Repair or Replace Interior Doors

A solid wood door that sticks or binds is often worth repairing. The door itself is good, and the problem is the fit. Humidity swells wood doors, which is why they stick in summer and free up in winter. Planing the edge where it binds fixes it without replacing the door.

A hinge that sags, a latch that does not catch, and a frame that has shifted are all repairable. The door is fine. The hardware or the frame needs attention. We true the frame, shim it, and reset the hinges so the door swings clean.

Old doors with character are usually worth saving. An original solid wood door has a grain and a weight that a new hollow door does not. If the door is sound, repairing it preserves the home's character and costs less than replacing it.

A door with a cracked or delaminated skin is usually done. Once the veneer or the panel is split, the door cannot be made right again. Replacing it with a better door solves the problem for good.

A hollow door that has taken a hole or a dent is hard to repair cleanly. The damage is in the core, and a surface patch shows. A new door of the same size drops in and looks right.

A door that has been cut down repeatedly, or that no longer fits the frame after the frame shifted, may be past repair. When the door and the frame are both out of true, replacing both is often the cleaner path.

A new door hung in a twisted frame will not stay right. We check the frame and shim it true as part of the install. The frame is square, the hinges are set, and the door swings clean. A door installed without truing the frame sticks again within a season.

In an older home, the frame has often moved with the house. The opening is not square even if the door is new. We true the frame to the door, or the door to the frame, so the fit holds.

The casing around the door is part of this too. A new door in an old opening may need new casing to match, or the old casing may need to be refit. We handle the whole assembly so the door looks and works right.

The hardware is often worth keeping. Original knobs, hinges, and plates have a patina and a weight that new hardware rarely matches. We can bore a new door to fit existing hardware, or source hardware that matches the home's era.

If the hardware is worn out, replacing it is part of the job. A door that swings and latches well feels different than one that fights you every time. New hinges, a new latch, and a proper strike plate make a door work.

The finish matters too. A pre-finished door saves a step, but a door finished on site matches the trim and the home better. We finish to match, whether it is paint or stain, so the door belongs in the room.

If the door is solid and the problem is fit or hardware, repair it. If the door is damaged or hollow and past saving, replace it. The cost of a good repair on a sound door is less than a new door, and the result preserves the home's character.

We look at the door, the frame, and the hardware together and tell you what makes sense. Sometimes the right call is a new door in the existing frame. Sometimes it is repairing the original. We do not push a replacement that a repair would serve.

The goal is a door that works and looks right in the home. That might be the original door, made true, or a new door, made to fit. Either way, the result is a door that swings clean and stays that way.