Holes Are Loose In Door Hinge

Fix it the right way not the wrong way.

Holes are loose in door hinge.

The everbilt 3 1 2 in. But when hinge screws are left loose for a long time the constant movement of the hinge plate and screws enlarges the screw holes. If you have a loose hinge and you can t tighten it because the screws just spin in place the screw holes are probably stripped. A loose butt hinge will cause a door to hang crooked and stick.

The wrong way is a temporary fix not cool. However if the hinge has only three holes add a 3 in. Sometimes retightening the hinge screws is all it takes to fix the problem. I see this often on kitchen cabinet hinges and doors regular door hinges and areas that get worked or moved a lot.

Door the everbilt 3 1 2 in. The small screws used to secure kitchen cabinet door hinges to the face frames of cabinets often work their way loose over time. You can see in the image below the loose screw was on my door lock striker. If you have a centering hinge drill use the hinge as a template and the finish repair will be better than new and last for years.

Screw through the middle hole and redrill the top screw hole at a slight angle so the screw hits solid wood. Another hint is to use a long screw in one of the holes in the top most hinge long enough to penetrate the stud. Unless they re tightened immediately the screws will enlarge and strip the holes until it s impossible to tighten them. If the hinge screws have been loose for only a short time you may need to tighten them with a screwdriver.

How to tighten stripped hinge screws. Open the door wide and insert a wedge under the bottom outside corner to level it. Screws straight through the two holes toward the center of the door. If the loose holes are in a solid piece of wood like a door frame drill them out and fill them with wooden dowels to create a new surface for the screws to go into.

If the door has a large hinge with four screw holes just drive 3 in. Door hinge 12 per pack has a removable pin to help with installation and removal of doors. A quick convenient cure can be found just inside one of the cabinets. Eventually the holes become so large that the screws can t stay tight.

But if the screws can t be tightened because the holes are stripped try this. This happened to my back door this year and i finally decided to take an hour and fix it.