Door repair: a guide for pros

What customers ask, how to win the job, and what to put on your profile.

Offering door repair

You repair doors, adjusting hinges, planing edges, replacing strikes, patching splits and repairing rot in jambs and sills. Customers judge you on a door that closes with an even gap and latches on the first push.

What customers ask

  • Why does my door stick only at the top?
  • Can you fix a door that will not latch?
  • Can you repair rot at the bottom of the door?
  • Will planing the door ruin it?
  • Why does the strike plate keep loosening?

How to win the job

  • On the first call, ask which side sticks, whether the hinges are loose and whether the door is exterior or interior, then give a likely cause.
  • Tighten hinge screws and set them into the framing with longer screws before you touch the door edge.
  • Adjust the strike and the latch so the bolt drops cleanly, and check the reveal with a card.
  • Plane only the edge that binds, and seal the cut edge with the matching primer or paint so the wood does not swell.
  • In the quote, name each repair item, the rot extent and whether the door must be removed.
  • Show the customer how to check the gap and the hinge screws, so small problems stay small.

What to put on your profile

  • Before and after photos of planed doors, repaired jambs and patched rot
  • The door types you repair, such as interior, exterior and sliding
  • Whether you handle rot repair and which rot jobs you refer out

Follow-up that helps the customer

  • Suggest tightening the hinge screws twice a year
  • Recommend resealing the bottom edge of an exterior door every season
  • Offer to prime and paint the repaired area once the filler has cured, so moisture cannot get back in

Licenses and permits

Door repair is often not licensed as a trade, but some areas require a contractor registration for paid work. Check state and local rules with your licensing agency before taking this work.

Questions

Do I need a contractor license to repair doors?

It depends on your state and the work. Many small door repairs fall outside the rules, but requirements vary. Check with your state or local licensing agency before you take paid work.

How do I get leads on infinibell?

Pros join free and pay only for the leads they accept. You can decline any lead for free. We review profiles before they go live, and the Insured badge shows once we have checked your current insurance.

About this guide

This national guide is written and checked by infinibell. Rules and conditions differ by place, so local pros are credited on guides for the cities they serve, not on national ones.

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