Flat-priced installs and home repairs, Los Angeles County
Door repair for doors that stick or won't latch
A door that fits has the same thin gap all the way around. When yours pinches, we rehang it square before anything gets planed.
Free to quote. Same-week days, Monday to Saturday, 7am to 7pm.
Doors we fix
- A bedroom door that scrapes the frame up near the latch.
- A bathroom door that only shuts with a shoulder against it.
- A door that springs back open as you close it.
- A door that drags since the new floor went in.
- A closet door that swings open on its own.
- An entry door with daylight showing at one corner.
Square in the frame
Look at the gap where the door meets the frame. When it pinches at one corner and opens at another, the door has sagged on its hinges or the frame has shifted around it.
Usually the fix starts at the hinges. Loose hinge screws let a door sag. We swap them for long screws that bite into the stud beside the frame, and the door lifts back into line. A thin shim behind one hinge moves the door toward the frame or away from it.
Planing comes last. We take wood off only where the door still rubs once it hangs square. If new flooring sits higher than the old, the bottom of the door is planed to clear it.
When it won't latch
If the door closes but the latch misses, the latch and its hole in the frame no longer line up. Rehanging the door square often brings them back together. If they're still apart, we move the plate on the frame to meet the latch and fill the old screw holes.
How a door gets rehung
- Tell us the door and what it does. It sticks, drags, won't latch or swings open.
- We quote it in writing. Then we hold your day.
- We read the gap. The level goes on the head jamb and down the hinge side before anything is loosened.
- We rehang it square. Hinge screws first, then shims. The plane comes out only where it still rubs.
- You close it with us. It should swing free and catch on the first push, with the gap even down both sides. Shavings are swept up and leave with us.
What the price depends on
- How far out it is. Tightening and shimming hinges is quicker than planing.
- Stripped screw holes. They're filled, or take longer screws, before a hinge will hold.
- The door. A heavy solid door takes longer to take down and rehang than a hollow one.
- New hardware. A hinge you want replaced is priced separately on the quote.
- Several doors. Each is quoted, and they can share one visit.
Door repair questions
Why does my door stick only in winter?
Damp winter air makes wood swell, and dry air shrinks it again. If it rubs only in the wet months, we set the hinges first and plane last, so the door still closes well in summer.
Can you fix a door that won't lock?
Often, yes. If the bolt won't reach its hole, the door is usually out of square, and rehanging it fixes the lock too.
Can you look at my garage door too?
No. Garage doors are a separate trade. We work on the doors inside the house, and on front and back doors.
Will the door look different after planing?
Only at the edge we planed. That edge is sealed so it doesn't take on moisture, and painting it to match is quoted with the repair.
Doors that stick or won't latch
Rehung square in the frame so the gap runs even and the latch catches. A door that drags is planed to clear the floor.
Some jobs are outside handyman work, such as a new circuit or a re-pipe. If that's what your job needs, we tell you on the first call.
Book a repair on its own or on the same day as an install.
Each one is quoted in writing before we hold the day.
7am to 7pm, Monday to Saturday. Requests sent outside those hours get a reply first thing.
The board price is confirmed in writing before we hold your day.
If it comes loose, we come back at no charge.