Wood behind strike plate is splintering


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Old 01-31-14, 12:27 PM
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Wood behind strike plate is splintering

Excuse me if any of these terms are incorrect! I've been researching and am trying my best, but these kind of repairs aren't really my thing, so I could use some help and am just doing my best to explain the problem as well as I can.


My husband and I have lived in our home for a year, and I've noticed in the past that if you look inside the strike plate it's a mess in there - splintered wood and such, and it's slightly crooked. Admittedly I forgot about it since it hasn't caused us any problems. Well, the other day I tried to open the door, forgetting that it was locked, and something gave way - the strike plate actually shifted slightly, and now the door won't latch closed because the strike plate and door jam don't line up. I unscrewed the strike plate, and oh my goodness it's a total wreck! I can't screw anything back into place to have it lined up properly because it looks like in the past someone had cut out so much extra and moved around the screws so much that every single spot I would screw into is just a mess of loose splintered wood!


How on earth do I go about fixing something like this? The photos with a crooked latch plate is for the regular doorknob piece, and the photo where I have removed the strike plate is the deadbolt spot.
 
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Old 01-31-14, 01:04 PM
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The holes are pretty easy to fix. Go to the hardware store and buy yourself some wooden dowel. I would say that you might want to buy some 1/8" dowel and some 1/4" dowel. You will also want to have wood glue and an 1/8" drill bit and a 1/4" drill bit.

For the screw holes that are clearly separate from one another... like the very bottom two that are side by side (bottom picture), and the small one on top that is all by itself, I would try to use the 1/8" dowel.

First drill those holes out with the 1/8" drill bit. Take a sharp utility knife and cut the dowel into pieces maybe 1" long. Spin the dowel in one hand saw you cut so as to cut all around the dowel. 1/8" dowel cuts easily. Squirt some wood glue into the holes you drilled, then put a piece of dowel in the hole. Put just a bit more glue on it and then tap it into the hole with a hammer until it's flush.

For the larger holes, try to find the center of the hole, drill that with the 1/8" bit to make a pilot hole, then switch to the 1/4" bit and drill it out again to enlarge it a little. If the 1/4" bit seems loose due to the wood being torn up, you might want to go to a larger bit and a larger dowel. 5/16" or 3/8". Then follow the same procedure, glue the hole then the dowel and pound it in flush.

After an hour or two the glue will be set up and you will be able to mark the correct location for the strike plate (close the door and mark the center on the jamb... and while the door is closed, insert a ruler into the gap and measure the distance to the front edge of the latch so that you know where the right edge of the strike plate needs to go) then align the strike plate with your new measurements, drill new pilot holes for the screws (3/32" holes) and then install the strike plate.
 
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Old 01-31-14, 01:17 PM
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Sure looks like at some point the latch was not catching and someone tried moving and replacing the strike plate with a different one instead of doing it the right way.
There's just not enough good wood left to make a proper repair without some major work.
If you want to cheap out and make due you can just remove the screws and use 2-1/2" screws.
It's possible to remove the whole door and replace the jamb, but would make more since since it's
out anyway to just replace the door.
I'd be willing to bet it was never flashed right at the bottom anyway so it would be a good time to fix that.
door flashing details - Bing Images
 
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Old 01-31-14, 01:27 PM
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That's pretty much what I'm afraid of...there not being enough good wood. I measured and the spot where the screws should be is just a complete mess, there isn't even enough good wood around it to glue a wooden dowel into. Removing the door and replacing the jamb is just way beyond my abilities though, I'll pretty much have to hire someone, so I'm just hoping it doesn't get too expensive.
 
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Old 01-31-14, 01:30 PM
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Another option would be to remove the casing and cut out a portion of the jamb and replace it with new wood. The main thing would be to make sure it's secured well to the stud and the hole is drilled in the right place. Ideally you'd replace the jamb. We can walk you thru it if you want to diy.
 
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Old 01-31-14, 01:34 PM
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I think you are giving up way too soon. If there isn't enough wood there to glue a small dowel into, you have a couple options. Bigger dowel is the first and best option. You would be nuts to replace the door jamb based on what I see in the photos. The wood behind the strike plate does not have to be "pristine", it just has to hold 2 screws and be secure. A tight repair would do those 2 things. I have done this hundreds of times.

There is also a wide variety of wood repair products that are like an epoxy which can be applied, then can be sanded down and drilled. Either of these things is well within the capability of a DIYer and would cost under $10.

In either case, longer screws of the same diameter size would also be an option after you make your repair. The stud is right behind the jamb and when long screws are used on strike plates it makes the door more secure and less liable to be easily kicked in.
 
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Old 01-31-14, 01:40 PM
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You're probably right XSleeper, I have the tendency to get easily overwhelmed by this stuff! But thank you for the advice. My husband's going to stop for some dowels on his way home (he's better at this stuff than me, thankfully!) and we'll give it a shot. I guess I was stuck on how awful it looks, but you're right, it doesn't have to be pristine, the door just needs to operate properly. I doubt anyone but myself is going to be looking in there, haha.
 
