Symptom checker / closing faults
Why a door will not close properly
Do not plane the door first. Check every hinge fixing for looseness and watch for movement while the leaf is supported. Then record where contact starts or how the latch behaves. The selected symptom produces an inspection order; it does not establish a cause.
The Marked Door · Diagnostic checklist · Why a door will not close properly
Conservative observation sequence
Select the door condition and exact symptom
Decision v1.0.0Researched 2026-09-04
Current print is available only for a complete normal checklist. Any answer change removes the previous checklist and print state immediately. Hard stops cannot be printed as a normal checklist.
First check on every normal branch
Support the leaf and inspect hinge movement
Support the leaf, then watch hinge leaves and screw heads while the door moves gently. Record movement rather than tightening into uncertain material. A screw that turns without holding, a moving lining or a cracked fixing area needs further investigation.
Record visible gaps at the hinge side, latch side and top without forcing the door. A narrowing gap may be consistent with positional change but does not prove sag. The same rub can coexist with a proud hinge leaf, a recess that is too deep, frame movement or several conditions.
The Wickes page in the source register is merchant guidance used only to support an observation-and-check sequence. It is not treated as a universal standard or a certain explanation. Read the exact source scope.
Symptom branches
What changes after the hinge-fixing check
For a top latch-side rub, record the gap and compare hinge recesses. For a top hinge-side rub, compare recesses and locate first contact. For a whole latch-edge rub, record the gap and measure both jambs.
For floor or bottom contact, measure clearance through the swing and record moisture or dimensional change. Only that normal branch links to the trim allowance planner after its checks; trimming is not assumed.
When a latch misses high or low, compare its centreline with the strike. If the door springs open, observe binding and recess depth. If it drifts open or closed, measure the frame and observe hinge-axis alignment.
Hard-stop precedence
Some doors and structures leave the normal checklist
An adjustable uPVC door stops first. Follow the exact hinge or door manufacturer procedure, or use an appropriate specialist. Do not transfer a timber-hinge sequence to a proprietary adjustable system.
A confirmed or possible fire door stops next. Do not alter the door. Use the doorset information or arrange a competent inspection. The GOV.UK source record is official England guidance kept within its stated scope; this checker does not turn it into a general alteration instruction.
A damaged or loose frame, loose wall support, visible distortion, or uncertainty about that structure stops the normal sequence after the earlier two checks. Do not cut or force the leaf. Inspect the frame or wall support condition. When several stops are selected, the checker applies uPVC first, then fire-door status, then frame or wall condition.
Decision method / 1.0.0
A conservative dispatch table, not a fault verdict
The checker reads four enums and returns one hard stop or exactly three ordered checks. Every normal list begins with hinge fixings; its next checks are symptom-specific. No branch declares that material must be removed.
Links are branch-specific: hinge symptoms may link to hinge positions, whole-edge contact to hanging, and bottom contact to trimming after its checks. Latch-height and drift branches return no job link. Whenever an answer changes, the controller withdraws the list, assumptions and current print until every current value passes runtime validation.
Dated source register
Sources used for scope and stop wording
wickes-fix-door-problems
Wickes
Merchant guidance for an observation-and-check sequence, not a universal standard, certain diagnosis or permission for destructive work.
Open the dated record: How to Fix Door Problems | Wickes.co.uk
gov-fire-door
GOV.UK
Official England guidance; the extracted passage says an inadequate existing fire door requiring replacement must be replaced by a competent person and fire doors must be kept in good order. Apply only within the guidance scope.
These records support limited parts of the inspection sequence and fire-door stop. They do not establish the cause of an individual door fault. Source access and research date: 2026-09-04.
Blank inspection sheet
Record what changes before deciding the next job
Job/reference: ____________________ · Location: ____________________ · Printed date: ____________________
Door type: ____________________ · Fire-door status: ____________________ · Frame/wall condition: ____________________
First observed symptom: __________________________________________________________________________
- Hinge fixing and movement observation:
- Second branch observation:
- Third branch observation:
- What changed after the checks:
Canonical: https://neoporte.com/door-wont-close/ · Module 1.0.0 · Research date 2026-09-04 · Sources: wickes-fix-door-problems, gov-fire-door