How To Fix a Door That Won't Latch- It's Simpler Than You Think!, by The Funny Carpenter on YouTube. 4 min 32 s.
- Video length
- 4 min 32 s
- Time to do it
- 15 minutes
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Steps
- 8
What you need
Steps
Close the door slowly and watch where the latch bolt lands. Look for a shiny scratch mark on the strike plate that shows where the metal is rubbing.
Tighten the hinge screws on the top and middle hinges before you cut anything. A door that has sagged a few millimetres is often the real cause of a missed latch.
Rub pencil lead or lipstick on the end of the latch bolt, then shut the door. The mark it leaves on the strike plate shows exactly where the bolt is hitting.
Take out the strike plate screws and lift the plate off the frame. Keep the screws somewhere you can find them again.
Put on safety glasses and fit the carbide cutter to your rotary tool. Unplug or switch off the tool before you change the bit.
Grind a small amount off the side of the strike plate opening where the latch rubs. Work in short passes and stop often to test the fit.
Screw the plate back on and close the door. The latch should click into the hole without you pushing or lifting the door.
If the plate sits too far from the latch, fill the old screw holes with glued toothpicks, then re-drill and refit the plate slightly closer.
Tips and common mistakes
Remove a little metal at a time, because it is much easier to widen a hole than to fill one back in.
Test the door after every pass so you do not open the strike plate wider than the latch needs.
If the door only fails in summer, the frame has swelled and the plate may need adjusting again in winter.
Wear eye protection, since carbide cutters throw hot metal chips.
Questions
Do I need a rotary tool for this?
No. A small metal file or a drill with a carbide bit will widen the strike plate opening too, it just takes longer. A rotary tool with a carbide cutter is simply faster.
How do I know if the problem is the hinges instead of the strike plate?
Look for a gap at the top of the door on the hinge side or a door that rubs on the floor. Tighten or replace the hinge screws first, since a sagging door misses the strike plate no matter how wide the hole is.
Can I move the strike plate instead of cutting it?
Yes, if the misalignment is more than a few millimetres. Fill the old screw holes, then refit the plate in the new position so the latch drops straight into the opening.
This guide was drafted from the video's details and general task knowledge. It has not been checked against the full video. Check the video and relevant product instructions before following a procedure. Report a correction.
