How to fix a squeaky door

Find which hinge is squeaking

Open and close the door slowly while someone listens at each hinge. It is usually the top hinge, which carries the most load as the door pulls away from the frame. Fixing only the noisy hinge works, but doing all of them at once takes a few extra minutes and saves a repeat visit.

Choose the right lubricant

Penetrating oil is useful for freeing a rusted pin, but on its own it evaporates and leaves the hinge dry again. Follow it with grease.

How to fix it, step by step

1. Close the door so its weight rests on the latch, and put a folded towel under it if the door is heavy.
2. Tap the hinge pin up from below with a nail set or a thin screwdriver and a hammer, then pull it out. Do one hinge at a time so the door stays hung.
3. Clean the pin with steel wool or fine sandpaper until the rust and grime are gone, and wipe out the hinge barrel.
4. Coat the pin with a thin layer of white lithium grease and tap it back in.
5. Swing the door several times to work the grease in, then wipe off any excess.
6. Repeat on the other hinges.

If the squeak comes back

• Loose hinge screws. A hinge that shifts under load grinds and squeaks. Tighten the screws; if they spin, replace one screw in the top hinge with a 3-inch screw that reaches the wall framing.
• Worn hinges. A pin that wobbles in its barrel will squeak however well it is greased. New hinges cost a few dollars each; match the size and corner shape (square or rounded) of the old ones.
• The door is rubbing, not squeaking. A door that scrapes the frame or the floor makes a similar noise, and in the Lower Mainland that usually means the door has swollen in the wet months or the hinges have loosened. See how to fix a door that won't latch and door frame repair.

Damp air, salt air and condo doors

Plain steel hinge pins rust quickly on exterior doors and in unheated spaces such as garages and sheds, and faster still near salt water. If a pin is pitted with rust, cleaning buys time but new hinges are the lasting fix; choose stainless steel or solid brass for exterior doors near the ocean.

In a condo, the door between your suite and the hallway is normally a fire-rated door with a closer or spring hinges that pull it shut. Greasing the pins is fine. Do not remove the closer, and do not swap the hinges for ordinary ones: those parts are part of the door's fire rating, and the door is often the strata's responsibility. Ask your building manager before changing hardware.

Is it worth hiring someone?

Not for one squeaky door; it is a fifteen-minute job with a tube of grease. It makes sense when it is one of several door problems, such as squeaks, a door that will not latch, or one that sticks all winter, because a single visit can fix all of them. Our minimum job is $500, so bundle small repairs. See also how to fix a door that won't latch.