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It can be super upsetting if your bedroom door doesn’t close easily. I’ve lived in plenty of rental homes and apartments that have bedroom doors that don’t seem to close without a bit of muscle and force. However, I’ve also come up with multiple ways to work around hard-to-close doors over the years.
Your bedroom door is hard to close because the wood is expanding from temperature and humidity changes. The door might also have a difficult time shutting if the hinges are damaged or loose, or if the door is coated in latex paint.
Seasonal changes can completely alter the way you open and close your doors. If you’re tired of having to slam your bedroom door every time you want to shut it, you’re in the right place with several solutions.
What Makes a Bedroom Door Hard to Close?
If your bedroom door is always hard to close, it might be time to shave some of the wood, repaint the door, or trim some of the wood around the edges. Sticky paint and expanded wood are two of the most common explanations for bedroom doors that won’t close easily.
Take a look at these details to find out what’s causing your bedroom door issues:
Temperature Fluctuations Expand Doors
Wood acclimates with the ambient temperature in your home. However, some types of wood are better suited for different climates. If you have wood that’s grown in cold conditions and you use it as a bedroom door in hot conditions, the temperature difference will change the side of the door.
An expanded door will press against the doorframe, making it much harder to close.
Humidity Changes Can Warp Bedroom Doorframes
People often mistake their bedroom door for the reason it won’t close, but the problem often lies in the doorframe. When humidity and moisture soak into a doorframe, the wood expands and cracks. It can also grow mold and mildew that weaken the wood. All of these issues affect the way you close your bedroom door.
Latex Paint Causes the Door to Stick
Latex paint is one of the cheapest ways to color your bedroom door and doorframe, but it’s also one of the stickiest paints available. If it always feels like your door paint is sticky, dry sanding the door and replacing the paint with a non-latex alternative.
Loose Door Hinges Make It Hard to Close
Your bedroom door might be hard to close because the hinges are loose. When the hinges loosen, the door slants toward the doorframe. This makes you have to push much harder than usual if you want to close the door all the way. I’ve noticed that tightening the hinge pin can help a lot.
Another issue happens when your bedroom door is on a sliding track. While these doors aren’t as common, an off-track sliding door will be very hard to close.
How to Fix a Bedroom Door That’s Hard to Shut
Here’s how to fix a bedroom door that’s hard to shut:
- Tighten the door hinges and hinge pins. The first step I suggest is to check each of the mounting screws on the door hinges. If they’re stripped, replace them. If they’re loose, tighten them. Have one person lift the door by its handle, then use a hammer to push the hinge pin downward.
- Control your home’s heat and humidity with a thermostat and a hygrometer. Maintaining the temperature and humidity can help with everything painted, wooden, or metal throughout your house. I suggest keeping your home between 60 to 80 degrees and 35% to 45% humidity levels for the best results.
- Align the strike plate if it’s pointed outward. Smart Security Blog shows a misaligned strike plate can make it almost impossible to close your bedroom door. Remove all of the screws, align the plate, then tighten the screws. These plates loosen from years of use or wood rot in the doorframe.
- Shave some of the paint off of the door or the door frame. I prefer using a thin sheet of high-grit sandpaper to get the smoothest shave on the paint possible. Close the door and listen closely to find the point of resistance, then sand it down on the door and the frame.
- Clean the strike plate and remove wood chips. Strike plates last a long time, but they get a lot of debris and wood chips in them. This makes it very difficult for the bedroom door to close because there’s always something blocking it. Bent strike plates should be replaced.
Will an Expanded Door Go Back to Normal?
An expanded door will go back to normal if the temperature adjusts. This is quite common in places with extreme, sudden seasonal changes. My bedroom door often expands in the winter, then it goes back to normal in the spring and summer.
The same issue applies to acclimating cabinets and cupboards. All of the wooden doors and drawers in your home will expand a bit when the temperature and air moisture change. These problems typically fix themselves, but it’s worth looking for a handful of other causes.
Here’s what I’ve noticed causes my bedroom door to swell and expand:
- Worn, low-quality paint is sticky, which causes problems when closing doors throughout the house.
- Termites will chew through the wood around the hinges and the strike plate, causing the door to sag.
- Stripped screws won’t support the door, so the door presses too hard against its frame.
- Rust causes small holes in the metal around the hinges and the hinge pin, so the pin can crack or loosen the door if it’s slammed.
- Using too much paint on a door always makes it more difficult to shut.
Hunker provides the unique tip of adding an extra hinge plate. If your bedroom door only has two hinges and the frame has old wood, add a third hinge between the two existing hinge plates. This suggestion add plenty of structural support for the door. Always drill pilot holes before adding new hinges.
