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Fix A Gap From A Rattling Door

  
  
  

door strike plateWhen you close your door and it latches, can you still move it back and forth? If so you need to make a few adjustments. You see this a lot with closet doors, which probably is not a big deal. But for an exterior door you need to secure it properly.

If your door wiggles somewhat you are going to see a gap (and probably daylight). If you have thick and stout weather stripping around the door, you may not have such a pronounced back-and-forth movement as the weather stripping will push back against the door.

The real fix here is to adjust the strike plate towards the exterior of the door. This will close the gap and mate the exterior surface of the door with the weather stripping. It will also eliminate any play in the door.

Moving the strike plate a small amount is tough because the screws tend to wander back into the old holes. So you really have to fill the old holes and re-drill some new ones. Remove the strike plate and use some golf tees slathered in wood glue. Jam them into the old holes and let the glue dry. Cut the golf tees flush with the surface of the door jamb and move the strike plate into its new position. Mark the holes and pre-drill them with a small bit. You will have to chisel out some wood to accept the new door strike plate and latch location, but this is an easy job. Then screw the latch into its new location. Your door should close and latch securely.

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