Open and close the door slowly and deliberately while watching and listening for any changes in movement and gap alignment.

Begin by standing on the latch side and lift the door slightly to feel for binding energy as you move it. Place your palms near the top and bottom of the door and push gently to detect any stiffness that indicates hinge friction or frame misalignment. Use a ruler or a straight edge along the strike and hinge sides to spot uneven gaps; a consistently sized gap means good alignment. If you do not have an alignment laser, slide a strip of cardstock or a folded piece of paper along the gap to feel where it pinches and where it slides freely; mark those spots with a pencil so you can correlate them to specific hinge adjustments. After each small hinge turn, test the door again with the same slow open and close motion so you can isolate the effect of that single adjustment. Keep adjustments to small increments of a quarter turn of the hinge screw and recheck repeatedly rather than making large changes that can introduce new issues.

Common mistakes include tightening hinge screws too much which can warp hinge leaf position and make the door stick; loosen the screws slightly and use a washer if the screw hole is worn then retighten to a snug but not overcompressed fit. Another frequent issue is failing to test with the door weight supported so you only correct the middle gap while top or bottom remain off; support the door on a wedge or have an assistant hold it at the latch height while you make small hinge moves and reassess. A third problem is relying solely on visual inspection and missing subtle scraping sounds; always perform the slow open and close while listening for contact and use the paper gap method to reveal pinching that the eye can miss.

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