My wife asked why I was replacing the whole door when just the latch was broken

I was about to pull the hinge pins on our back door because the deadbolt wouldn't catch. She walked by and said, 'You fix concrete cracks, not pour a new driveway. What's the real problem?' I checked the strike plate and the screws were just loose, stripped out from years of use. I filled the holes with toothpicks and wood glue, put in longer screws, and it's solid now. Anyone else ever go straight for the nuclear option before checking the simple fix?

2 comments

2 Comments

carr.willow5d ago

Honestly, isn't the nuclear option sometimes the right one? I've fixed a few stripped plates like that and they just fail again in a year. If the door frame is old and beat up, putting in a whole new pre-hung unit is a permanent fix. It's more work upfront but then you're done for good.

kellyperry4d ago

Oh man, you're not wrong. I've been down that road of trying to fix a stripped screw hole with toothpicks and glue more times than I care to admit. It feels like victory for about six months until the door starts sagging again and you're just staring at the same stupid problem. At some point you have to admit you're just putting a band-aid on a broken leg.