Why is there a significant gap at the top of my closed doors that causes them to flex, despite the bottom being flush against the door stop?
Asked by Maya Gill 
6 months ago
Last Updated: June 18, 2024
Hey, have you noticed that big space at the top of my doors when they’re closed? The bottom fits snugly against the door stop, but the top is kind of loose and bends. What’s up with that?
The door was installed improperly
Make sure your wall is straight before adjusting the door to match.
Hey, ! Make sure everything is properly plumbed.
I hear you, ! It’s weird how my brain never remembers that word lol.
Lack of skill in the workmanship
Hey, ! It’s not surprising that we’re discovering a lot of problems with this new construction.
Hollow core doors are prone to warping.
Hey , yeah, it’s actually 11 months old and has been like this since we closed on our house.
Just because of that, doesn’t necessarily mean the doors are only 11 months old. If it was a new house, they could have been installed before the AC and heat were put in.
Hey , just a heads-up to take a look at the top and bottom of the doors to see if they need to be painted. If they do, go ahead and apply some paint.
Yeah, , they forgot to paint the top and bottom of the doors.
They were definitely there before the AC started running.
Inadequate installation and/or a wall that is slightly twisted
The door frame is uneven. Adjust the hinge or reinstall the door
It’s simple to change. Use a level and plumb to make sure doors are properly aligned.
Kevin rubb It’s just an 11-month-old new construction and the doors have been like this from the moment we moved in. I’m including it in my 11-month warranty, but I don’t think the builder will take any action.
Make sure he does. I would definitely ensure it.
It’s not plumb, but the issue here is that there is limited room for adjustment due to the wall. If you extend too far out, you won’t be able to install trim, and on the other side, you may need to damage the drywall to fit the trim. It’s best to align them flush with the wall. If it’s an exterior door, aim for perfection in alignment. This is known as the ‘in and out’ of the door and won’t cause any damage. You may be able to adjust the strike plate slightly and change the gap, but it won’t cause any harm.
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The door is not straight, but it can be easily fixed. Sometimes you may need to cut tapered strips to adjust the frame or use a thick caulking bead
Tracy is correct…adjust the hinge slightly to move the door in or out. Place small pieces of wood in the holes where the screws were before moving it
Let’s see how straight everything is with a long door level. Sometimes the walls don’t align perfectly on both sides. The door might be slightly bent or curved. It’s possible that it was not installed correctly. For a simple solution…try adjusting the stop on the door frame.
It really depends on a variety of factors. You might be surprised to learn that you can actually adjust the bottom plate of a wall a bit with a block and a 3 lb sledgehammer. This could be due to a poorly skilled framing crew. Some people prefer to stretch a chalk line while others like to flip a line.
Jamb is not following the rules
The door stops weren’t set properly after the lockset was installed. Remove the 3 pieces of door stop. Close and latch the door. Then, while applying gentle pressure on the door as if you’re trying to push it open, use a credit card as a spacer to reinstall the stops. This will ensure that the door stops are all parallel with the door and allow for seasonal movement.
There could be a few possibilities. If you suspect your contractors didn’t do a thorough job, take a look at the tops and bottoms of the doors to see if they were painted. If you can still see the factory letters or numbers, then it was never painted. Issues like warped doors, misaligned frames, or crooked doors can be fixed by adjusting the hinges or moving the door stop slightly. Just keep in mind that both solutions may require some touch-up painting.
Try opening the door and giving the bottom of the jamb a little kick. If it shifts, adjust it and then nail it back in place. Looks like the wall is a bit crooked.
The wall may be slightly out of alignment, causing one side of the jambs to be slightly out of plumb. The door slab may have also warped a bit. Check if the top and bottom edges are painted. If the stops are not part of the door frame, you could use a block to tap the stop tight against the slab and use painter’s caulk to conceal any paint cracking that may occur along the stop.
Maybe consider adding a thin molding where they missed it or caulking the gap.
Avoid doing this 👆
Hey, ary Boyd! Definitely avoid sealing your doors with caulk 😄
I’m referring to the ground, not the entrance.
I should have been more clear when I mentioned molding or caulking. ary Boyd .
I initially thought the door was part of the design, that’s why you all mentioned it. But yeah, my mistake – don’t listen to what I said. 😅
It seems like the baseboards and quarter round are missing. If you didn’t see the post…
Yeah, I have a habit of doing that. I probably should cut it out, haha.
Either the door is warped or the door jamb is misaligned.
You might consider adjusting the stops slightly. We had to do this in our house built in 1953. While the casings were plumb and level, the luan plywood doors from the 1950s can warp over time. We made these adjustments to a few doors back in 1987, and they’ve been fine since.
I’ve been hanging doors for 45 years and I’m still at it at 73. It’s a common issue we encounter. Sometimes walls aren’t straight, drywall mud is uneven, among other reasons.
But a seasoned door hanger will notice this during installation and make adjustments. I usually tweak all 4 corners of the door until it aligns with the stop. In severe cases, I might adjust the corners and even reposition the stop.
For now, the easiest solution is to remove the stop, align the door, and then reattach the stop to ensure an even fit. It’s not too difficult, but it does require some extra work like filling nail holes, re-caulking, and touch-up painting.
I’ve dealt with this issue many times, and it usually does the trick.
It’s not plumb. Correcting that would involve removing the entire door jamb. It was likely installed that way, or the house’s framing has shifted. My bet is on the former. Plumb basically means vertically level, if that makes sense.
It seems like the wall might be a bit crooked. Installing the door could be tricky if the frame is off. Make sure to use a level to check both.
Installing one slightly off plumb wouldn’t be difficult at all.
Yes, , it is quite possible.
If the builder tells you it’s within specifications, don’t be surprised, because it likely is.
Thinks that the water damage and mold caused by a leak in a vent pipe is normal. But honestly, I don’t believe a word he says.
The wall isn’t plumb.
Either the frame is twisted or the door is twisted within the frame.
The door casing isn’t squared properly. It’s an easy fix, but can be a pain.
Haha, that’s funny.