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We bought our house new and since the house has settled a bit, the doors to our bathroom have become misaligned. Unfortunately, we're beyond our builder walk throughs so we need to fix it ourselves

I've tried tightening up all of the hinges but nothing changed. I thought about moving the strike plate up, but then the bottom screw hole would be over the latch cut out.

What else can I do to re-align these doors?

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    Your picture appears to show a strike plate that needs to move down, not up. Is the picture upside down? if so, my advice would be the same, but reversed.
    – Ecnerwal
    Jan 1, 2017 at 21:31
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    You're right. The strike plate needs to move down. I'll try the shims first, there is space for rotation.
    – joe_coolish
    Jan 1, 2017 at 22:36

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Add a shim to the bottom hinge on the left side, and to the top hinge on the right side. If not sufficient, add a smaller shim to the middle hinge on each side and a larger shim bottom left and top right.

If that shimming makes the doors not close due to too much contact in the center, deepen the mortise on the top left and bottom right. Shimming is obviously easier so you try that first.

You are seeking to very slightly rotate the doors so that they align.

If the fit to the frame looks dubious for rotating the doors as above, remove the strike, drill out the screw holes, glue in dowels to fill the screw holes and strike hole, wait for the glue to dry, relocate the strike and drill new holes.

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  • I would say do Ecnerwal's second method without disturbing the hinges. I have repositioned stikes successfully, but I have never come out in good shape messing with hinges. The original location probably just barely fit; I doubt the house or the doors shifted much. Remove the strike plate and see if the bolt fits into the existing hole or the hole needs enlarging downward. Put matches into the old holes with a little glue if you have it, and immediately drill new holes. Place the strike plate at or slightly below the bottom of the hole and drill new holes.
    – Jim Stewart
    Jan 1, 2017 at 22:44
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Since the strike is not mortised (let in) into the edge of the door, lowering it is the best solution. Moving it down about a 1/4" is about the least you can move it without filling the original screw holes with wood so the newly located screws don't try to go back into the same spot. Drill 1/8" pilot holes in the screw mounting holes after the strike is set in place holding it firmly in place with one hand while starting the pilot holes.I would probably fill the old holes with wooden toothpicks or a pared down stick, cut flush with the door edge just for the ya yas of it anyways....

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