Today’s tip involves some tactics that may be a little much for the average person to perform, but if you know your way around tools and are handy around the house, then you could probably pull it off.  But unless you have a slightly off-kilter door in need of adjusting, my solution will mean little to you anyway.

So let’s say you have an interior door that is having a problem latching.  The strike-plate, where the doorknob’s insides latch into the hole, is probably a little too high or low, and therefore the latch won’t catch.  If the hole is higher than the latch on the door, the door needs to be raised ever so slightly.  One way to do this is to put a small shim under the door’s hinge.  First, cut a small piece of cardboard (I used a diet coke box) a little smaller than the hinge on the door jam, or the frame of the door.  Unscrew the bottom hinge on the frame (not the door), slip the piece of cardboard under the hinge, and screw it back in.

This may seem silly to some, but before you seek out your screwdriver make sure you comply with any rules your community may have about stuff like this.  I know of an association that could very  well say you need a permit because technically, in a very obscure way, you are hanging a door.  So understand how some may see it as way more than it actually is, but don’t make it more than it is either, if you are thinking about performing this fix.