How to fix the handle area of a solid core door?

Submitted by turkeychicken t3_yewxn2 in DIY

I'm ashamed to say we've owned this house for about 5 years and haven't gotten around to fixing this yet. We have an extremely thick solid core door that goes from the main part of our house into an office area (formerly a garage which is why the door is so thick).

When we bought the house the area on the door around the handle and locking mechanism was already cracked. Over time it's just gotten worse and the door won't even stay shut now since it's so loose inside the area where the handle mechanism goes.

Here's a pic where you can see how loose fitting the handle mechanism is in there. The wood is so torn up that the screws holding the mechanism in there don't really have anything to attach to. broken door near handle

I was wondering if there was any way to salvage the door without having to buy a new one. Again, this door is THICK and solid and in otherwise good condition. I'd hate to have to drop several hundred dollars on a new door if I can fix this easily.

I'm not sure if making some kind of sawdust/wood glue paste or using a wood filler would help in this case or if this is a lost cause.

We rarely have the door shut since it's just a door from a hallway into an office, but we've got a baby who will be mobile in a few months and we'd like to be able to shut/lock the door at some point.

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Comments

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someoldguyon_reddit t1_iu0ilpf wrote

I had to do this just the other day. Get some good yellow wood glue and cut it about 50% with water. Mix it up good. Get an ear cleaning syringe, long pointy tip, and use it to inject the glue mixture in all of the splits and cracks. Don't forget the screw holes, they don't need to be filled just reinforced. Clamp it everywhere you used the glue, being careful not to glue the clamps to the door. Give it a couple days to dry completely.

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Maplelongjohn t1_iu0gudo wrote

Look for a door knob reinforcement plate.

Measure both the thickness of the door and the backset of the latch to make sure you get the correct one.

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MrElendig t1_iu0gmsj wrote

Some things you can try; Remove the mechanism, inject glue in the crack and clamp it. Fill the screw holes with glue/sawdust and predrill before screwing back in.

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MOS95B t1_iu0w5tt wrote

There's no reason that couldn't be glued and clamped. I would use a c clamp and a chunk of something like 2x4 at least 6-12 inches long to help spread the force out and "straighten" the area

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JoeB- t1_iu0h900 wrote

I see no reason to replace the door. My thoughts...

  1. Remove the existing door knob and latch mechanism.
  2. Work wood (Elmers) or polyurethane (Gorilla) glue into the cracks where the veneer has split on the inside door face. There are a lot of ways to do this. Google "work glue into cracks". Then, clamp tightly until the glue dries. Sand the door face smooth after removing clamps.
  3. If screw holes holding the latch mechanism to the door edge are stripped so that the screws no longer hold it tightly, google "repair stripped screw hole in wood". There are a lot of ways to fix those. For example, one option would be to glue tightly-fitted wood dowels into the holes and drill new screw holes.
  4. Secure the strike plate to the door frame as well. This also can be done with dowels, or simply using longer screws.
  5. Repaint door.
  6. Install new door knob kit, which should include new latch mechanism.
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turkeychicken OP t1_iu0wpz1 wrote

Thanks everyone. I'm going to go the route of drilling out the holes and gluing in some 1/4" dowel then re-drilling with a new door handle set. I'll also glue/clamp the frame itself to make sure it doesn't split or get worse.

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keyserv t1_iu1087g wrote

For that? I'd just glue it and clamp it for a couple hours.

For really busted up doors I cut out a rectangle and glue in a whole new piece of wood.

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