Every Florida home has one: the bathroom door you have to shoulder, the bedroom door that scrapes its little arc into the floor finish, the closet that won’t latch from May to October. Sticking doors are practically a state tradition — and one of the cheapest annoyances to permanently fix.
Why does Florida do this to doors?
Wood is a sponge with delusions of rigidity. When summer humidity climbs, a door slab absorbs moisture and swells — a millimeter or two is all it takes to start dragging on the jamb or refusing the strike plate. Come the drier winter months it shrinks back, which is why the same door that fought you in August rattles in January. Add Florida’s other classic — hinge screws working loose in door frames that see daily slamming — and you get the full symphony: sticking, scraping, and won’t-latch.
What actually fixes a sticking door?
- Hinge reset first. Half of “swollen” doors are actually sagging on loose hinges. Longer screws that bite the framing, done in minutes, cures it.
- Strike-plate alignment. The won’t-latch door usually needs its strike plate moved an eighth of an inch, not a new lock.
- Planing — the right amount. When the slab truly has swollen, the drag edge gets planed and sealed. The sealing matters: bare wood just re-absorbs next summer.
- Not the folk remedies. Soap, candle wax, and WD-40 on the edge buy you a squeak-free week and a grimy door. They treat the symptom the way a cough drop treats pneumonia.
When is a sticking door a warning sign?
One door, one summer: humidity. Several doors at once, diagonal cracks above the frames, or gaps that taper visibly from top to bottom — that pattern deserves a professional look, because doors are often the first thing to telegraph settling. We’ll tell you honestly which case you have.
The bottom line
Door adjustment starts at $99 flat, and the smart move is the roundup: walk the house, list every door that sticks, drags, rattles, or won’t latch, and have them all handled in one booked visit. Your shoulder deserves retirement.