You\u2019re shutting your door as normal, but you\u2019re finding that it keeps slowly, silently opening when you\u2019re not looking. After the umpteenth time of having to get up from the sofa and push the door closed again, you may have found that you just give up and put a bit of furniture in front of it so you can sit and watch your show for a bit. But obviously that\u2019s not a permanent solution!<\/p>\n
The cause<\/strong><\/p>\n The most likely cause is that the latch isn\u2019t engaging properly with the strike plate \u2013 the two crucial parts that need to interact in order for the door to stay closed. You\u2019ll generally be able to tell by the absence of any clicks or snaps when you push the door closed. If it doesn\u2019t make a sound, chances are that it\u2019s going to swing open again.<\/p>\n The solutions<\/strong><\/p>\n 1. Solution number one involves simply replacing the latch set. It\u2019s not a complicated job \u2013 you just need a screwdriver, half an hour or so and a new latch set (obviously). While you\u2019re looking, it\u2019s worth saying that you can find a small selection of latches right here on our website.<\/p>\n 2. Alternatively, you can widen the gap in the strike plate, so that the latch has a shorter distance to travel to slot properly into it. For this you\u2019ll need a mill file; a small multipurpose saw file that\u2019s commonly used for sharpening blades. You don\u2019t need to remove the strike plate \u2013 just open the door, place the mill file inside the gap in the strike plate and file away at the inner edge until it\u2019s large enough to accommodate the latch.<\/p>\n The problem<\/strong><\/p>\n Having an internal door that springs open is arguably worse than one that swings open gently. For starters, it adds an unpleasantly unpredictable element to the task of carrying your tea through to the dining room. It\u2019s also potentially dangerous for young children or pets. In fact, as a general rule you don\u2019t want any part of your house or furniture liable to suddenly smack you without warning, really.<\/p>\n The cause<\/strong><\/p>\n A door that springs open actually has several potential causes:<\/p>\n 1. The hinges are incorrectly positioned (which means the door is straining to re-open)<\/p>\n 2. The door isn\u2019t closing fully before it hits the doorstop<\/p>\n 3. It\u2019s jamming at the bottom because it doesn\u2019t have enough clearance (which means it\u2019s grinding against the floor or carpet)<\/p>\n The solutions<\/strong><\/p>\n 1. To fix the hinges, it\u2019s a case of using the classic \u2018pack it with cardboard\u2019 approach. First, remove the screws of one hinge (just one) and prise it out of the recess, so it pivots over out of your way. Place a bit of cardboard in the flat space underneath it, and then pivot the hinge back over to hold the cardboard in place underneath it. Screw back in the screws, and that should improve the clearance. If it doesn\u2019t\u2026 well to be honest, it might first be worth seeing if you\u2019ve used enough cardboard!<\/p>\n 2. If it\u2019s hitting the stop too soon, your interior door won\u2019t be able to close far enough to engage the latch. To fix this, you just need to reposition the doorstop slightly further away. Using a chisel, carefully lever it off its frame. Stand back for a second and close the door, so you can judge where it actually needs to go. Then, using that as a reference, nail the doorstop back into its new, proper place. Use 30mm nails that are spaced about 30cm apart.<\/p>\n 3. The last one is the easiest to solve \u2013 it\u2019s simply a matter of planing a little excess wood off the bottom of the door, so it\u2019s got the room to move into its proper place without being pushed out by lack of space underneath.<\/p>\n In almost all cases, any issues to do with your internal door will be solved by using one of the approaches above. Of course, if you\u2019re still having a nightmare with it, we\u2019re here to help! Stop by any of our superstores in Blackpool, Preston or Wigan, where one of our friendly staff members will be only too happy to lend a helping hand. And if you\u2019re looking to replace your internal door altogether, we\u2019ve got no shortage of options there either! Our pre-finished internal doors<\/a> save you the bother of having to paint your doors yourself, or you can browse our range of most popular internal doors<\/a> to explore some top customer favourites!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" We\u2019re all about lending a helping hand here at Savoy Timber, so this week on the blog we\u2019re continuing with the latest instalment of easy fixes to common door problems. This is arguably one of the most urgent (not to mention annoying) issues that can sometimes arise with oak interior doors, whether it\u2019s a traditional […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":2204,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n![\"strike](\"https:\/\/www.savoytimber.com\/help-and-advice\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/connection-compressed.png\")
<\/p>\nHow to stop a door from springing open<\/h2>\n
![\"unscrewing](\"https:\/\/www.savoytimber.com\/help-and-advice\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/unscrewing-hinges-compressed.png\")
<\/p>\n