1972 Universal Kitchen Door! Help ME

buffee · Sun Oct 18, 2009 4:30 pm

I have a beautiful 1971 Doublewide Universal. I have a front door that I like to keep double security locked, so I use the side kitchen door all the time. Something is drastically wrong with that door, first it suck, then scraped...now I have to slam it to get it to shut(when I do this small screws fell out of it..which I kept( I realize I will have to move the steps to get underneath the door to see where the screws came from. Now I am so paranoid I won't even open that door, and it just stays locked. Can this be repaired? How difficult to find a replacement? thanks!

JD · Sun Oct 18, 2009 7:30 pm

Sounds to me like the home has settled and the door is not lining up properly. If this is the case, I often can fix them by tightening or replacing hinge screws. Is this an outswing door? The doors with a piano hinge almost has to be taken off and reinstalled. You may need a new door if the old one got too beat up. If this door has regular door hinges, you can try to replace some of the hinge screws with larger and/or thicker screws. If the door scrapes on the bottom, replace the screws in the top hinge. If it scrapes on the top, replace the bottom hinge screws. Take the new screws and tighten them in hard with a hand screw driver, not a cordless drill. You need to really reef on the screws to straighten the door up. Be sure that the heads of the new screws you add does not bind the door. If thicker screws don't work, try longer screws to get some good wood to screw in to.

Hope this helps.
JD

buffee · Sun Oct 18, 2009 8:26 pm

Thanks JD
Yes one of my friend's husband thought some of screws had come loose or come out. I guess we'll have to move the stairs, because there is NO way you can see the bottom of the door, where I know the last 2 screws came out of us, unless your underneath looking up and yes the door does swing out....its not beat up...but when the wind is really blowing sometimes it got slammed around so maybe that loosened everything up. I am going to show your post to my friend's husband who is coming over in a few days to look at the door. Thank God I still have the front door, or I'd have no way in your out..the ONLY way to close that kitchen door securely right now is to slam it hard!