A door that squeaks

Introduction

A squeak, with hinges you can see, goes away with a clean and a little lubricant. It is not a door you take apart. If the leaf rubs, will not latch, or is armoured, a fire door or glass, the job changes: you do not pull the pin.

How to tell it apart

The noise starts as you open, from hinges you can see: it is there. A rag underneath, so you do not oil the floor.

The leaf rubs the floor or the frame, or the latch misses: not a squeak. It is the hinge screws, or wood swollen by damp, and you need a joiner.

Concealed hinges, a glass door, an armoured door or a fire door: they are not stripped to try. The pin stays in.

Mould on the wall beside the leaf, on an outside wall: the squeak is unrelated. That track is IgroCasa, mould.

Likely causes

• A visible hinge that is dry or dirty.
• Too much lubricant, which collects dust and squeaks again.
• Loose hinge screws, a leaf that has dropped.
• Wood swollen by damp, a leaf that will not latch.
• An armoured door, a fire door or glass, which is not a hinge you oil at home.

What to do now (€0)

1. See whether the hinges are visible. If they are not, stop.
2. A rag underneath. Clean dust and old grease off the pin and the leaves.
3. A little lubricant, a drop or a short spray, then open and close. Wipe the excess with the rag. More does not help.
4. Pull the pin only if the leaf stays supported, by a person or a stop, and only on a visible hinge of an ordinary door. If the leaf is heavy or you cannot hold it, pull nothing.
5. If it rubs or will not latch, do not add oil. Look at the screws: if it is not an obvious half-turn on a visible hinge, a joiner.

A small DIY step

1. The card below is a silicone spray for visible hinges, a category example. A little, then wipe the excess. It is not a repair if the door will not latch.
2. It is not foam. Expanding foam does not belong on a hinge.
3. Do not buy a “door holder” kit for a twisted leaf. It does not straighten the wood.
4. On an armoured door, a fire door or glass there is no small DIY step: the card is not for those.

Mistakes to avoid

• Flooding the hinge with oil.
• Pulling the pin while the leaf is unsupported.
• Foam on the hinge or the frame.
• Stripping an armoured door, a fire door or a glass door.
• Oiling a leaf that rubs, hoping it will stop touching.

When to call a professional

A joiner if the leaf rubs, will not latch, the wood is swollen or the hinges are concealed.

A fitter or the maker for an armoured door and a fire door. Do not improvise the pin. Glass: do not take it apart.

Safety

Widespread mould beside the door that returns, or someone with breathing trouble or who is frail: a technician and, for health, a doctor. The squeak, on its own, is not damp.

Questions people ask