The Smart Tape Hack That Makes Finding A Sticky Door Problem So Easy

When a door stops functioning as it should and begins sticking, it can feel impossible to try to identify the cause. However, you must figure out which section of the door frame the door is catching onto in order to solve the problem. This is typically quite challenging for anyone who does not have experience with door repairs. The next time you identify an annoying sticky door, consider placing a piece of painter's tape along the entire length of the door frame. Once the tape is in place, open and shut the door a few times. This should cause the tape to break in the spot where the door is sticking.

If the door is getting caught on the striker plate, for example, then opening and closing the door would cause the tape to break where the striker plate is located. This is what lets you know that the striker plate is the source of the problem. Once you identify the cause, you can begin working to repair the damage and get it functioning properly again. Keep in mind that you may need to call for the help of a professional depending on what is causing your door to stick. It's also helpful to know other signs to look out for to help figure out what it could mean if your doors stick.

If you try to fix a sticking door with this hack and discover that the striker plate is the problem, you likely need to either tighten the screws, replace the bottom screw with a longer screw, or replace the screws altogether. If the screws are loose, this obviously indicates that you need to simply use a screwdriver to tighten the plate. Alternatively, just as content creator @ken.c.long explained, a striker plate that has shifted slightly out of place can be fixed by replacing a bottom screw with a longer screw. Lasty, the quick fix for rusty or otherwise damaged screws is to simply replace them.

Those options will help you solve the most common problems. However, what if your tape breaks in a different spot? This may indicate that the door became swollen due to moisture or humidity. Wooden doors are prone to this issue during rainstorms.

The door should return to its normal size as long as the moisture levels in your home return to normal. You can speed up the process by using a dehumidifier or running your air conditioning system. Misaligned hinges is another common cause of a door that sticks. To resolve this issue, you may need to tighten the screws in your hinges, replace the screws, or replace the hinges themselves.