Ask the expert

— I read, with interest, your May 19 installment of Ask the Expert. I have the opposite problem with my bedroom door - it will not catch the strike plate. Looking at the strike plate and the plunger as they connect, it appears the door latch is lower than the hole in the strike plate. For an aging baby boomer, the prospect of using a chisel and hammer to raise the strike plate is a daunting task, to say the least.

Do you have any suggestions on the easier way to adjust the door closure?

“Most of the homes upon which we work are older homes, and because those buildings have heavier doors, we deal with this a lot,” says James King of Little Rock, project manager with C/M Construction Inc.

The first thing to check is just why your door has moved; door latches start missing because gravity draws the door downward.

Examine your hinges to see if any of the screws have worked loose or begun to strip the wood, King advises.

“This is usually most evident on the upper hinge, which gets the most action,” he says. “If the screws are loose, tighten them. If they spin and spin in their holes, it may be possible to use a larger diameter screw.”

King recommends taking one of the screws to a hardware store to compare it to others of the same length while also comparing the head sizes. If the head is too large, it may keep the door from closing, he says, adding that the hinge should always be examined when the door is closed to see if there is a space between the door side and the jamb. If so, a larger screw will work.

If the screws are tight, King suggests smearing some lipstick or crayons on the top and bottom edges of the latch that goes in and out of the door when you turn the knob, and then close and open the door to determine how far it is missing the strike plate.

“If it is only a tiny amount and you are not concerned with the appearance of the strike plate (the metal part the latch goes into), you can use a metal file or a small rotary tool to grind off the edge of the plate that is catching,” King says, adding, “If you do this with a rotary tool, get a couple of small burnishing wheels, because they wear out quickly.”

If your door has not moved downward but is not closing tightly enough, it could be that paint has built up over the years or that weather stripping has swelled or moved, but most often, King says, gravity is the culprit.

The best way to adjust doors is to shim the hinges, and it is usually the bottom hinge that needs the shim, King says.

“Examine the space between the latch side of the door and the jamb with the strike plate, checking it from top to bottom. There should be a one-eighth inch to one-quarter inch space between them. If the space is bigger on the bottom, loosen the screw on the bottom hinge and insert thin slivers of wood” under it, then tighten the screws. “It might take a few tries, but eventually the door may lift enough to allow the bolt to enter the strike plate again.”

King cautions against trying to grind down the bolt or move the strike plate by drilling new holes for the strike plate screws.

“The first can damage the lock mechanism and the second will not work because the new holes will be so close to the old holes that the screw will not hold.”

If the bolt is more than one quarter inch lower than the striker hole, remove the strike screws and plate, drill them out with a one-half inch bit and glue a one-half inch dowel plug into the holes, then mark and re-drill in the right place.

Do you have a decorating or remodeling question? We’ll get you an answer from an authority. Send your question to Linda S. Caillouet, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, P.O. Box 2221, Little Rock, Ark. 72203 or e-mail:

[email protected]

HomeStyle, Pages 29 on 06/23/2012

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