Exterior Door Latch Sticks

Each time you open it there is a little grab before it releases.
Exterior door latch sticks. A sticking door latch might require some lubrication or it might be jamming against the strike plate on the door 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. Once you have the door handle off you can now try to open the latch manually with either a large flathead screwdriver or pair of needle nose pliers. 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.
Inspect the strike plate on the edge of the door frame. Sticking wooden doors should be simple and quick to repair. I called the company after fiddling with it. A latch bolt that sticks in the strike often leave tell tale marks or scrapes on the strike plate.
The latch bold was sticking on my front door. Try these tips and tricks to fix a door that just is not budging as easily as it should. She was able to determine what model i had because there is no model number anywhere on the thing. Yes it s that sticking door of yours.
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. Something had clearly gone wrong with the latch itself. Turn the knob to open the door and release the knob slowly. After a little time on hold i got through to customer service.
Tighten the hinge screws and then try adjusting. When a door latch doesn t click into position it usually means the latch and the strike plate are out of alignment. Sticking door latches. This is because the issue is not with the door and not even with the control the knob has over the stuck latch.
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. In other cases it may be the wood door edge itself scuffing on the door frame. Step 1 close shave photo by craig raine.
Door lock doesn t latch properly. It s a schlage dead latch. On the kwikset locks this looks like two little teeth that the cylinder pushes back.