Easy Fixes for Common Door Problems

The doors inside your home are subject to many environmental factors that can impair their function. The below tips will help you fix many minor and common door issues.

Make a cushion with a blob of silicone sealant

A door that always slams shut is simple to silence. Apply a few blobs of clear silicone sealant onto the edge of the door stop — four evenly spaced dabs will do. Allow the sealant to dry thoroughly before closing the door. The sealant remains springy after it has set, providing a cushion for the slamming door.

Apply some lubricant

Hinges — especially those on external doors — may rust or corrode over time.

• First, try applying some WD-40 or penetrating oil to the hinge pin — squirt it onto the top of the pin so that it runs down the shaft.
• Some hinges have removable pins. You can drive them out by aligning a nail with the bottom of the pin, then tapping gently upwards with a hammer. Take the pin out of one hinge; rub it with steel wool to remove any corrosion, coat it with some light machine oil then replace it. Now remove the next pin and repeat. Don't remove all the pins at once unless you want to take the door off.

Stop the winter chills

It's easy to banish drafts around the sides and top of a door with some inexpensive DIY products. Rubber, foam and plastic weatherstripping is quick to fit on doors and windows.

• A draft from the bottom of a door requires a different approach. If the floor is even and covered with smooth vinyl or laminate, screw a flexible plastic or rubber strip to the front face of the door. This forms a seal between the door and floor. On an uneven or carpeted floor, fit a brush strip instead — it's made up of lots of nylon bristles that can pass over lumps and bumps more easily.
• Don't forget to fit a mailbox flap and a cover plate over any keyholes that run through the door.

Carpet paintbrush

Maintain the paint finish on the edges of a door to prevent moisture swelling the wood. This is easy on the sides of the door, but access to the underside is restricted unless you remove the door. To get around this problem, apply the paint to the pile of an old piece of carpet, slide it beneath the door and pull the door to and fro.