How do i fix my doors and handles?
by
Sharon
+18
My handyman put the doors on backwards, and so the handles are all falling down . I cant afford to replace all the doors again, and it happened a few years ago, with the handyman never returning my calls and eventually changing his number.
I thought of putting that expanding foam in the hollow door, then putting the handle through again. Would love suggestions from anyone who has dealt with this before or can give me a solution that works! I have at least 8 doors like this to fix.
thank you so much for reading!
It looks like the screw is missing on the part that holds the two sides together.
Hi Sharon, I'm sorry, you had a terrible contractor!
The good news is you can fix this yourself! Start by removing the hardware, you will need a screw driver, usually a Philips screw driver. Start with the two screws in the handle's cover plate and remove both sides of the handle (or knob). Keep parts and screws together so you will know which screws go with which parts, if you are not familiar with for knob installation. The other day I needed to also remove the latch cover plate on the edge of the door so the inside part could be removed. Once the door knob is off you will want to paint the door where it's scratched up, or maybe the whole door. Once the paint is thoroughly dry, replace the door handles correctly.
I hope this helps!
Honestly this looks more to me like new hardware might be the ticket. Not all doors have the hole cut at the same diameter. Personally I haven't had the best of luck of those types of knobs holding up for very long compared to a regular turn knob instead of a handle.
The handle in the second picture should have a set screw. You will need an allen wrench to loosen it. Also known as Hex Key. The handle should come off. Then the cover plate should pop off. Yours may need a small screwdriver in the hole or slot to release the cover plate. The there will be two screws that hold the lockset in place. Just screw the two screws till both parts of the lockset inside and out are tight against the door. Check to make sure the handles move freely as you tighten. Don't tighten the screws too tight or the handles won't move. Pop the cover plate back on and put the handle on and tighten the set screw.
https://www.homedepot.com/b/Tools-Hand-Tools-Hex-Keys/N-5yc1vZc265
If your handle does not have a set screw it may have a small tab. Use a flat tip screwdriver and push the tab in as you pull on the handle. Should come off easy. Just pops back on to replace it.
Hello. Do you wish to remove your handles and remount them.
Here’s a link that might be helpful to guide your way along. There’s probably also YouTube’s out there with step-by-step instructions. I hope you get your situation straught! good luck
https://www.gvlock.com/blog/how-to-fix-a-loose-door-knob-or-handle/
From the photos, it appears your issue is either loose or missing screws. You should be able to put them back in and tighten yourself. While you are at it, you can flip them to the way you want them. I would suggest watching several youtube videos on replacing them. Sad that you had such a bad contractor.
This youtube video should help you, it shows step by step what to do to fix the door knobs.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wB42iriun98
Here is a Google page with all kinds of videos and websites with lots more info for you to fix those up. Sorry you didn't have a good contractor!
https://www.google.com/search?q=how+to+fix+loose+door+knob+youtube&rlz=1C1CHBF_enCA853CA853&sxsrf=AOaemvKSmgrJFxVE-wHJJ4T0XiRo1gyHaA%3A1635358284809&ei=TJZ5YZjJMJG2tAbs6o2ACg&oq=how+to+fix+loose+door+knob+youtube&gs_lcp=Cgdnd3Mtd2l6EAEYAzIECAAQDTIECAAQDTIECAAQDTIGCAAQDRAeMgYIABAWEB4yBggAEBYQHjIGCAAQFhAeMgYIABAWEB4yBggAEBYQHjIGCAAQFhAeOgcIABBHELADOgUIABCABEoECEEYAFCyghZY5KoWYOXdFmgBcAJ4AIABjgaIAf46kgEENi0xMJgBAKABAcgBCMABAQ&sclient=gws-wiz
Is your current handyman different from the old one who blew you off? He needs to come fix this!
the doors being on backwards wouldn't cause the door knobs to fall off they need a screw in them to tighten them here is how to do that
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6kDHSznK0oM
https://www.centrawindows.com/video/how-adjust-loose-door-handle
Agree with Maura please call the handyman back and ask him to fix this. Did you have a contract?
Ok first let me say what kind of handyman was that. Now turn the doors around and put them on correct then you could repair the wholes with compound.the door handle you will need to put cardboard in the hole and compound it it will come nice when done when dry sand the spots and paint white.
Do not put foam in the lock hole or you will be buying all new hardware, instead of just tightening up the lock sets. Remove the lock set cover by loosening and removing the tiny screw on the lock set handle or underneath the cover.
Then hold the one side pushing it in, reset the the other side, and there is usually 1 or 2 screws that holds the two sides together. Then replace the cover, and cover tiny screw.
Thanks for all the answers. The handyman blocked my calls, I have no way of finding him.
we have tightened the handles many times, but there is no support since the doors were put on with the thicker wood the handle is meant to be drilled into, put at the hinge. You can squeeze the hollow door together and the handle falls down. Simply tightening the handle does not fix it, it just damages the paint more.
we don’t currently have a handyman.
I can’t afford to replace 11 sets of handles, I already invested in these ones.
you need to tighten screws or get the ones that have bigger plate
Sucky handymans suck for sure. That's terrible that he left you in such a terrible lurch. Spraying foam in there will not solve your problem as the foam will shred and fail. Do you have a Habitat ReStore near you? They ususally have door hardware and doors for less. Or try Craigslist, the materials section. Or, come up with an elegant solution to cover the holes and flip the doors.
As to how i see it the issue may be because of a losse or missing screws. Putting them back or tightening them cn be done by yourself.
As to how i see it the issue may be because of a losse or missing screws. Putting them back or tightening them cn be done by yourself.
Hi all, thank you for your help. I do not have a handyman, none of the the screws are missing. It has happened to all 11 doors. A metal plate would not look good. I am in Australia. It would cost thousands to pay someone to replace them. I do not have the skill to hang a door on frames that are not square. It has been like this for at least 6 years and I cannot handle it anymore.