Adjust Exterior Door Strike Plate

If your filing action is shaking the strike plate remove the plate and secure it in a vise for your repair.

Adjust exterior door strike plate.

Thankfully the door latches and knobs don t have to be moved to correct these problems. You should be able to get an idea without the door being closed fully if the strike plate. Tighten the screws on the hinge plate that holds the door onto the frame. To snug the door up you would move the strike plate toward the center of the door jamb.

If it only misses by 1 8 inch or less the problem can likely be solved by tapping the plate in the right direction with a hammer. Latches that don t fit properly into these plates will allow doors to rattle or prevent them from closing. Then reinstall the plate with longer screws. For an exterior door you want the door to snug up against the weatherstripping.

What you didn t know you could adjust a door strike. The strike plate is the piece of door hardware that attaches to the door jamb and receives the latch. Place the strike plate against the door jamb its the new location then trace around the plate with a pencil. Insert either a triangular file or a flat file that s small enough to fit inside the strike plate.

Tighten the top hinge to make the latch hit higher on the strike plate or the bottom hinge to make it hit lower. Bend the strike plate s latch pocket tab straight with the pliers. Have a door out of alignment due to settling. Step 4 add cardboard shims between the hinges and the frame on either the top or the bottom depending on whether you need to raise or lower the door.

Adjust strike plates to close doors securely. Move it away from the center if the strike will not seat when the door is closed. Need to drill a new hole really close to the original one. File off enough metal to allow the latch to catch inside the plate and secure the door.

From inside the room begin closing the door while keeping an eye on the latch bolt and the strike plate. The strike plate may need to move in or out slightly to allow the strike to seat correctly.