher than the door was cut for | Door taken off and trimmed at the bottom, then sealed |
| Closes but will not latch | Latch and strike plate no longer line up, often after the door has moved | Adjust or reposition the strike plate, or deepen the recess it sits in |
| Door rattles when shut | Gap between the door and the door stop is too wide | Reposition the strike plate or door stop so the door closes firmly |
| Will not stay open or swings shut on its own | Frame or hinges slightly out of plumb | Adjust the hinges; in some cases fit a suitable door stop or holder |
One detail that is often missed: when a door is planed or trimmed, the bare timber edge must be sealed or painted afterwards. An unsealed edge absorbs moisture, and the door can start sticking again within a season. If the door is catching because the floor at the doorway has lifted or a threshold strip has come loose, that is a flooring repair rather than a door problem.
Sticking Internal Door: What You Can Safely Try First
An internal door that has just started sticking is worth a few minutes of checking before anyone reaches for a plane. Three things are reasonable to try yourself:
- Tighten the top hinge. Open the door and try each hinge screw with a screwdriver. If the top ones turn freely, the door has probably dropped, and firm screws can lift it back into place.
- Find the rub mark. Close the door on a sheet of paper at different points, or look for worn paint on the edge and frame. That shows exactly where it is catching.
- Give it a dry spell. If it sticks only in damp weather and the gaps look even, the timber may have swollen and could ease once the room is drier.
Stop there if the screws spin without biting, if the door needs removing to fix it, or if it is a fire door: taking wood off a fire door or changing its hardware can affect how it performs. Planing is also hard to undo, since too much off one edge leaves a gap that rattles. Our article on which door problems a handyman can repair covers the faults that need a different trade.
Door Handles, Latches and Hinges
Door handle repairs cover a surprising range of faults, and the right fix depends on what has actually failed:
- A drooping lever handle usually means a weak or broken return spring, either in the handle itself or in the latch. Replacing the handle alone will not help if the latch is the problem.
- A handle that turns but does not open the door points to a worn spindle, a broken latch or a grub screw that has worked loose.
- A loose handle on its backplate or rose is often only loose fixings, though the holes may need repairing if screws have been re-tightened many times.
- A latch that sticks or will not spring back may be clogged with paint, worn out, or bent from being slammed.
- Squeaking or stiff hinges can be cleaned and lubricated; hinges that are bent, cracked or worn at the knuckle are replaced.
When replacing handles, it is worth measuring the existing latch and the spacing of any lock or keyhole below the handle. Replacement handles on a backplate must match those centres, or new holes are needed in the door. Photos of both sides of the door and of the latch edge make it much easier to plan.
Front Door Repair
Front doors take more wear than any other door in a property, and they also have to keep out weather and keep the home secure. Common front door repairs include doors that have dropped and no longer lock without lifting the handle, worn or perished draught seals, loose letterplates and knockers, and timber doors that swell or rot at the bottom rail.
On uPVC and composite doors, many problems come from hinge alignment rather than the lock. When a door drops slightly, the multipoint locking bolts no longer line up with their keeps, so the handle becomes stiff to lift or the key becomes hard to turn. Adjusting the hinges and keeps often resolves it. If the gearbox inside the multipoint mechanism has failed, the part needs identifying so a compatible replacement can be sourced, which is confirmed after inspection. Do not keep forcing a stiff handle, as this is a common way for the mechanism to fail completely.
Fire Doors in Flats and Commercial Buildings
Many flat entrance doors onto communal corridors, and many doors in offices, schools and managed buildings, are fire doors. They are designed to hold back fire and smoke for a set period, and that only works if the door is complete and closes properly.
If a fire door is not closing fully into its frame, the self-closer is disconnected, or the seals around the edge are damaged or painted over, it should be reported and repaired rather than left. Repairs to fire doors need compatible components, so the existing door, closer and hardware are checked before work is agreed. In blocks of flats, the entrance door is often the responsibility of the freeholder or managing agent rather than the leaseholder, so check the lease before arranging work. The building’s responsible person or managing agent can confirm who arranges fire door repairs and whether a specialist inspection is needed.
Repair, Rehang or Replace?
Most doors can be repaired. Replacement is worth discussing when:
- the door is split, badly warped or has rot through the timber rather than just at the surface;
- a hollow-core internal door has been punched through or crushed at the edge where the hinges or latch are fixed;
- the frame itself has moved or is damaged, so the door cannot be made to fit without work on the frame;
- a door has been trimmed so many times that the gaps can no longer be closed up.
Damage to the frame, architraves or surrounding wall often comes with a door problem. Split architraves, loose door stops and frame linings are handled through our minor carpentry and trim repair service. A door handle that has hit the wall repeatedly usually leaves a hole in the plaster, which can be patched and a door stop fitted to prevent it happening again; larger damage can be handled through our drywall and wall repair service. If a repaired or rehung door needs repainting, that can be arranged through our painting and decorating team.
For Landlords and Commercial Premises
Door faults come up regularly in rented property: handles coming off, doors that no longer latch, and damaged internal doors at the end of a tenancy. Our landlord property maintenance service covers how tenant-reported repairs and void work are arranged.
In offices, shops and schools, doors take heavy daily use, and closers, hinges and handles wear faster. Door repairs can be planned around opening hours as part of our commercial property maintenance work.
How a Door Repair Visit Runs, Step by Step
Most door faults are found by watching the door move, so the visit begins with the door rather than with tools:
- Open, close, look. The door is swung and shut a few times while the gaps, the hinge side and the latch are watched, so the point where it catches or springs back is clear.
- Check the fixings first. Hinge screws, strike plate and handle fixings are tested, because a loose screw is often the whole fault and costs nothing in timber.
- Agree the fix. You are told what has failed and what the repair involves, including any part such as a latch, hinge, seal or handle, before work goes ahead.
- Repair and re-check. The door is adjusted, re-fixed or eased, then closed again to confirm an even gap and a clean latch. Any planed edge is left ready for sealing or painting.
- Talk through the rest. If another door, the frame or the floor is part of the problem, it is pointed out so it can be added to the same visit or planned separately.
Several small jobs around the home can usually be grouped into one booking. Our property repairs page explains how mixed repair lists are handled.
What Affects the Cost of a Door Repair
The documented minimum call-out is £80 for the first hour. The total depends on whether the door needs taking off to be trimmed, whether replacement parts such as handles, latches, hinges, seals or a multipoint gearbox are needed, the type of door, and how many doors are involved. If you have several jobs to add, such as a door that sticks and a few other repairs, a single handyman visit can cover the list.
Send a photo of the door closed, showing the gaps, plus close-ups of the handle, latch and hinges, and contact Voltify Contractors to discuss the repair. Standard visits run 7am–5pm, Monday to Friday. You can also check the areas we cover.
