Thursday, October 6, 2011

Door Jamb Jam

Painting all of the trim in our house has also caused me to paint the doors as well.  Of course, things never go back on as easily as they came off.  After I hung the door in our spare bedroom it wouldn't stay closed.  After several attempts at loosening, straightenting, and tightening the hinges (x23) I was frustrated. Then I realized that it wasn't the hinges, it was the strike plate. Here's a little trick for moving the strike plate from a previous position.

First dip several toothpicks in wood glue and stuff in the hole that you are trying to fill. It should be a very snug fit.  It's okay if they don't fit in there evenly.


Let it dry for 24 hours.  Then simply snap off the toothpicks at the base.


This leaves a very rough edge.  Use a chisel to level the toothpick flush with the door jamb. If your chisel is sharp you should be able to take care of it in one blow.


Now it's time to put the strike plate back on.  I chose to tape the strike plate in place so I knew it would not move while I was putting the new screws in.


This worked like a charm and the door closed perfectly.

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