How to Fix a Door That Will Not Stay Closed - Moving Striker Plate 

Thanks so much for this video in re-aligning the door latch in order to enable the latch to catch & keep the door closed!😊

Check the reveal around the door to seeif the door has saged. If so add a shim piece behind the hinge to straihhten the door. And everyone should keep their chisels sharp. Good job amd thanks for showing!

I was taught to use a mix of wood glue and saw dust, in a paste consistency. Pack it in with a nail or whatever fits into the hole. Let dry and continue on as you mentioned. The golf tee is easier and faster.

thank you from central VA, this DIYer just impressed his wife with some new youtube skills. thanks to this video, i was able to lower a strike plate and secure two loose plates. TIP* the sharper the chisel = better to break those fibers, and the self-centering drill is a nice touch

Nice video - thank you for taking the time to make it. You did the right thing by using the self centering guide for the screw re-install. Here are a few things I do differently. 1. I never try to beat down the strike plate - that will only loosen the screws. 2. Check the hinge side for screw tightness - there is a good chance the hinges loosened up and the door sagged. The deadbolt may have been installed subsequent to the sag. The deadbolt may actually be the misaligned part of the door. 3. I replace the hinge and strike plate screws of exterior doors with #9x3 inch flat head (not bugle head!!) screws that are yellow zinc for corrosion resistance. This will drive the strike plate and hinges in to the studs, and not just the jamb. This will substantially improve the kick open resistance of the door and prevent future sag 4. The mortise is now too large for the strike plate, making the plate subject to movement. To remedy this, I put saran wrap on the strike plate and set it into the mortise filled with epoxy putty. This will embed the plate perfectly in the mortise, and the saran wrap (removed/cut off after curing) will prevent the plate from sticking. The epoxy fills all of the voids from the 1/4" gap above the plate to misadventures from chiseling out the mortise voids behind the strike plate. 5. In lieu of golf tees...another way to fill the old screw hole voids is to make a snake of epoxy putty and fill the old screw holes. The epoxy can be drilled, tapped, filed just like wood, but is stronger and more stable than the wood it replaces, making for a long term repair. In any event, filling the holes really just allows a good pilot hole to be drilled, as I do put in 3 inch screws, reaching the framing. 6. With the work involved, I recommend installing a more substantial combined strike plate that covers the deadbolt and doorknob mechanisms. Take a look at www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0778XXYSV/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&psc=1, for a sample. Installed with the above mentioned 3 inch screws remarkably improves the doors kick-in resistance. This presumes a standard 5.5 to 6 inch standard lockset spacing. 7. For the more advanced worker out there, take a look at the Dremel router tool, which gives a smoother base than chiseling. Use a door strike plate installation jig if you are starting from scratch. I hope this helps someone out there to stay safer and get their door to actually work properly. Do not rush the job....

After slightly moving the 1,3,5 knuckles on the door hinge to re-align the door the door knob bolt no longer fit into the striker plate. I used a multi function tool to score the jam then a chisel to remove the excess wood. The striker plate was only moved 1/8" so I used 3" screws to secure the plate to the jam. I always use a screwdriver when installing deadbolts and door knobs. Thank for the excellent video.

Thank you so much! I used your “hammer tapping the screwdriver method” and it worked beautifully on my deadbolt strike plate! I’m a senior citizen and can’t afford to pay a handyman. So... God Bless You, and thank you, thank you, thank you!!

Nice job Professor, after 30+ years the house settles and doors need some TLC!

Love the golf tee trick. I have used tooth picks before, but now I’m going to have to pick up some tees.

If they would have installed that prehung level and checked all the margins they wouldn’t have that problem . If the door is sagging you can install longer screws on the top hinge and if that doesn’t work you can shim the bottom hinge out or bend the bottom hinge out easy fix

Cool centering drill bits.Only thing I would change is using longer screws to go into the stud for better strength.

I would have put in longer would screws into the strick plate to insure they would grab well into the 2x4 frame behind the strike plate trim, also longer wood screws into the door latch frame in the foor to also better bugler proof your home from forced entry! Just my 2 cents worth

I use chop sticks coated with carpenters glue to fill old screw holes. It is a cheap and quick fix.

