ᐅ Bathroom door catch does not latch properly

Hello everyone,

My bathroom door (from 1963) isn’t working as I want. The latch no longer catches. The bolt only closes about one-third of the way.

The trim is "only" 20 years old.

I’ve now unscrewed the trim and removed the handles. From the inside, the door can be pushed closed and stays shut.

But when I put the handle back in, the latch won’t catch anymore. I don’t really understand why.

It’s a rental apartment – the door has been painted many times, including the screws holding everything in place. The latch and the strike plate are not painted.

The door frames can’t be adjusted with screws because they’re too old.

Adding a strike plate shim would make the problem worse because then the door would sit too high. The door won’t go any lower. It can be pushed closed easily, so everything should fit.

I’ve been struggling with this problem for a while. Now it’s really starting to annoy me.

What can I do?

Thanks for helpful tips from a non-professional, Handwerkerin, and have a nice evening.

What is your limit for small repairs? Otherwise, I would report it to the landlord – then you might get a new door 😉

The door may have warped. This is quite common, especially in older buildings, or the lock might be hard to operate. In this case, applying machine oil, graphite, or silicone spray to the entire lock can help restore its functionality.

Thank you for the reply. 🙂

ypg schrieb:

Where is your limit for minor repairs? Otherwise, I would report it to the landlord – then maybe you’ll get a new door 😉

A new door, I don’t think I will ever see that. They don’t even replace them when the apartment is completely renovated after being rented out again. 😡

Mycraft schrieb:

The door may have warped. This is quite common, especially in older buildings, or the lock might be stiff... in this case, lubricating the entire lock with machine oil, graphite, or silicone spray can help restore smooth operation.

Thank you very much for the reply. 🙂

My issue is with the latch, which doesn’t stay closed once the handle is back on. Pressing firmly doesn’t help either. Without the handle, the latch engages properly. According to my logic, there must be some kind of fault, but I’m not sure what it could be.

By "handles" do you mean the door levers, and by "Blende" the escutcheon plate?

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