Doors & windows
How to align a uPVC door that won't shut properly
A uPVC door that catches on the frame, needs a shoulder to lock, or lets a draught through has usually dropped or shifted on its hinges. Most doors can be brought back into line with a hex key in under half an hour.
What you'll need
- •Hex (Allen) keys, usually 4mm and 5mm
- •Torx bits
- •Pencil
- •Spirit level
Step by step
1Find where it's binding
Close the door slowly and watch the gap all the way round. An even gap top to bottom means the door is square; a gap that narrows at the top on the handle side means the door has dropped. Mark the tight spot with a pencil.
2Identify the hinge type
Pop the hinge caps off. Flag, butt and rebate hinges all adjust differently, but nearly all uPVC hinges give you three movements: lateral (side to side / compression), vertical (up and down) and depth (in and out towards the seal).
3Lift a dropped door
Use the vertical adjustment screw on each hinge, turning each hinge the same amount so the load stays shared. Small turns only — a quarter turn at a time — then close the door and check the gap again.
4Correct side-to-side
If the door catches on the lock side, wind the lateral screws to pull the door back towards the hinge side. Adjust the top hinge to move the top of the door and the bottom hinge for the bottom.
5Set the compression
With the door shut, the seal should be squashed evenly without the handle being a fight to lift. Use the compression adjustment to bring the door in or out until it locks smoothly and there is no draught.
6Check the keeps
If the door is square but the hooks or rollers still snag, loosen the keep plates on the frame, shift them a millimetre or two and retighten. Test the lock from both sides before you finish.
Common mistakes
- •Adjusting one hinge a long way instead of sharing the movement across all of them.
- •Over-compressing the door — it strains the gearbox and is a common cause of failed multipoint locks.
- •Ignoring a dropped frame: if the frame itself has moved, hinge adjustment only masks it.
When to get a second opinion
If the handle still won't lift after adjusting, the multipoint gearbox may have failed rather than the door being out of line — worth a second opinion before you force it.
Ask an experienced tradesperson