Adjusting a Door Striker Plate
Updated: Aug. 03, 2018A few minutes with a file will make your door latch perfectly
Fix a door that won’t latch
You shut the door. It doesn’t latch, or you have to lift the handle to get it to latch. This door problem is getting on your nerves—why not spend five minutes to fix it? First try tightening the screws in both the handle and the striker plate. If the door still doesn’t catch, grab a flashlight and study the way the door latch (the flexing part operated by the door handle) hits the strike plate. If the latch won’t spring into the strike plate (Photo 1), observe whether it hits the plate at the top or bottom. If the latch seems properly centered on the plate, perhaps it’s sticking on either the front or the back edge of the plate. When you discover where the latch is getting hung up, file that edge.
Required Tools for this Project
Have the necessary tools for this DIY project lined up before you start—you’ll save time and frustration.
- 4-in-1 screwdriver
- File