Bathroom doors need to close properly for privacy.
Movies and TV comedies sometimes get mileage from a character being burst in on while in the bathroom or being unable to open a stuck bathroom door. In real life, though, a malfunctioning isn't so funny. Bathroom doors can fail to latch for a variety of reasons. Learn to determine what is wrong and repair it.
Check Hinges and Knob
A bathroom or other interior door that fails to latch may not be closing completely or closing unevenly. Check hinges to make certain they are tightly screwed, both to the door and to the jamb. Frequent opening and closing of a door can loosen screws. Tighten with a screwdriver and try closing the door again. Frequent opening and closing can also loosen the doorknob, meaning the latch may only partially work. Tighten knobs on both sides of the door.
Handling a Sticky Door
Latching becomes impossible when a door cannot be fully closed. If hinges are tight, the most likely culprit for a tight door is moisture, especially for a bathroom door. Check for areas of paint wear that may allow bathroom moisture or seasonal humidity to swell the wood of the door. If the door closes fine in winter, suspect the weather. Having the furnace on dries household air. The open windows of fall, spring and summer can let a lot of extra moisture into the house. Poor bathroom ventilation produces similar stickiness but on a year-round basis. Check for sticking edges, sand or plane them down and try closing the door again. Repaint unsealed surfaces.
Fixing a Loose Door
Often a door will not latch because the latch and its strike-plate no longer meet. The door will not latch because the lock-parts won't catch. This is often a function of age and dryness in the air, resulting in wood shrinkage. Remove the strike plate and build up the jamb underneath it. Screw small narrow pieces of wood, known as shims, under the upper and lower parts of the strike-plate, leaving the hole for the latch open. By moving the strike plate closer to the rest of the lock, you make it possible for the lock to catch.
Moving the House
Especially in an old house, door locks and their strike plates move out of line as the house settles. The easiest way to compensate for this settling is to modify the strike plate and jamb. Enlarge or realign the strike plate by chiseling a new hole in the door jamb. Enlarge the strike plate hole with a metal file. Combining these strategies with shimming will bring lock and plate back into alignment.
Tags: strike plate, bathroom door, closing door, Bathroom doors, closing door again