There are many reasons a door may be squeaking, but most of these reasons all go back to the hinges, or some part of the hinge assembly on the interior side of the doorframe. Here are a few things to check on to see if you can find the cause of your squeaky door and fix it yourself.
Put Your Ear to the Sound
As you open and close the door, where is the squeaking coming from? If it’s coming from the side of the door where the hinges are located, you have met your rival. You may be able to quickly and easily resolve the squeaks by spraying the hinges with WD-40 or a similar product. If that works, then great! If not, here’s what else could be going on.
Door Hinge Screws Causing Squeaking
If the culprit is a loose hinge screw or two, this will cause the hinge or hinges to fall out of place and cause squeaking sounds. To fix this, you will need to remove the center hinge screw from the center door hinge and replace it with a longer screw. Repeat this process until you have installed the longer hinge screws in all three holes of each hinge of the door. With new hinge screws in place on all three hinges of the door, squeaking should stop. If it does not, try adding a little bit of silicone lubricant to the hinges to grease them up—this usually ends the squeaking sound from the door.
Is Your Door Still Squeaking?
If it is, it is probably because the door is out of alignment within the door’s frame. If this is the case, your best bet is to completely remove the door from the frame, as it is most likely not properly plumbed within the doorframe. For this procedure, you’ll need to enlist the help of another person who can hold the door for you as you remove the door one hinge at a time, beginning with the middle hinge first.
Once the door is completely removed from the frame, remove the hinges from the door as well. Using brand new hinges, new—and longer—hinge screws, reapply the hinges to the door. Once these hinges have been properly screwed in, check the old holes where the hinge screws were. Are they larger than they should be from wear and tear? If so, fill them with wood putty, and allow the holes to dry.
Once they are bone dry, you can reinstall the door hinge by hinge, starting with the middle hinge. This time, however, you’re going to use the longer hinge screws, and instead of screwing them directly into the door’s frame, you’re going to use screw anchors. This way, the hinge screws and the hinges they are holding in place will stay in place for decades to come. And, no more squeaky door!
