Need assistance with some interior doors

I have 3 interior doors that the faceplate doesnt quite line up with the latch. 2 of the doors the latch is about 1/4" too high and the other door the latch is about 1/4" too low. Other than that, the door closes fine, its not binding.

One of the doors goes to the upstairs and now that my daughter is getting a bit older she will soon be able to just pull the door open so this is of concern.

The screws in the hinges are all tight. I'm thinking this shouldnt be too hard to remedy but I just dont know where to begin.

 

With the door where the latch is lower than the strike plate -- that could be just loose screws in the hinges. But, when you say that there are doors where the latch is HIGHER than the strike plate -- now I think you probably have a settling problem.

Start by looking at the gaps around the door from the hinge side when the door is closed. The gap on both sides and across the top, between the door and the jamb, should be even -- about 1/8" all the way around. If it ISN'T, you need to pop the casing off and shim the door jambs to get the gap even.

If the gap IS even, then you can get an adjustable strike plate, and enlarge the latch hole so that the doors latch properly.

 

Thanks for the replay. Another question, I'm thinking the easiest thing to do is to move the the strike plate because the gap around the doors are uniform, what is the best way to fill in the existing screw holes?

 

Put plain wood glue on wooden matchsticks (break the strike heads off, of course) or round toothpicks, push them into the screw holes and break them off. The strike plate should cover them.
If they're going to be seen, however, you might want to use wood putty, sand and paint it. If the trim is stained, you can get matching stained putty in various colors at many hardware stores or building supply places.
Mike

 

seezar,
before filling holes and moving the plate wich will require chissel work and patching, take a look at Hd or lowes for a strike plate which has a larger opening...I was browsing a few nights ago and saw some which might work...One plate I saw which makes alot of sense has extended flanges so a latch plate can be installed in an area which has been chewed up over the years...and no fill required..

 

seezar,

Like StephenS is telling you, there are oversized strikeplates, and there are adjustable strike plates -- either is larger than a standard strikeplate, and either will eliminate the need to fill the area where you standard strikeplate is currently located.

 

Thanks for the tip. I'll take a look for the oversized strike plates. Sound like the easiest solution in my case.