Fix a Bedroom Door That Rubs

A bedroom door that drags against the frame is one of those irritations that compounds with every use. You hear the scrape, feel the resistance, and eventually you're leaning into it just to get the thing closed. Most people tolerate this for months, even years, assuming it requires a carpenter or some specialized knowledge. It doesn't. Ninety percent of rubbing doors are fixed with a screwdriver and ten minutes of attention. The root cause is almost always the same: the door has shifted slightly in its frame, either because hinges have loosened over time, the house has settled, or humidity has caused the wood to swell. Identify where the door rubs, and you can apply the appropriate fix. Done properly, the door will swing freely and latch cleanly, and you'll wonder why you lived with the scrape for so long.

1. Locate the rub point. Close the door slowly and watch where it catches or drags. Run your hand along the door edge while it's closed to feel for contact points. Mark these spots with a pencil on both the door and frame. Most bedroom doors rub along the top corner opposite the hinges or along the latch-side edge.
2. Tighten all hinge screws. Open the door fully and tighten every screw on all three hinges, both on the door side and the frame side. Use a screwdriver that fits the slot perfectly to avoid stripping. If screws spin without tightening, they've worn out their holes and need longer screws or wooden matchstick shims in the holes.
3. Check if tightening solved it. Close and open the door several times. If the rub is gone, you're done. If it still drags, the door needs to be repositioned or trimmed. Note whether the gap between door and frame is even all the way around — uneven gaps mean the door is twisted in the frame.
4. Shim the hinges if needed. If the door rubs at the top latch corner, the hinges need shimming to push the door away from the frame. Cut thin cardboard shims from a cereal box and place them behind the bottom hinge, between the hinge leaf and the door jamb. This tilts the door slightly outward at the top. Start with one shim, test, and add more if needed.
5. Plane the door edge if shimming doesn't work. For doors that rub despite tight hinges and shimming, you'll need to remove material. Take the door off its hinges by tapping out the hinge pins from bottom to top. Lay it on sawhorses. Use a block plane to shave the rubbing edge, working with the grain in smooth, even strokes. Remove no more than 1/16 inch at a time and test-fit frequently.
6. Sand and seal the planed edge. After planing, sand the raw wood edge with 120-grit sandpaper to smooth it. Apply a coat of primer or paint to seal the exposed wood and prevent moisture absorption that could cause future swelling. Let it dry completely before rehanging the door.
7. Rehang and test the swing. Lift the door back onto the hinges, starting with the top hinge and working down. Tap the pins back in with a hammer. Open and close the door through its full range of motion. It should swing freely without dragging and latch easily without forcing. Adjust the strike plate if the latch doesn't align perfectly with the hole.
8. Fine-tune the latch alignment. If the latch bolt doesn't slip easily into the strike plate hole, loosen the strike plate screws slightly and shift it up, down, or sideways until the latch engages cleanly. Tighten the screws and test again. If the bolt still binds, file the strike plate opening slightly larger with a metal file.