Whomever put the original latch plate in my garage door jamb must have had issues aligning it. They must have tried every possible spot, and as a result there is almost no wood to screw it into.

I had to replace it a few years ago and could barely find a place to mount it.

This winter there was a huge draft coming in, so I had to move it. I struggled to find any wood left.

As you can see, the bottom of it has broken loose. I don't think I'll be able to remount it.

Any ideas? Someone suggested a 3 inch screw that would go into the stud. Other than that - would I have to tear out the entire door jamb?

 

Easiest would probably be to put on a longer strike....you will need to remove a little more wood top and bottom so it sits flush. You could find them at most any hardware store or of course a locksmith shop.

 

What gubguy said, but first, drill out the holes and plug with dowels and TiteBond glue. Youy can then relocate the striker where it needs to go..........asuming the door was properly hung.

 

Yep. I drill out the hole using the right sized drill bit to make the hole larger for golf tees & titebond. Dowels work but I have golf tees in my truck. Let it dry about 4 hours before you even think about drilling into it. When you go to install the strike plate, you will want to make a tiny pilot hole for your screw.

Use wood filler for any cosmetic repairs and sand it down flat once it's dry.

 

Ok I'm with ya so far on the longer strike and making it fit flush.

Lost on the drilling out holes part. What holes am I drilling, and what am I do with dowels?

Apologize in advance for my ignorance. Beer 4U2

 

When someone turns the wood into hamburger by putting a screw in 3 different places, then none of the screws will hold, right?

What you need to do in that case, is replace the wood. A dowel works well because let's say you buy a 3/8" dowel for 40 cents. You figure out where the hole is supposed to be, and you drill a 3/8" hole in the jamb with a drill bit. Then you cut a 1 or 2" long piece off the dowel, glue it up with some good wood glue and stick it in the hole you just drilled. It should fit nice and tight. Hammer it in as far as it will go. If it sticks out, that's fine you can cut it off later with a handsaw or something. (instead of dowels I use golf tees)

After you "plug" the holes with wood, and the glue is good and dry (4 hrs or so) then locate the strike plate where it is supposed to be, and drill a pilot hole for your new screw hole, using a bit that is smaller than the screw is. This will help ensure that the dowel does not crack when you put the new screw in.