Diagnose before you cut anything
The instinct is to plane the edge that is rubbing. That is almost always the wrong first move, because a planed door can never be un-planed, and the actual cause is usually somewhere else.
Close the door slowly and watch the gap — called the reveal — all the way around. A consistent gap that suddenly closes at the top on the latch side means the door has sagged, which is almost always loose hinge screws. A gap that is wide at the top and tight at the bottom on the hinge side means the frame has racked. Rubbing at the bottom across the whole width usually means new flooring went in.
Five minutes of looking saves an irreversible mistake.
The long-screw fix, and why it works so often
The single most common cause of a sagging door is the top hinge pulling away from the jamb. The short screws that came with the hinge only bite into the jamb itself — a thin piece of trim material — and over years of use they work loose.
The fix is to replace one or two screws in the top hinge with 3-inch screws long enough to pass through the jamb, through the shim space, and into the actual framing behind. Driving them home pulls the entire jamb back toward the framing and lifts the door back into square.
This costs a few dollars, takes ten minutes, and resolves a large share of sticking-door calls permanently. Any handyman who reaches for a plane before trying this is skipping a step.
Strike plates, weather, and when planing is right
If the door closes but will not latch, the problem is alignment between the latch bolt and the strike plate. Lipstick or a marker on the latch bolt shows exactly where it is hitting. The fix is either filing the strike opening slightly, or removing the plate, filling the screw holes, and remounting it a few millimeters over.
Seasonal sticking on a solid wood door is moisture. The door swells in humid months and shrinks in dry ones. Planing it to fit in August produces a door with a visible gap in February. The right response is to seal all six edges — including the top and bottom, which are almost always left bare — so the door absorbs less moisture.
Planing is correct only when the frame is genuinely out of square and cannot be corrected, or when new flooring has permanently reduced the clearance. Even then, take material off the hinge side or the bottom rather than the latch side where the hardware lives.
Signs you need this work
- A door that scrapes the frame at the top corner on the latch side
- A door that must be lifted or pushed to close
- A latch that does not engage without pulling the door toward you
- A door that swings open or closed on its own
- Visible daylight or draft around an exterior door
- A door that drags on carpet or new flooring
- Squealing or grinding hinges
Cost by property type
| Property | Typical range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Apartment / condo | $35 – $290 | Entry doors are often fire-rated assemblies that must not be planed or modified. Report those to management rather than adjusting them. |
| Small home (under 1,500 sq ft) | $35 – $305 | Simple hollow-core interior doors, quick adjustments, low end of the range. |
| Midsize home (1,500–2,500 sq ft) | $35 – $310 | The baseline for this estimate — one interior or exterior door adjusted and made to latch cleanly. |
| Large home (2,500+ sq ft) | $40 – $345 | Tall and solid-core doors are heavy enough to sag their own hinges over time and may need a third hinge or longer screws into framing. |
| Older home (pre-1978) | $45 – $380 | Settlement means frames are genuinely out of square, not just worn. Solid wood doors also swell and shrink seasonally — a door that sticks only in summer is telling you something different from one that sticks year round. |
| Rental / turnover unit | $30 – $275 | Fast, cheap, and high-impact. Doors that latch properly are one of the first things a prospective tenant notices. |
| Small commercial / office | $40 – $370 | Commercial doors with closers, panic hardware, and fire ratings are a different scope and often require a certified door technician. |
Ranges assume national-average handyman labor rates ($60–$100/hr) and mid-grade materials.
Cost by state
| State | Typical range | |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $30 – $270 | |
| Alaska | $40 – $350 | |
| Arizona | $35 – $300 | |
| Arkansas | $30 – $260 | |
| California | $40 – $370 | |
| Colorado | $40 – $320 | |
| Connecticut | $40 – $335 | |
| Delaware | $35 – $300 | |
| Florida | $35 – $310 | |
| Georgia | $30 – $285 | |
| Hawaii | $45 – $370 | |
| Idaho | $30 – $285 | |
| Illinois | $40 – $320 | |
| Indiana | $30 – $270 | |
| Iowa | $30 – $270 | |
| Kansas | $30 – $270 | |
| Kentucky | $30 – $270 | |
| Louisiana | $30 – $285 | |
| Maine | $35 – $300 | |
| Maryland | $40 – $335 | |
| Massachusetts | $40 – $360 | |
| Michigan | $30 – $300 | Find a handyman in Michigan |
| Minnesota | $35 – $310 | |
| Mississippi | $30 – $260 | |
| Missouri | $30 – $270 | |
| Montana | $30 – $285 | |
| Nebraska | $30 – $270 | |
| Nevada | $40 – $320 | |
| New Hampshire | $40 – $310 | |
| New Jersey | $40 – $350 | |
| New Mexico | $30 – $285 | |
| New York | $40 – $360 | |
| North Carolina | $30 – $300 | |
| North Dakota | $30 – $270 | |
| Ohio | $30 – $285 | Find a handyman in Ohio |
| Oklahoma | $30 – $270 | |
| Oregon | $40 – $320 | |
| Pennsylvania | $35 – $310 | |
| Rhode Island | $40 – $320 | |
| South Carolina | $30 – $285 | |
| South Dakota | $30 – $270 | |
| Tennessee | $30 – $285 | |
| Texas | $35 – $310 | |
| Utah | $35 – $300 | |
| Vermont | $35 – $300 | |
| Virginia | $35 – $310 | |
| Washington | $40 – $350 | |
| Washington DC | $45 – $370 | |
| West Virginia | $30 – $260 | |
| Wisconsin | $30 – $300 | |
| Wyoming | $30 – $270 |
State ranges reflect typical independent handyman labor rates for a midsize home.
Common questions
How much does it cost to fix a sticking door?
Most sticking-door calls run $100 to $250, and much of that is the minimum service call. If you have several doors that need attention, have them all done in one visit.
Why does my door only stick in the summer?
Wood absorbs moisture from humid air and swells. Sealing all six edges of the door with paint or polyurethane — including the top and bottom edges, which are usually bare — greatly reduces seasonal movement.
Should I plane the door or adjust the hinges?
Try the hinges first, always. Long screws into the framing behind the top hinge fix the majority of sagging doors and cost almost nothing. Planing is permanent and should be a last resort.
My door will not latch — is that the same problem?
Related but distinct. A door that closes but will not latch has a strike plate alignment issue, which is usually solved by filing or repositioning the plate rather than touching the door.
Related project cost guides
Sources and further reading
Primary sources behind this page. Federal safety, emissions and consumer-protection references — worth reading before you authorize any repair.
- US Department of Energy — weatherization Federal guidance on air sealing, weatherstripping, and where home energy is actually lost.
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