They might start sticking and rubbing against the door frame. Sometimes they will not even latch properly. Many of these problems can be easily fixed without having to hire a professional. In many cases the door might not even have to be removed to fix the problem.

Problems Caused by Humidity
Wood absorbs the moisture in the air. As the humidity changes it can cause the doors to warp or swell do to the expansion and contraction of the wood. Different woods react differently but they will still experience these problems. The other parts of a door can become problem too with all the use. These include the hinges, handles and door knobs. The longer you let these problems exist, the more strain you will add to all the components of the door system. If a door is sticking or rubbing against the door frame, it can add excessive pressure and strain to the hinges and latching mechanism.

If high humidity is a problem in your home, you might want to invest in a dehumidifier to keep the amount of moisture lower. This will also reduce mold and mildew than can also start to grow in the room.

How to locate the Problem of a Sticking Door
There are two main causes for a sticking or rubbing door. The first is a door that has expanded due to humidity. The second is the door and frame is not aligned.

Most of the time, a sticking door or on that rubs against the frame is an easy repair and easy to locate. First look at the sides of the door and around the frame. You should see rub marks where the two surfaces are rubbing. If this does not work and you cannot see any rubbing, take a thin piece cardboard and slide it between the door and the frame to see where the door and frame are to rubbing. Mark that area with a pencil and sand it with medium grade sandpaper. If this does not work, you might need to use a plane to reduce the door surface. You can accomplish this task with the door still hung; just use a rubber wedge on both sides of the door to hold it in place. Remember, you will probably want to paint the surface when done, and that will add some thickness back to the area.

An alignment problem can be for two reasons, first the hinges are not aligned due to the mounting screws have gotten loose or stretched. The second is the house might have settled and the door frame is not square. Look at the door while closed and see if the top edge of the door is parallel with the door frame. If the door is not parallel or looks like it is “leaning” you need to realign the door.

Look at the door and if the space is less on top close to the hinged side and a larger space on the latch side, it is probably do to the upper hinges have come loose or the whole frame is out of plumb. Plumb means the door frame is leaning in the wall. This can happen as a house settles and the walls lean. Since you are not about to raise the foundation or tear down a wall, the best solution is to align the door to match the frame.

If you tighten the upper hinges and the door does not line up, you will have to do one of two adjustments. You will either need to use a thin shim of wood or even cardboard behind the lower hinge or slightly reduce the area behind the top hinge. To add a shim to the lower hinge, open the door to an approximate 45 degree angle and wedge it from both sides to hold it still. This should give you access to the hinge screws to loosen a little and behind the door to insert the shim. Remember, you just need to move the hinge out a little.

If you need to reduce the wood behind the upper hinge, again wedge the door open. Unscrew the screws of the upper hinge and swing the hinge plate out of the way. Then using medium grade sandpaper, or a wood chisel, gently remove a thin layer of wood. Do this in gradual increments and test. You do not want to remove too much. If the amount removed is more than a thin layer, you might need to reduce some wood behind the middle hinge. This will be less then what you removed from the upper hinge.

If you find any screw is loose and the screw hole in the wood is stripped, all you need is a wooden match stick or any thin piece of a soft wood. Find a piece that will fit in the hole. Apply a little wood glue to the sides and push into the hole. If the hole is too small, you might want to drill it out a little. Blow out any loose powder or wood shavings and then insert the filler. Let dry a few minutes and then drill a small pilot hole and insert the screw. Tighten but do not over tighten to strip the hole again.

How to Repair Interior Latches that Stick
Sometimes the latches stick or do not latch fully. The first reason might be caused by a leaning door. Once you fix the leaning problem, it might fix the latch. If the latch still does not function, use a pencil and liberally apply to the end of the latch that will rub on the plate when closing. Close the door and reopen. Look on the latch plate for the pencil graphite markings. If the latch does not line up, carefully chisel out the frame to lower the plate. You will probably have to fill in the original screw holes with and re-drill for the new location.

If there is too much space between the latch plate and the door and the plate is recessed too deep into the wood frame, you can one or a few thin plastic shims. Use the latch plate as a template to cut the plastic shims to size and to cut holes for the screws and latch.
As you will see, most of these problems can be fixed easily with the minimum of tools. Just take your time to identify the cause and repair the problem. These easy repairs will give you more confidence to grow to bigger repairs and you will save money at the same time.