4 Fixes for when a door won’t latch
Safeguarding our home is essential with investing in quality door latches. Choosing the best latch on the door plays a major role in restricting the forcible entry into the house. When you are using reliable doors that do not latch then it would be regaining a sense of security and privacy.
Loose door latches could be stressful, so it is important to resolve the issue quickly. Choosing the right door strike plate is important for ensuring the latch is attached to the door. There are various techniques involved for fixing when the door won’t latch properly.
How to fix it when a door won’t latch?
Resolving or fixing won’t when it won’t latch does not take more time. There are various strategies involved for simply providing you the suitable results. Find whether the latch is missing the strike plate hole in positions such as above or even below. You need to test whether they are in close contact with each other.
For example, you can also apply the mark on the materials on the door latch. You can put the strip of painter’s tape or even masking on the painter’s plate. The strike plate is a unique metal plate that is completely affixed to the doorjamb holes.
These can also easily accommodate lock bolts. The strike plate will easily protect the doorjamb by adding more level of security to the highest extent. Follow the below steps to fix the door latch issues.
Tighten hinges with screwdriver:
Normally, frequently used older doors could be causing the sagging of hinges as gravity will be pulling the door completely down. It will be making the changes in swinging the door so these result in the misaligned door latch. These can be seen when the door comes in contact below strike plate holes.
You can use the screwdriver to tighten screws in door hinges. It will make the door open and close properly when the door frame supports it.
When you find that the latch contacts the strike plate is lower or higher, then it is essential to tighten the hinge screws indoors. Sometimes, you can remove screws on the jamb side of the hinge; then, it is convenient to drive about a 3-inch screw inside.
Longer screw also grabs the wall framing by simply accurately drawing the complete door jamb. You can lower the latch in the bottom hinge. You can raise the latch at the top hinge even without any hassle. Choosing to use the 3-inch screw on the door jamb side in the hinge is easier when you cannot tighten the screw using the previous method.
Use the 3-inch screw on the door jamb to grab the hinge towards the wall framing. These will be completely pulling the door frame in the right position. You can drive the screw in the bottom hole to pull the door down when the latch comes in contact with the strike plate.
Enlarge strike plate hole:
Properly balanced doors will be completely closing accurately. Sometimes, the strike plate and latch can still be out of alignment.
When you cannot resolve the door adjustments then it could be causing the misalignment of the strike plate hole. It is best to check whether the latch comes in contact with the strike plate and find how much the latch is misaligned.
For example, you are required to move a complete strike plate hole when it is out of alignment more than ⅛ inch. You can try to enlarge the hole when the misalignment is less than ⅛ inch.
Measure the misalignment using the lipstick marks for the strike plates. These are significant options to find whether the screw is misaligned too high or too low. Use a metal file to enlarge the strike plate hole by removing the strike plate from the door frame.
Move the strike plate:
One of the best ways to fix when the door doesn’t latch is by moving the plate. For instance, when the latch is in contact with the strike plate but does not move far, then it is too low or too high. It is the best option to find and measure 1/8 inch for repositioning the strike plates.
Follow the best steps:
- Move the strike plate up or down
- Use a sharp chisel to increase strike plate mortise
- Hold strike plate
- Drill new 1/16-in. holes for screws
- Install strike plate
- Fill a gap in strike plate mortise using the wood filler
- Remove strike plate
- Paint the patch
Use the lipstick test to check whether the contact position of the latch is completely in relation to the strike plate hole. Sometimes, you can also discover the latch is higher than ⅛ inch from alignments.
The door will not be latching properly when the strike plate hole is larger. It is the best option to check whether the door is balanced by tightening the hinges appropriately. Moving the strike plate to the new position is a more efficient option when they are properly lined up.
Add accurate hinges:
One of the significant options you need to look at is sand down or shim in the hinges in the doors. These do not allow the door to open or close properly, causing more problems.
The door frame is required to be shimmed or sanded if the Locking issues persist. Sometimes, the locking issues can be due to hinge mortises. These can be too small or even too shallow for the hinge’s size.
Sanding hinges mortise down the accurate depth or even sanding edges for accommodating the hinge is most essential. You can also replace the hinges to ensure that they connect exactly to the door frame. Make sure that the door is balanced appropriately letting you easily get suitable results.
For shimming the hinges, it is best to remove the latch from the door frame and make it into a small cardboard piece. These can be fitted in the hinge to ensure they fit appropriately. You can also replace the hinge from the temporary cardboard inserted.
Conclusion:
In conclusion, the above steps can be helpful for resolving the locking issues based on components such as door jambs or even strike plate. You can conveniently replace the lockset when the knob mechanism in the door is failed.
