mountainous primitive can't get door to open

[franksolich]

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=287x7398

Oh my.

likesmountains 52  (1000+ posts)      Tue Feb-10-09 11:00 AM
Original message
 
I need your help again! My back door started sticking last week and now it's so bad that I can't even pull it open from the inside anymore...I have to go around from the front and push it open from the outside. The weather hasn't been any different than usual (cold and snow). It is a glass french door and I'm worried about breaking the glass with all this pushing and pulling. Any hints?

yy4me  (1000+ posts)        Tue Feb-10-09 11:26 AM
Response to Original message
 
1. The first thing you should do before pushing the panic button,
 
From the inside, hold the knob and lift up. If there is any play in the door, the hinges have loosened. Shim the door at the base(when open)and tighten the screws. If they are loose and this does not help, you may have to reset them because the holes are stripped. Easy to do. Glue wood matchsticks in the holes. Cut off to level with sheetrock knife, allow time to dry. Re-drill holes using slightly smaller drill than the diameter of the screws. Rehang door. It is a two man job. Not hard, just bulky. You've got to get the hinges back into their original spot before you drill pilot holes.

Check the alignment of your door lock on both the door and the jamb. Could be catching.

Any sign of paint wearing off(friction) the edge of the door anywhere? It may be swelling because of constant dampness. May need a slight planing. Your house may have settled.

Dragging on the bottom? If the screws have been tightened and the base still drags, you may have to remove the door and plane the bottom a little. This may sound silly but I used a rasp and filed off just a tiny spot that has hitting the threshold. Did the job.

Wash. state Desk Jet  (1000+ posts)      Tue Feb-10-09 01:43 PM
Response to Original message
 
2. Doors tend to swell

Open the door than push it closed until you feel resistance. Look up and down the space between the door and the frame. Look top of door all the way across up and down top to bottom ,and across the bottom. You are looking for the places it catches.

On a quick fix until spring you need a sander. You can sand the door or the casing ,which ever seems to get it or both. You might touch it up with a primer base until spring. A light coat. That is the areas you sand.

Also the casing itself may have shifted. Sometimes adding a nail or two will set it back far enough to correct the problem. In mose cases it is swelling, and a sander solves the problem. Look at the crack up and down the door ,across the top , find where the door catches and sand, pushing the door in toward the close position as you go. You work the sander that way so that you do not widen that gap too much. Remember ,what expands also contracts.