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cosmic_gw

how do i open this stuck door?

4 years ago

Something really heavy was moved down a street near me last week. I don't know what it was, but I have never been witness to any event that ever caused more vibration and noise at my house.


My house is somewhat questionable as to issues that might occur in a normally built 100 year old house with minor foundation issues. This year, I don't know if it was dry weather or what, but I heard wood creaking in the summer like it might in winter.


I would just like to get this door off with minimal damage. It's somewhat tight. Taking off the hinges didn't help. It seems like the latch moves but needs to go a few more millimeters.





Comments (10)

  • 4 years ago
    last modified: 4 years ago

    Have you tried putting grafite in the door latch or squirting W-D 40?

  • PRO
    4 years ago

    Remove the casing -- maybe just on the lock side. Cut nails/shims to relieve the pressure.

  • 4 years ago

    I got the casing to move a bit using a putty knife jammed between the casing and door and hitting a hammer on a strip of wood against the putty knife. But I need to try something with a bit more force.

  • 4 years ago

    I think the hinge pins are upside down. I have wooden interior doors that don’t close in summer, they get stuck like that.

  • 4 years ago

    I'll start by taking trim and casing off. The door worked for 30 years before it suddenly jammed shut. Something happened when an extremely heavily loaded vehicle or something that felt like a column of tanks moved down the street. Or maybe an earthquake finally hit Minneapolis...

  • 4 years ago

    Is the door undercut enough at the bottom to get a tool slid under? I'd try to rig something that would slip under, grab the back of the door and possibly hammer so as to pry from the bottom. Or wait till winter.

  • 4 years ago

    "I think the hinge pins are upside down."

    Nope.

  • 4 years ago

    Goodness, no. You don't have to remove any casing. And certainly a truck driving down the street didn't make the door tighter. Even if you had an earthquake and the frame is now off-kilter, it is just a matter of the door is being held in the opening via friction, and you have not yet applied enough force to overcome that friction. Since the overly tight areas are certainly not uniform around the perimeter, you need to figure out which of the 3 sides is tight, and pry the door with a flat bar or stiff putty knife (which may include the open bottom 4 fourth side) to alleviate enough friction. Start by reinstalling the pins, I think you will have better luck.

    BTW the tightness is caused by expansion of the wood due to humidity.

  • 4 years ago
    last modified: 4 years ago

    It's jammed in metal to metal at the hinges and latch. And certainly yes, a huge piece of heavy equipment was moved down the street and it did shake the hell out of my house. Just like a minor earthquake. 20 years of settling accelerated into one day. It's actually the beginning of winter here and the humidity is as low as it has been in months.

  • 4 years ago

    Have you put a pry bar between the door and the floor to try to lift the door itself up a bit, and then have someone else try to open the door.