On an exterior door, and for better security, use 3” screws when remounting the striker plate. Makes it much harder to kick in.

thanks for the golf tee tip!

I really like the golf tee idea. And the self-centering bit. Thanks.

Thank you! Perfect! Just everything I needed to know in 4:47. Woo hoo!

Is it just me or could you drive a truck through the gap on that door frame? Why not use dowels? Why not replace the broken golf tee dowel? Super glue instead of wood glue? Why is there so much light coming through when you're done (looks like it's gonna have quite a draft)? I have a lot of questions about the methods here. Nice tip on the box knife + chisel to remove small bits. I'm going to try that for sure!

Also use longer screws for more security with the strike plate.

Match sticks work great.

nice video on the use of tees,, but strike plates don't sag "doors sag" fix the door. good job with the golf tees thanks for sharing.

Nice tip with the golf tees!

Thanks

Thanks this helped me!

Sharp chisels are your friend lol. Thanks

Good idea with the golf ball tee if you have a vacuum leak on your engine is running rough find a leak and plug it you will be amazed

Look up on Alpha latch striker plate on RU-vid. This new invention solves all your problems.

My problem seems to be the tongue, unsure if correct word, on the inside of strike plate. I finally used a hammer to flatten it then vice-grips to break it off.

If anyone comes across a loose door latch or deadbolt and wants a solid repair that doesn't involve glue, stick, putty, or that ugly metal sleeve that ruins the look of your door, ReSecure Latch is that answer. ReSecure Latch sits inside the door alongside the latch, resecuring your loose latch from the INSIDE. Great for property maintenance, homeowners, and DYiers.

Advice for repairing broken old porcelain sinks?

What do you suggest to do about the exposed/recessed wood above the strike plate after lowering it? Anything to fill that space?

Beating the lips into submission can help if you have Thor’s strength cuz you’ll be beating on that thing for a good hour before it even moves a few centimeters, I managed to fix mine by just chipping away the wood of the frame a bit lower and I just moved the plate down and screwed it back in

Great job. It looks like you need to sharpen your chisel!

Thanks for the tutorial. I needed this information. Hopefully I'll be able to fix my door.

Car bondo is a great wood filler.

My builder drilled the holes too high to begin with so I'm trying to fix. This video was very helpful! Did you fill in the space above the repositioned strike plate?

And that’s how you Do it in this Old House”!!..

Why did you put such sort screws back the strike plate? I think longer screws would have been better.

Hi, thank you for the video, it is helping me to prepare to fix my laundry room door. How do you remove “flat-head” screws?

First you actually split the wood when extending the hole for the striker plate, a sharp chisel would have made a better job of it.

That is a weak area screw holes will be close buy a oversized plate re mortis it put 2 1/2 screws in it much stronger walk away be done

I have to move a deadbolt striker plate horizontally(toward the front of the door) to create a tighter seal. How complicated is that? I'm not great with chisels.

Is this a good method to lower the strike plate if the door is catching?

Thank you so much for this content great job!

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Placing a thin shim under the bottom right hinge would have done the same thing.

Happens to heavy doors - they sag down

Why couldn't remove the strike plate, file the lower part, and then chisel out the lower part of the latch opening in the wood frame. In this way you wouldn't affect the screw holes as they would remain the same. Just a thought.

Why didn’t you fill in the gap at the top of the strike plate. Another video by a different author did the same thing. IMHO it looks awful.

Double up the strike plate so there is less of a gap?

That's what she said nice and tight fit😂😂ahahahahah good video man

wow such stripped screws... i dont know why you didnt replace them...

Sharpen that chisel. Good tutorial though

Ya soft wood when some kicks it in with your little Screws

Who on earth showed you that hitting a screw driver on its side with a hammer is the correct thing to do, apart from the fact you will end up with a damaged screw driver, the problem is with the hinged side of the door or the door frame. I recommend that you stick to golf, and get a tradesman to do the necessary repairs to your home

Dremel... Just sayin'.