Sticking door locks can be attributed to.
Front door latch sticks.
Tom s rule of thumb for keeping a door from sticking in the jamb is that the reveal the space between the door and jamb should be 1 8 to 3 16 inch wide or about the thickness of a nickel.
Step 1 close shave photo by craig raine.
Follow along as tom fixes a swelled door in his own home with just a few simple tools.
Here s how to remove and clean the most common type of door lock.
Do you have a door that won t open because the lock latch won t retract enough to open the door.
The reason the strike plate has become misaligned might have something to do with moisture expanding the wood of your door or perhaps even an issue with the foundation of your.
If so here s how you can fix it.
If the latch bolt doesn t move and is fully extended the issue is with the strike plate.
Once you let go of the knob grab the end of the latch bolt with your fingers and pull.
Turn the knob to open the door and release the knob slowly.
Tighten the hinge screws and then try adjusting the strike plate by loosening its screws and shifting it slightly.
Door lock doesn t latch properly.
Each time you open it there is a little grab before it releases.
When a door latch doesn t click into position it usually means the latch and the strike plate are out of alignment.
These are not the only possible reasons a door latch is stuck but they are the most likely to be the issues you are facing.
An effective front door lock keeps out burglars but when you find yourself struggling to enter your own home it may be time to adjust your lockset.
In other cases it may be the wood door edge itself scuffing on the door frame.
The issue with the door latch stuck only when you are attempting to open a closed door but not when the door is open you might have a misaligned strike plate.
Slide the doorknob off the spindle pull out the lock mechanism and remove the latchbolt from its hole in the edge of the door.
Remove the two screws that hold the lock faceplate on the edge of the door.
You will need the following.
September 2 2013 september 2 2013 tyler.
Repairs range from making minor latch adjustments to repositioning the door.
If the latch bolt moves it is sticking in the door knob and requires some disassembly to fix.
How to fix a stuck front door lock latch that won t retract.