Adjust Exterior Door Strike Plate

Place the strike plate against the door jamb its the new location then trace around the plate with a pencil.

Adjust exterior door strike plate.

Step 4 add cardboard shims between the hinges and the frame on either the top or the bottom depending on whether you need to raise or lower the door. The stripped hole repair kit from king s original ha. Latches that don t fit properly into these plates will allow doors to rattle or prevent them from closing. For an exterior door you want the door to snug up against the weatherstripping.

The strike plate may need to move in or out slightly to allow the strike to seat correctly. Thankfully the door latches and knobs don t have to be moved to correct these problems. File off enough metal to allow the latch to catch inside the plate and secure the door. 4 score the outline.

To snug the door up you would move the strike plate toward the center of the door jamb. Then reinstall the plate with longer screws. From inside the room begin closing the door while keeping an eye on the latch bolt and the strike plate. Tighten the top hinge to make the latch hit higher on the strike plate or the bottom hinge to make it hit lower.

Have a door out of alignment due to settling. Bend the strike plate s latch pocket tab straight with the pliers. Move it away from the center if the strike will not seat when the door is closed. You should be able to get an idea without the door being closed fully if the strike plate.

First shut the door and take a look at how far off the strike plate is in order for the latch barrel to align with the plate hole. Insert either a triangular file or a flat file that s small enough to fit inside the strike plate. If your filing action is shaking the strike plate remove the plate and secure it in a vise for your repair. Tighten the screws on the hinge plate that holds the door onto the frame.

What you didn t know you could adjust a door strike. The strike plate is the piece of door hardware that attaches to the door jamb and receives the latch.