How do you fix a sticking door?

Tighten the hinge screws first -- that alone fixes the problem more often than you'd think. If the door still sticks, drive a 3-inch screw through the top hinge into the wall stud behind the jamb. Plane the door only as a last resort, because wood that you remove in summer becomes a drafty gap in winter. Below is the full fix hierarchy, from a five-minute screwdriver job to a full planing and resealing.

Why is my door sticking?

Humidity is the most common cause, according to all eight sources we checked. Wood absorbs moisture from the air and swells -- Bob Vila notes that indoor humidity above 70% is the threshold where doors start binding. If your door sticks in summer but swings fine in winter, moisture is almost certainly the explanation.

Loose hinge screws are the second most common cause. The top hinge carries most of the door's weight, and those screws loosen over years of daily use. When the top hinge drops, the opposite corner of the door drags against the frame or threshold (Family Handyman, This Old House). This is the same mechanism behind a sagging door -- the fix is the same too.

Two other causes come up less often but are worth knowing about. Paint buildup between coats narrows the gap between door and frame -- every repaint without sanding adds thickness, and after three or four coats, you've eaten into the 1/8-inch clearance that should exist between the door edge and the jamb, according to Lowe's. Foundation settling can also shift the frame out of square entirely. You'll notice this when the gap between door and frame is wider at the top than the bottom, or vice versa. Five sources flag this as a job for a professional rather than a DIY fix (This Old House, Bob Vila, Angi, The Spruce, True Value).

Will a sticking door fix itself when the weather changes?

Often, yes. WikiHow's guide, co-authored by home improvement specialist Gino Colucci, points out that a door sticking in summer may swing freely once humidity drops in fall. Running an air conditioner or a dehumidifier brings the moisture level down enough to un-stick the door without any physical repair.

For a quick temporary fix while you wait for drier conditions, rub a bar of dry soap or a candle along the catching edge (wikiHow, True Value). The wax fills the surface and lets the door slide past the frame. For sticky paint on the doorstop, The Spruce recommends dusting with talcum powder.

Should you tighten hinge screws before planing?

Always. Every source we checked lists hinge tightening as step one -- before adjustments, before sanding, before anything that removes material. Use a hand screwdriver rather than a drill; Family Handyman and wikiHow both warn that drills are too aggressive for the small screws in door hinges and can strip them out.

Check every screw on every hinge, not just the top one. A loose screw on a middle or bottom hinge shifts the alignment too (Family Handyman). A screw that has backed out by even a quarter turn changes the door's position enough to make it catch.

What does the 3-inch screw trick do for a sticking door?

Standard hinge screws are about an inch long and only grip the door jamb. A 3-inch screw passes through the jamb and bites into the wall stud behind it, which pulls the entire jamb tighter against the framing, according to Family Handyman, Angi, and The Spruce. This shifts the door away from wherever it's catching -- often enough to fix a sticking door without removing any wood.

Replace one screw on the frame side of the top hinge -- just one, to avoid bowing the jamb. Drive it with a drill most of the way, then finish with a quarter-turn by hand (Family Handyman). If gaps appear at the trim joints, you've gone too far -- back the screw out slightly. Angi also notes that you can drive a 3-inch screw through the latch side of the jamb to pull the frame closer on that side, which is useful when the sticking is on the latch edge rather than the top.

How do you find where a door is sticking?

Three diagnostic methods work well. Close the door and look for scuff marks on the edge -- that's where it's dragging. Or slide a piece of paper between the door and frame and move it along the perimeter; it will jam at the tight spot (wikiHow, True Value). Lowe's suggests an even more precise method: place carbon paper (ink side toward the door) against the frame and close the door. The ink transfers onto the exact binding area.

Can you plane a sticking door without removing it?

Yes, if the sticking is on the hinge side. This Old House's Tom Silva recommends opening the door and planing the hinge-side edge directly, which avoids the hassle of disassembling the doorknob and latch hardware on the opposite side. For latch-side sticking, you usually need to take the door down -- but try loosening the strike plate and adjusting its position before committing to planing (The Spruce).

A block plane gives you the most control -- set it to a shallow cut depth and take long, smooth strokes (True Value). A belt sander is faster but removes material aggressively; Family Handyman recommends this approach for larger areas but warns to go slow. Either way, remove as little wood as possible. Bob Vila and wikiHow both stress this point: the door shrinks when humidity drops in winter. What's a snug fit in July can become a visible, drafty gap by January. Angi adds that prolonged exposure to high humidity can cause permanent warping, but most seasonal swelling reverses on its own -- so wait and see before you plane.

Why do you need to seal wood after planing?

Because raw wood absorbs moisture immediately. This Old House stresses this point: if you plane off material and leave the surface exposed, the door swells right back during the next humid stretch. A coat of primer and paint closes the pores. Family Handyman suggests wiping polyurethane on with a lint-free rag rather than brushing it, which gives a smoother finish without drips.

If you just painted the door and the paint itself is causing it to stick, let it cure fully -- True Value recommends waiting one to two days before closing the door. Use painter's tape on the jamb as a barrier while the finish hardens.

What about stripped screw holes?

If a hinge screw just spins and won't tighten, the wood around the hole is crushed and the threads have nothing to grip. The quick fix: pack the hole with wooden toothpicks coated in wood glue, snap them flush, let the glue dry for at least an hour, then re-drive the screw (wikiHow). The toothpicks give the threads fresh wood to bite into.

For a more permanent repair on heavy doors, This Old House recommends drilling out the stripped hole with a 3/8-inch bit, gluing a wooden dowel into it, tapping it flush, and letting it set. Then drill a pilot hole through the center of the dowel and drive your screw into solid wood. This holds up better than toothpicks on doors that weigh 40 pounds or more.

When should you call a professional?

If the gap between door and frame varies by more than a quarter inch from top to bottom, the frame is out of square -- likely from foundation settling. Five of the eight sources we checked flag this as a job for a professional. Angi reports that door repair averages $130 to $375, or $60 to $130 per hour for a handyperson. The Spruce notes that foundation-related sticking is an ongoing process and may need revisiting every few years.

Also consider a pro for solid exterior doors that need planing. Maintaining a consistent 1/8-inch reveal (the thickness of a nickel, according to This Old House and Bob Vila) while preserving the weatherseal takes precision. And if your home was built before 1978, test for lead paint before sanding anything -- lead dust is a serious health hazard, and chemical strippers are safer (This Old House).

If the sticking turns out to be hinge-related -- worn knuckles, bent leaves, or corroded pins -- our guide to fixing squeaky door hinges covers how to diagnose and address those problems.

Sources

• "How to Fix a Door That Sticks." This Old House. Updated July 2, 2025.
• "How to Fix Sagging or Sticking Doors." Family Handyman. Updated July 27, 2023.
• "How to Fix a Sticking Door." Bob Vila. Updated October 7, 2020.
• "5 Ways to Fix a Jammed Door & Stop It From Sticking." wikiHow. Co-authored by Gino Colucci. Updated December 6, 2024.
• "How to Fix a Door That Sticks: 5 Different Methods." Angi. Updated April 6, 2026.
• "How to Fix a Door That Sticks." The Spruce. By Lee Wallender. Updated March 4, 2023.
• "How to Fix a Sticking Door." True Value.
• "How to Fix a Sticky Door." Lowe's. Updated February 2, 2023.