In this article:

• How to Repair a Damaged Wood Door
• How to Fix a Warped, Sagging, or Sticking Wood Door
• How to Fix a Wood Door That Rattles
• How to Fix Holes in a Hollow-Core Wood Door
• How to Repair Door Hinge Screw Holes

Because most doors receive a good amount of use, it is not unusual for them to incur damage, from minor scratches to hinge problems to holes. Here are some tips on how to repair the most common problems encountered by wood doors:

There are many methods for repairing or restoring woodwork, and they work just as well on wood doors.

You can sand out minor scratches, fill gouges with wood putty, replace rotted or broken sections with epoxy filler or by gluing in a new piece, and so on.

If a panel in a Colonial-style door is cracked or split, you may be able to reglue it without removing it from the rest of the door.

If you have to remove a panel or replace it completely, try prying off the moldings that surround it and hold it in place. On some panel doors the moldings are routed in and can’t be removed. In this case, one option is to cut away these integral moldings carefully. After you’ve fixed the panel, buy new moldings to match the rest of the door’s trim.

How to Fix a Warped, Sagging, or Sticking Wood Door

Wooden hinged doors can warp, particularly in humid climates or in areas where the air’s moisture content varies. Warped doors stick, making them difficult to open and close.

In addition to moisture-related problems, doors can suffer from continual use, which may eventually cause them to loosen, bind, or stick. When these problems occur, the latch or lock may not catch as well as it should. Correcting these problems is usually fairly simple, but a door that’s badly warped will need to be replaced.

A door that binds or sticks may be sagging on its hinges or have a buildup of paint or dirt that keeps it from opening and closing easily. Tightening hinge screws or shaving off paint buildup usually solves the problem.

If a loose door doesn’t latch properly, tighten its hinge screws. Then try adjusting the strike plate by loosening its screws and shifting it slightly.

To prevent warping in the first place, make sure you seal wooden doors to prevent moisture from compromising the integrity of the wood.

How to Fix a Wood Door That Rattles

When an interior door rattles, this means the door stop and/or the strike plate are not tight enough. If the strike plate has a flange in the center that can be bent slightly to tighten the fit, remove the plate and use a pair of pliers to bend the flange. Otherwise, you may have to adjust the position of the door stop on the latch-side jamb.

To do this, first use a utility knife to cut the paint seal between the molding and the jamb. Then place a wooden block against the door stop, and hammer the block gently toward the door to provide a tighter fit.

The best way to stop an exterior door from rattling is to install resilient weatherstripping around its perimeter, which also will help insulate your house. Look for the vinyl bulb type and follow package instructions.

How to Fix Holes in a Hollow-Core Wood Door

If you have a hollow-core door with a serious hole in it, consider replacing the entire door; hollow-core doors are modestly priced.

You can repair a hole if you’re willing to paint the door to hide the patch. To do this, you’ll need a can of spray foam insulation. In many cases, you can repair the door without removing it first—just spread a dropcloth on the floor beneath it before you start.

1) Fill the hole with the spray foam insulation, allowing the foam to expand slightly above the door’s surface.

2) Let it dry (and continue to expand) overnight.

3) Use a razor blade to slice off the excess. Shave the mound just slightly lower than the door’s surface.

4) With a 3-inch putty knife, apply vinyl spackling compound to the patch and draw it smooth to the door’s surface. Allow the spackling compound to dry.

5) Sand the area lightly with fine sandpaper.

6) Prime the entire surface of the door, allow it to dry, and then paint.

How to Repair Door Hinge Screw Holes

1. If hinge screw holes are stripped, remove the screws and hinge leaf from the jamb. Coat small wood dowels or wooden matchsticks with glue, and pack them in the holes. Wipe off the excess glue, and trim the resulting plug flush.
2. After allowing the glue to dry, hold the hinge leaf in position, and drill new pilot holes for screws. Then drive in the screws. For extra strength, you can substitute longer screws for the original ones.