How to fix a door that won t stay open

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August 5, 1984, Section LI, Page 11Buy Reprints

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WHEN a door won't stay open or closed by itself - that is, when it tends to swing slowly closed after it has been left open, or when it swings slowly open and won't stay in the partly closed position unless latched shut - chances are that the door jamb is out of plumb. In other words, the door jamb against which the hinges are fastened is not standing exactly vertical; it is leaning slightly toward one side or the other.

If the door has always been that way, the jamb could have been installed that way to begin with, or it could be that the door's hinges were never properly mounted so they were directly above one another, with hinge pins in line with each other. If the condition is one that has developed only in recent years or months, it could have been caused by some alterations, or by settling of the floor or wall, or both, thus causing the door jamb to become misaligned. Sometimes the whole wall will be out of plumb (it will lean toward one room or the other) so that the door jamb fastened to it is also not vertical.

The simplest way to check for any of these problems - if you are having trouble with a door that tends to swing open or closed by itself - is to check the vertical alignment of the door hinges with a plumb line (a weight hung at the end of a length of string). With the door closed all the way, hold the plumb line next to the upper hinge pin so the weighted string is not quite touching either of the hinges, but is as close as possible to them. The weight at the bottom should be a couple of inches off the floor so the string can swing freely. If the hinges have been properly installed, and if the door jamb is plumb (truly vertical), then the string should indicate that the hinge pins are directly above each other and almost exactly in line with each other.

If you find that the hinges are not plumb - that is, not exactly in line with each other so that a straight line drawn through one hinge pin would continue on through the other hinge pin - then chances are that the door problems can be corrected by simply moving one or both hinges slightly in or out from the jamb, as shown in the accompanying drawing.

If the door tends to swing slowly closed when left open, you can correct the problem by either moving the top hinge leaf on the door jamb slightly closer to the door stop molding, or by moving the bottom hinge leaf slightly farther away from the door stop molding, as shown in the drawing. (This will correct for the fact that the door jamb is probably not plumb.)

When a door tends to swing slowly open by itself if not latched, you do just the opposite: Move the top hinge leaf out (away from the door stop molding) or move the bottom hinge in. In most cases it is easier to move a hinge leaf outward (as shown in the drawing) rather than trying to move the other hinge inward. One reason is that there is usually not enough clearance or space to move the hinge closer. Another is that moving a hinge leaf inward means cutting the mortise (the recess in the wood) larger, while no such carpentry is required when you move the hinge outward as illustrated.

Moving the hinge leaf means that you will have to take the screws out, then reinsert them in the new location after drilling new pilot holes for the screws. The old holes should be plugged with wood splints or wood plugs dipped into glue, then cut off flush at the surface with a sharp chisel. Filling the holes with pieces of wood toothpick (dipped into glue) until no more will fit in the hole will also work. If possible, allow the glue around these to dry hard before drilling the new pilot holes.

After you have moved the hinges, there is a good possibility you will also have to move the stop molding against which the door closes. If so, this is simply a matter of prying the molding off, then renailing it against the door while the door is fully closed. It should just barely touch the fully closed door along its full length, not be pressed hard up against it.

It is also likely that the strike plate - the metal plate on the door jamb that has a rectangular opening into which the door's latch bolt fits when the door is latched shut - will also have to be moved slightly so the door will latch shut properly when fully closed. If the relocation of the hinges has caused the door to swing more fully into its opening, then the door bolt will catch in the strike plate opening before the door is fully closed - so you will have to move the strike plate closer to the stop molding on the door jamb.

If the door bolt won't engage at all when the door is fully closed (and you have moved the stop molding), the strike plate will have to be moved farther away from the stop molding. If you have trouble deciding which way it should be moved, and how much, you can usually solve the problem by placing a bright light behind the door lock while closing it slowly and watching from the other side.

There are two screws that hold this strike plate in place. Take them out, mark the new position for the strike plate, then fill the old holes as described above, using wood splints dipped into glue. Wait till this glue hardens, then trim excess wood off and drill your new pilot holes for the screws so the strike plate will be in the proper position. The mortise or recess in the wood will probably have to be enlarged slightly, but this can be done by using a small sharp chisel.

Answering the Mail Q . What is the best way to get paint spots off a slate-covered patio? - S.G., Scarsdale, N.Y. A . If the spots are not too large, or too numerous, you can probably get them off by rubbing with fine steel wool - but try this first in an inconspicous place because some types of slate turn quite a bit lighter when rubbed this way. Otherwise you can soften them up with acetone, then wipe them off, but avoid rubbing this around or you may just spread the stains. Q . In line with the suggestion made in one of your recent columns, I washed the outside siding on my house to see if a paint job was really necessary. While doing this I noticed some rust bleeding onto the paint from some of the nailheads. Will painting over this cover the rust, or will rust continue to bleed through? - R.W., North Woodmere. A . Ordinary paint alone will not stop the rust from bleeding through. If you want to do the job properly, each nailhead should be countersunk by using a nailset; then fill the resulting hole with putty. After that, prime all rust spots with a stain killer (such as one with pigmented shellac base or latex base, sold in most paint stores). If there are too many nails to countersink and putty over, then just prime the rusty nailheads and streaks with two coats of one of the stain killers before painting over them.

Questions about home repair should be addressed to Bernard Gladstone, The New York Times, 229 West 43d Street, New York, N.Y. 10036. Questions of general interest will be answered in this column; unpublished letters cannot be answered individually.