Repairing a Strike Plate

Repairing a striker plate is a task that every homeowner should know, and unfortunately not everyone knows how to do. Frankly, it is such an easy task that you can accomplish well within 30 minutes. If you are preparing to repair a strike plate, all you need to do is follow these instructions to ensure that you get the job done the right way.

1. Look at the plate. Before you begin repairing the strike plate, you really should take a look at what you are dealing with. Since the most common problem with strike plates is that the screws occasionally come loose. If that is the problem here, you may be able to tighten up the screws, and that will be it. In the event that the plate itself is actually damaged, you will need to replace it.
2. Remove the old plate. Using the appropriate type of screwdriver, remove the screws that are holding the old plate in place. Once you have removed the old plate, take the time to inspect the wood that was underneath. When you are looking at this wood, pay particular attention to the holes that were left by the screws. If these holes (or the wood in general) appear to be damaged in any way you should take steps to repair it. The easiest way to do this would be by using some wood filler. Allow the filler to dry, before proceeding to the next step.
3. Place the new plate. After you have finished removing the old plate, you can then begin placing the new plate. All you should need to do is hold the plate in place and then begin screwing in the screws. Before you begin using a screwdriver to do this, hand tighten the screws first. This will allow you to make any minute adjustments that may be needed.
4. Tighten the screws. Once you have finished adjusting the plate where you want it, you can then begin tightening the screws completely. Use the appropriate screwdriver to tighten down the screws until they are flush with the strike plate. Do not over tighten the screws, or you can end up damaging the wood underneath.
5. Test your work. Before you can truly be finished with the project, you need to test your work. Typically this is rather simple to do, just close the door. If the door closes all the way, and opens up again without any problem, you are finished. If not, you will need to make a few more adjustments.

Once you have satisfactorily tested your work, you are for all intents and purposes finished. That is, besides the clean up. Keep in mind that you will want to keep an eye on the strike plate to ensure that it doesn't come loose again in the future. The reason for this is that quite often if screws have become loose once, they have a tendency to do it again in the future. If that does happen, you will need to take further steps to keep it from happening again.