My closet door hinge started rubbing after I painted last spring

I noticed the door was scraping the frame about three months after I put on a new coat of latex paint. Turns out the extra thickness pushed the hinge out of alignment, so I filed down the bottom edge by maybe 1/16 of an inch and it swings fine now. Has anyone else had paint layers mess up door fit like that?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_jordan6d ago

I read somewhere that latex paint can keep shrinking and pulling for months after it dries, which is wild. A buddy of mine had the same thing happen with a bathroom cabinet, he ended up having to sand the whole edge down because the paint was actually thicker than he thought. That 1/16 inch you filed off is probably about right, seems like paint layers really add up over the years. I've also heard that if you stack too many coats on a hinge side, the door will eventually start binding, especially in humid weather. Might be worth checking if your hinges are actually straight too, sometimes the paint buildup makes them look crooked when they aren't.

walker.alex6d ago

Gotta push back a little on the latex shrinking thing. I've painted a lot of doors and the paint isn't really shrinking that much after it cures. The issue is more about the thickness of the new coat plus all the old layers of paint underneath. Three months later the wood itself probably swelled a bit with the humidity change, especially if you painted in spring and it's getting humid now. Filing the bottom edge was the right call, but I'd check the hinge pins too. A little dirt or a bent pin can make a door drag even if the paint is perfect.