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Door Repair

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Door repair covers the ordinary doors of an Australian house: the timber entry door that swells and binds in humid weather, the internal door that will not latch, the aluminium sliding door onto the deck that has become hard to push, the security screen door whose closer has given up, and the frames, hinges, tracks and locks all of them depend on.

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Most of these faults are movement rather than breakage. Timber takes up moisture through a wet summer and gives it back in the dry, so a door that closed perfectly in August can rub in February. Houses on reactive clay soils move with the seasons too, so frames go out of square and a door that has been fine for years suddenly catches at one corner. Sliding doors usually fail at the rollers and the track, not the glass, and a screen door fails at its closer, its hinges or its mesh.

Diagnosis matters because the cheap fix and the expensive one look the same from the doorway. Planing a sticking door treats the symptom; if the cause is a sagging hinge, a dropped frame or decayed timber at the base of a jamb, the door will bind again in a different place next season. On LokalMatch you describe the door, the fault and your postcode once, and carpenters and door repair technicians covering your area get in touch. Pros pay for the requests; LokalMatch does not do the repairs, does not set prices, and does not vet, rank or recommend anyone.

Why a door sticks, drops or will not latch in an Australian house

  • Seasonal moisture: timber doors and frames swell in humid, wet weather and shrink in the dry, so binding that comes and goes with the season is usually moisture rather than damage.
  • Ground movement: on reactive clay soils the house moves through wet and dry cycles, taking frames out of square and putting a door hard against its jamb at one corner.
  • Worn or loose hinges: screws lose their grip in old timber, the top hinge takes the load, and the door drops on the latch side.
  • Strike plate out of alignment: the door closes but does not latch, or has to be pushed or lifted to catch.
  • Failed sliding door rollers: an aluminium sliding door that is heavy to move, judders, or rubs the track has usually worn its rollers or collected grit in the track.
  • Water or termite damage at the base of a jamb: soft, crumbling or hollow-sounding timber near the floor needs the cause identified before any repair.
  • Impact and forced entry damage: split jambs, bent strike plates and stretched hinge screws left after a break-in or a slammed door in a gust.

How a sticking or dropped door is put right

A good repair works from the cheapest and most reversible fix towards the most permanent. The first checks are the hinges: tightening screws, replacing stripped screws with longer ones that reach solid framing, and packing or adjusting a hinge to bring the door back into its opening. Many doors that seem to need trimming simply need their hinges seen to.

Next comes the strike plate and the latch, then the frame itself, checked for square and for movement. Trimming the door is the last resort, because a door that has swelled with moisture and is planed down in the wet season can end up with a visible gap once it dries out. On a sliding door, the sequence is different: clean the track, check and adjust the rollers, replace worn rollers, then look at the frame and the sill.

Ask the technician to explain which of these they intend to do and why, and to say whether the frame or the door needs attention rather than only the leaf you can see swinging.

Timber, aluminium and screen doors: what each one needs

  • Solid timber entry doors: sensitive to sun and moisture, they need their finish maintained on all six faces, including the top and bottom edges, which are often left bare and take up water.
  • Hollow core internal doors: light and cheap to replace, but they cannot be planed much, and a damaged one is usually swapped rather than repaired.
  • Aluminium sliding doors: the frame rarely fails, so repairs concentrate on rollers, tracks, interlocks and the flyscreen.
  • Security screen doors: repairs focus on the closer, the hinges, the lock and the mesh, and a damaged mesh or frame on a security door should be fixed by someone who works on that type rather than patched.
  • Flyscreens: the mesh, the spline and the corner joints are inexpensive to renew, and doing it before summer keeps insects out without touching the door.
  • Glazed doors: broken or cracked glass in a door is a glazing job, and the replacement glass must be the appropriate safety glass for a door.

Seals, tracks and dust: keeping doors working through the year

  • Vacuum sliding door tracks regularly, since grit is what destroys rollers, and dry sandy dust through the dry season is the worst of it.
  • Check door seals and weather strips before the wet season: a perished seal at the base of an external door lets in water and insects.
  • Recoat external timber doors on the schedule the finish manufacturer sets, paying attention to the west-facing doors that take the afternoon sun.
  • Tighten hinge and strike plate screws once a year, before they work loose enough to let the door drop.
  • Oil or adjust screen door closers so they pull the door shut against the seal rather than slamming it.
  • Keep the ground clear and drainage away from external door frames, since damp soil against a timber jamb is what starts decay.

Storm damage and break-ins: making a door secure again

After a storm or a forced entry, the priority is making the opening secure, and the permanent repair can follow. A jamb split at the strike plate cannot hold a lock, no matter how good the lock is, so the repair is to the frame and its fixing into the structure as much as to the door.

If a door has been damaged in a severe wind event, check the frame and its fixings rather than only the leaf, and remember that a door blown in leaves the interior exposed to wind and water. In cyclone regions, take the same care with external doors as with the garage door: they are openings in the building envelope, and Queensland's Household Resilience Program lists external solid core doors among the resilience improvements it funds for eligible coastal homes.

Photograph the damage before anything is changed if you may claim on insurance, and keep the quotes and invoices.

