The short answer
A squeak is the hinge and takes thirty seconds with oil. Sticking is usually loose hinge screws, and tightening or replacing them fixes it more often than planing does.
- Squeak: lift the pin slightly if it is a loose-pin hinge, or work a drop of light oil or a smear of petroleum jelly into the knuckle, then swing the door back and forth.
- Sticking at the top of the latch side: the top hinge screws have pulled loose. Try tightening them first.
- If the screw just spins, replace it with a longer one that reaches into the frame timber, or plug the hole with glued matchsticks and re-drill.
- Only plane as a last resort, and always from the hinge side, after checking the hinges.
What will ruin it
Planing a door that was only dropping on loose screws means that when you fix the screws you have a permanent gap. Always eliminate the hinges first.
Why it works
A door hangs off two or three small screws that carry its whole weight in shear. They work loose over years, the door drops a few millimetres at the far corner, and that is enough to catch on the frame.
Gas work requires Gas Safe registration by law and most electrical work is notifiable. Where a tip says to call somebody, that is the advice. Full disclaimer.
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