How to Fix a Squeaky Door in 4 Easy Steps

Owning a home is a sound investment and a great achievement. But there are moments when you’ll have to make some repairs, such as squeaky door hinges, that you must fix.

It’s quite annoying having to deal with squeaky door hinges every time you step in and out of a room. In such instances, the best thing to do is fix this issue. Thankfully, it only takes a few steps to restore the doors.

In this article, we get to explore a few techniques that you can use to fix squeaky doors in your home. These are simple, so you don’t have to call in any professional help. But, always call in an expert if you find the problem to be deeper.

Fixing a Squeaky Door – 4 Practical Steps

There are different ways to go about fixing squeaky doors. These techniques are simple but require a little bit of focus to complete.

1. Use a Lubricant

At times, doors are squeaky because of friction. All you need to do is apply a lubricant to correct this issue. One of the best lubricants for this job is WD-40. You can follow the simple steps below to apply the lubricant and stop the squeaky noise.

Remove the Door’s Hinge Pin

For this step, a little bit of craftsmanship is necessary and a few tools. Ensure you have some work gloves to protect your hands.

The best way to make this process work is to remove the door’s hinge pin, but first you have to find it. When you pinpoint the location of the hinge pin, use a hammer and a nail to tap the base of the bolt. Place the nail firmly on the base of the bolt, then hit it with the hammer.

Repeat this until the hinge is free. Proceed to use the hammer to completely remove the pin from the door. Once all the pins are off the door, you have to act fast to place the door on the wall. Leaning it against the door will protect you from any accidents.

Apply WD-40 Lubricant on the Pin

Get your WD-40 lubricant. If you don’t have any, you need to buy some before you start fixing the squeaky door. Coat a generous amount of the lubricant on the door pin and allow the oil to sit for some time. Also, spray some amount of lubricating oil on the door hinges.

The oil lubricates the door hinges, which in turn stops the squeaky noise. Ensure you have a cloth to get rid of any excess oil that might drip on the floor.

Restore the Door Pins

After coating the door hinge pins with a lubricant, you have to put them back. Place the door in its right position and proceed to wiggle the pins back on the hinges. When the pin is steady, place a nail on it and hammer the nail to drive the pin back to its position on the door hinge.

Proceed to do the same with all hinges making sure the door is steady. Once you complete replacing the pins, you can test the door for any squeaks. Open and shut the door as many times as you can and listen for any sounds.

If there’s a squeak on the door, you have to repeat steps 1 and 2. Remove the pins and apply the WD-40 lubricant once more. Proceed to put the pins back then test the door. Ensure as you do so, you wipe away any excess oil as it can easily stain your floor.

2. Apply Wax on Hinge Pins

Paraffin wax works great to stop the squeaky noise that doors make. The best paraffin wax is raw with no smell. You can inquire from the store about the kind they have before placing an order.

Melt the Wax

Candle wax comes in solid form, which is hard to apply on the door pins. You have to heat it and allow it to melt. Fetch an empty metal tin and place the paraffin wax in it. Proceed to place the tin over a source of heat and allow the wax to melt.

A gas stove isn’t the best option when melting paraffin wax. Since the wax releases some vapor, it can ignite easily. It’s better to use an electric stove to melt it. Or, if you don’t have an electric stove, you can use a microwave.

Remove the Hinge Pins

The pins of the door hinges have to come off. Using a nail and a hammer, proceed to remove all the pins before you move on to the next step. This will require some precision to remove the pins the right way. Also, ensure you hold the door and lean it safely against the wall once you remove all the hinge pins.

Coat the Pins with Wax

When you have all the pins at hand, you can proceed to coat them with liquid paraffin wax. Hold each pin with a pair of pliers and dunk it into the hot paraffin wax. Check that the entire pin is coated with the wax before placing it aside. Repeat this with all the pins before the wax solidifies.

Replace the Hinge Pins

When all the pins are coated with paraffin wax, it’s time to place them back onto the door hinges. Get the door and replace each pin. Use a hammer and a nail to tap each pin back into position. When that’s complete, you can test the door several times to ensure it doesn’t squeak.

In case you still hear a squeak on the door, you have to repeat the process. Coat the pins as many times as possible to ensure the door isn’t squeaky anymore. You might need to keep heating the paraffin wax to keep it in liquid form.

Related Read: How To Take A Door Off The Hinges In 6 Steps

3. Apply Some Petroleum Jelly

Petroleum jelly is soft and smooth, making it one of the best ways to fix a squeaky door. For this to work, you need quality petroleum jelly.

This technique is simple; you just need to apply the petroleum jelly on the pins. First, extract the pins from the door hinges and coat each with some petroleum jelly. This coating will reduce the friction on the door and stop the squeaky noise. Replace the pins on the door and test it to see if the noise is still there or not.

4. Get New Hinges

Remove the Old Hinges

There are times lubricating the pin of the door won’t work. This is when you need to replace the hinge. Start by removing the old hinges from the door frame. You can use an electric screwdriver to remove all the hinges then lean the door on the wall.

Replace the Old Hinges

Get some new door hinges and screws to replace the old ones. This will require a run to the hardware store if you don’t have some spare hinges in your tool shed. Once you have the right hinges, place it back on the door and screw it into place. Ask for help in order to hold the door steady and position the hinges the right way.

Test the Door

When you have all the new hinges screwed, test the door. Open and shut it multiple times to hear any sounds that it makes.

When Should I Call a Professional?

At times, none of these methods works to stop the squeaky noise on your door. If you find yourself in such a predicament, you might need to get some professional help. Perhaps the issue isn’t the pins but rather the door hinges that need to be replaced. If you don’t know how to do the replacement, then you can seek professional help.

Speak to a handy person and let them know you tried to stop the squeaky noise but nothing worked. That way, they can know to check for other causes and not repeat what you’ve already done.

Summing Up

A squeaky door can be quite annoying. It’s best to act fast and fix this issue. Luckily, it’s not that hard to fix a squeaky door. In this article, we’ve covered different DIY techniques to mend your faulty door at home. Each has several steps which you must follow to get positive results.

Ensure when you complete a method, you test the door. If there aren’t any noises, the problem has been solved. If the door makes a squeaky noise, you have to repeat the steps to solve the issue. All methods are simple and will require removing the pins from the door hinges.

Featured Image Credit: Prostock-studio, Shutterstock