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Old 01-31-14, 01:43 PM
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Once the damage is fixed, the striker plate will hide most of it. Not sure why the striker plate is so high but you can fill in under it to make it level although just a coat of white paint will help a lot.
 
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Old 01-31-14, 01:44 PM
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Spray painting the interior of the hole black helps hide the ugliness. It looks like a small woodchuck has been living in the one for the deadbolt. LOL
 
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Old 01-31-14, 01:47 PM
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That's a good thought! And yes, I would seriously love to know what the hell someone did to this door frame to get it in it's current state!
 
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Old 01-31-14, 02:05 PM
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I bought a used townhouse that had a long history of bad rental residents.

No exterior door had a decent latch that worked or was aligned. The metal front door had deep dents in it from police raids. I went to replace the smoke detector and found a bag of white powder in the ceiling along side it (down the toilet ASAP).

It just takes a little patience and planning to get things aligned and working. Then, some wood filler and paint does wonders and a new piece of metal is the crowning achievement. For my steel door. some filler and sanding made it good after I got the longer screws into some stable wood/dowels followed by the surface patching.

Now, no one believes what I inherited when I bought the place.
 
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Old 01-31-14, 02:13 PM
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Spray painting the interior of the hole black helps hide the ugliness
While I've never done that, I've always stained or primed the hole on new construction - just makes for a better looking finished product

Probably not legal to exterminate those 2 legged woodchucks
 
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Old 01-25-15, 02:54 PM
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Same problem with latch assembly

I was reading this post because I am having a similar problem with the latch assembly. The screw holes are wallowed out and so the latch assembly
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moves around and won't always go into the opening in the strike plate, keeping the door from latching. Can I use this same principle suggested by Xsleeper and insert dowels? I assume you drill the holes into the end of the dowels.....correct?
 
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Old 01-25-15, 03:19 PM
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If you drill the holes out and glue in the dowels, you have to be patient. Wait several hours for the glue to set up before you attempt to predrill any pilot holes for the screws. If you aren't patient enough and the dowels move or spin you might as well just start over.

If the hole hasn't been enlarged too much you can also glue a couple toothpick pieces into the hole and put the screw back in while the glue is still fresh.
 
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Old 01-26-15, 04:44 AM
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After I install the dowels, how can I insure the latch assembly is positioned correctly so it is centered properly in the hole in the door so the latch bolt doesn't hit the strike plate when the door closes and goes into the opening in the strike plate as it is supposed to.

The problem is, in addition to the screws holes being wallowed out as mentioned in original post, also the hole in the side of the door where the latch assembly is inserted is a little large so there is some play in the latch assembly after it is inserted in the hole.
 
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Old 01-26-15, 04:52 AM
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Take a pencil and mark on the jamb/casing where the plunger makes contact [top/bottom] and use a ruler or tape measure to find the distance between the plunger and the edge of the door.
 
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Old 01-26-15, 06:24 AM
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Yeah, just to add to Mark's reply... when you close the door, the interior side hits the door stop, right? So measure from the interior side of the door to the flat side of the latch, and add 1/8". Then when you line the strike up with the door open, measure out that far from the door stop, and that's where the front flat part of the hole in your strike plate should be.
 
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Old 01-26-15, 08:11 AM
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Originally Posted by marksr
Take a pencil and mark on the jamb/casing where the plunger makes contact [top/bottom] and use a ruler or tape measure to find the distance between the plunger and the edge of the door.
How can I mark with a pencil when the door has to be closed to see where the plunger contacts the strike plate/jam?
 
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Old 01-26-15, 09:35 AM
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On the hinged side of the door you can see where the plunger will line up. You make the pencil mark with the plunger extended just before it hits the jamb. That gives you the height for the striker, measuring gives you the depth.
 
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Old 01-26-15, 01:20 PM
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Replacing a stud

My wife accidentally knocked a hole in the back of the garage when she got out of the car to get the trash barrel and forgot to take it out of gear. It knocked the drywall and the molding loose in the kitchen as well. I'm thinking I may have to replace the stud as well as the drywall. Only the bottom of the kitchen wall, below the chair rail molding is damaged, it appears and I think the baseboard molding can be re-used. What is the best way to get the old stud out, if, in fact, I have to do that. I would like to avoid going into the attic as it is full of blown in insulation.

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Last edited by GregInGA; 01-26-15 at 01:39 PM.
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Old 01-26-15, 01:26 PM
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Greg, you need to remove the damaged drywall first so you can see just what needs to be done to the framework. You should be able to replace a stud or two without getting into the attic.
 
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Old 01-26-15, 01:37 PM
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I deleted the post because I realized it was in the wrong forum. I didn't realize anyone had responded already. So, 2 questions

1. How do I pull the old stud out.

2. How do I nail the stud into the header and footer
 
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Old 01-26-15, 01:50 PM
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You have to start by removing the drywall and insulation so you can see what needs to be done. It shouldn't be a big deal to remove the damaged stud once it's exposed. You'd toe nail the new stud in place.
 
 

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