When a door is not worth repairing

  • The bottom rail or a stile has decayed, or the timber is soft and crumbling from long-term water exposure.
  • A hollow core door has been damaged through its skin, since the core gives little to fix to.
  • The door has delaminated or swelled so far out of shape that it will never sit flat in its frame again.
  • Repeated repairs have not solved recurring binding, which usually means the frame or the structure is the problem.
  • The door no longer suits the opening: a wider accessible entry, a security screen door, or better weather sealing would serve the household better.
  • Termite or moisture damage extends past the frame into the surrounding structure, in which case the door is the smallest part of the job.

Licensing, quotes and consumer guarantees for door work

Small door repairs often fall below the value thresholds that trigger a building licence, but those thresholds are state-based and lower than most people expect. Queensland requires a QBCC licence for building work above a low value threshold, with a separate handyman exemption for work at or below it. New South Wales requires a licence or certificate for residential building work valued above the Home Building Act threshold in labour and materials including GST. Western Australia requires a registered builder for permitted building work above its own threshold, with building permit and building standards obligations continuing regardless of who does the work.

If a repair turns into replacing frames, altering an opening, or work that forms part of a larger project, ask the contractor which licence they hold and check it on the state register. And whatever the size of the job, the Australian Consumer Law applies: services must be provided with due care and skill and within a reasonable time, and for a minor problem the business must put it right free of charge. Get the scope in writing, including whether the frame, the hardware and painting are included.

Door Repair: frequently asked questions

My door only sticks in summer. Should I plane it?

Usually not. Binding that appears in humid, wet weather and eases in the dry is moisture movement in the timber, and a door planed while swollen will rattle with a visible gap once it dries. Have the hinges, the frame and the seals checked first, and treat trimming as the last resort rather than the first move.

Why is my sliding door so hard to push?

Almost always the rollers and the track. Grit ground into the track wears the rollers flat, and then the door drags on the frame. Vacuum the track thoroughly first; if it is still heavy, the rollers need adjusting or replacing, which is a routine job for a door repair technician and much cheaper than a new door.

The timber at the bottom of my door frame is soft. What now?

Do not fill and paint over it. Soft, crumbling or hollow-sounding timber at floor level means water damage, termite damage, or both, and the cause has to be identified before the frame is repaired. Have the cause diagnosed, deal with the moisture or the pest problem, and then repair or replace the affected section of jamb.

Do I need a licensed builder to repair a door?

It depends on the state and on the value of the work. Licensing thresholds are set state by state, and they are lower than most people assume, so a repair that turns into frame replacement or forms part of a bigger job can cross the line. Ask which licence the contractor holds, check it on the state regulator's register, and get the scope in writing.

Can a broken security screen door be repaired?

Often, yes. Closers, hinges, locks and mesh are all replaceable items, and a worn closer or a dropped hinge is a straightforward repair. Damage to the frame or to the mesh of a security door is different, because the door only performs as a security door while its frame, mesh and fixings are intact, so that work belongs with someone who specialises in them.

Sources

  1. ACCC: Consumer rights and guarantees
  2. ACCC: Repair, replace, refund, cancel
  3. QBCC: When you need a licence
  4. NSW Government: General building work licence
  5. Building and Energy (WA): Building or renovating your home
  6. Queensland Government: Household Resilience Program eligibility

Written by the LokalMatch editorial team. Last reviewed 14 September 2026. How we write and check our guides

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What affects the cost of door repair

Prices depend on the details of your project. We only publish price ranges when they’re backed by real LokalMatch quote data or reliable sources. Until then, here’s what usually changes the price:

  • Number, size and style of windows or doors
  • Frame material and glass options
  • Full-frame replacement or insert
  • Repairs to rotted framing or sills
  • Interior and exterior trim and capping
  • Access, including upper floors

How to compare door repair technicians before you hire

  • Look for an installer who measures on site and explains how the new window or door will be sealed and flashed.
  • Ask whether the quote is for a full-frame replacement or an insert, and why they recommend it.
  • Compare quotes on the same product type, glass options, installation method and interior and exterior trim.
  • Ask who handles warranty issues: the installer, the manufacturer or both.
  • For garage doors, choose a technician trained on springs and openers, since that work can be dangerous.

Questions to ask door repair technicians before you hire

  • Will you replace the full frame or install an insert, and what's the difference for my home?
  • How will you insulate and seal around the new units?
  • Is interior and exterior trim included in the price?
  • What does the manufacturer's warranty cover, and what does your installation warranty cover?
  • How long will it take for the products to arrive once I order?
  • Will your own crew do the installation?

When to call a pro for door repair

  • Drafts, condensation or fog between the panes
  • Windows or doors that stick, won't lock or let water in
  • A garage door that's off track or has a broken spring: don't try to force it, and call a garage door technician.

Door repair permits and local rules

Some door repair work needs a permit or has to meet local bylaws. Rules vary by municipality, so ask your pro whether a permit is needed and who will apply for it — and check with your city or town if you’re unsure.

Permits and licensing

Guides about door repair

Services related to door repair

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