A door gets opened and closed thousands of times a year. It is one of the hardest-working parts of a house, and when it starts to stick, drag, rattle or refuse to latch, you notice it every single day. Most door problems are simple to fix once the cause is found, and most do not need a new door at all.

Leongatha Handyman repairs, adjusts and hangs doors in homes, rentals and holiday houses across Leongatha, Korumburra, Mirboo North, Meeniyan and the surrounding South Gippsland district. We work on internal doors, front and back doors, laundry doors, cavity sliders, wardrobe sliders, screen doors and the old four-panel timber doors in period homes.

Common door problems and what causes them

The door sticks or rubs

This is the most common complaint, and in South Gippsland it is often seasonal. Timber doors absorb moisture through the wet winter months and swell slightly, especially if the top and bottom edges were never painted. At the same time, houses on clay soils move a little as the ground gets wetter, which pushes frames out of square. The result is a door that rubs at the top corner or along the latch side, and often frees up again in January.

Before we plane anything, we check the hinges. Very often a door rubs because the top hinge screws have loosened, letting the door drop on the latch side. Fitting longer screws that reach the wall stud pulls the door back up and solves the problem without touching the door edge. If the door does need planing, we take off only what is needed and then seal the bare timber so it cannot soak up moisture and swell again.

The door will not latch

The latch tongue no longer lines up with the hole in the strike plate. This happens when the door drops, the frame moves, or the strike plate was fitted slightly out. We adjust the hinges first, then reposition or file the strike plate if needed. Worn latch mechanisms are replaced.

The door swings open or shut by itself

A door that will not stay where you leave it is hung out of plumb. Correcting the hinge positions or packing a hinge usually fixes it. For doors that need to stay open, we can fit door stops or magnetic holders.

Loose or broken handles

Lever handles loosen with use and the internal springs wear out. We tighten, repair or replace handles and latches, and can upgrade old knob sets to lever handles, which are much easier for older people and anyone with sore hands to use.

Hinges pulling out

When screws have been tightened again and again into chipboard or soft timber, the holes strip and the hinge pulls away. We repair the holes with timber plugs or use longer screws, so the hinge is anchored firmly again.

Damaged doors

Hollow-core doors are easily punched or kicked through, and the bottom edges of external doors rot where water sits. Small holes can sometimes be repaired, but often a replacement door is the better option. We can supply and hang a new door, cut to fit your frame, with hinges and handle holes prepared.

Door installation

Internal doors

We hang new internal doors in existing frames. Older homes often have frames that are not square or are a non-standard size, so every door is trimmed, planed and fitted to the opening. We cut the hinge recesses, fit the hardware, check the gaps are even and seal all six faces so the door stays stable.

Replacing old doors in period homes

Many weatherboard homes in Leongatha, Korumburra and Mirboo North still have their original timber panel doors. Where a door is beyond repair, we can help find a suitable replacement and fit it so it suits the house. Where the original door can be saved, we usually recommend saving it: loose joints can be glued, damaged sections repaired and the door re-hung.

Cavity sliding doors

Cavity sliders save space but can come off their tracks, scrape the floor or stick inside the wall cavity. We adjust or replace rollers and guides, fit new handles and pulls, and correct the hanging height.

Wardrobe sliding doors

Mirrored and panel wardrobe doors jump off their tracks, run roughly or drop at one end. We clean and adjust tracks, replace rollers and bottom guides and re-hang the doors.

Screen and security doors

Screen doors take a beating from wind, kids and dogs. We replace worn closers, fix sagging hinges, repair or re-mesh screens and adjust locks. If you are replacing a security door, we can help with fitting.

Front and back doors

External doors take the weather. On farmhouses and exposed homes on the hills around Korumburra, Poowong and Loch, strong winds and driving rain mean weather seals and door bottoms wear out faster. We fit or replace:

• Door bottom seals and weather strips to stop draughts and rain blowing under the door
• Seals around the frame
• Door closers on doors that slam in the wind
• Door stops to protect walls and handles
• Deadlocks and new handle sets

Draught-proofing a front door is one of the easiest ways to make a home warmer through a South Gippsland winter.

Locks and security hardware

We supply and fit keyed handles, deadbolts, privacy sets for bathrooms and bedrooms, sliding door locks, window locks and keyed-alike sets so one key fits several doors. We do not do locksmith work such as rekeying master key systems or opening locked safes, but for everyday residential hardware we can supply and fit most things.

Doors for accessibility

Older residents and people with limited mobility often struggle with heavy doors, round knobs and high thresholds. We can:

• Replace knobs with lever handles
• Adjust or replace door closers so doors are easier to open
• Re-hang doors to swing the other way to improve access
• Fit door stops and hold-open devices

These are simple changes that make daily life noticeably easier.

How a door repair visit works

1. Send photos of the door, the hinges and the latch side, and tell us what it is doing.

2. We quote the repair, and if a part such as a handle or hinge needs replacing, we confirm the finish you want.

3. We arrive with the tools and common parts, and most door repairs are finished in under an hour.

4. We test the door through its full swing, check the latch and lock, and tidy up the shavings.

Areas we cover for door repairs

Leongatha, Korumburra, Mirboo North, Meeniyan, Koonwarra, Dumbalk, Inverloch, Tarwin Lower, Nyora, Loch and Poowong, as well as rural properties in between.

Doors in rentals and holiday houses

Doors are one of the most common items on a rental maintenance request. A bathroom door that will not lock, a back door that does not latch properly or a sliding door that has jumped its track all need attention quickly, both for the tenant’s comfort and the home’s security. We work with landlords and property managers in Leongatha and Korumburra and respond to maintenance requests with photos of the completed repair.

Holiday houses around Inverloch, Venus Bay and Tarwin Lower have their own patterns. They can sit closed up for weeks, then get heavy use over summer and long weekends. Doors swell in the damp air near the coast, sliding doors fill with sand and screen doors get pushed through. A visit before the summer season is a good time to sort them all out.

Signs a door problem is worth looking at early

• A gap appearing at the top of the door on the latch side
• A latch that only catches if you push or lift the door
• Cracking paint at the hinge side of the frame
• Screws visibly sitting proud of the hinge
• Daylight showing under or around an external door

Caught early, these are quick fixes. Left alone, hinges pull out, frames get damaged and the repair becomes bigger.

Doors in damp country

Timber doors swell in winter and shrink in summer. In Leongatha and the hills towns around it, the difference between a wet July and a dry February is enough to make a door that closed perfectly in summer bind on the frame in winter. We plane and seal the edges, adjust hinges and strike plates, and where the frame has moved we pack and refix it. Sealing all six faces of a door, including the top and bottom edges that are usually missed, slows moisture getting in and keeps it working through the seasons.

Coastal homes in Inverloch and Venus Bay face salt corrosion on hinges, latches and screen door closers, so we fit stainless or marine-grade hardware where it makes sense.

Security and peace of mind

Many South Gippsland homes still have the original door hardware, sometimes with locks that no longer catch properly or keys that went missing years ago. We fit new deadlocks, lever sets, door chains, peepholes and security screen door hardware to existing doors, and we can fit keyed-alike sets so one key works front and back. For full rekeying or master key systems, a locksmith is the right trade, and we will say so.

Sliding doors and screen doors

Sliding glass doors that drag usually have worn rollers or a track full of grit and leaves, which is common in leafy areas around Mirboo North and Koonwarra. We clean the track, adjust or replace the rollers and adjust the lock so the door glides and latches. Screen doors get new closers, hinges, handles and mesh, so they keep flies out in summer and do not slam in the wind.

Frequently asked questions