Sticking door latches.
Exterior door latch sticks.
On the kwikset locks this looks like two little teeth that the cylinder pushes back.
You should first test the door latch to ensure the latch is sticking inside the door and not due to a misaligned strike plate.
In a situation like this sometimes the door itself is to blame.
Yes it s that sticking door of yours.
Each time you open it there is a little grab before it releases.
Tighten the hinge screws and then try adjusting.
In other cases it may be the wood door edge itself scuffing on the door frame.
Of course if it s on an exterior door you ll want to do this when the weather is nice and when it s safe to leave the door unlocked.
Step 1 close shave photo by craig raine.
Turn the knob to open the door and release the knob slowly.
Over time joints in a wood door relax causing the construction to sag and stick against the jamb.
The issue a door latch stuck due to a jamming latch will have no real variation between how the latch moves when it is pressed in or when the handle is turned both when the door is open and when it is shut.
This is because the issue is not with the door and not even with the control the knob has over the stuck latch.
Door lock doesn t latch properly.
Follow along as tom fixes a swelled door in his own home with just a few simple tools.
Watch joe as he shows you how to unstick a sticking door latch.
A latch bolt that sticks in the strike often leave tell tale marks or scrapes on the strike plate.
In some instances you have a door that sticks along the strike area the metal part of the door frame where it meets the outermost edge of the door.
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.
A sticking door latch might require some lubrication or it might be jamming against the strike plate on the door jamb.
When a door latch doesn t click into position it usually means the latch and the strike plate are out of alignment.