Tightening the screws sometimes fails to realign a door because the fastener fastening points or the hinge hardware itself no longer hold the original geometry.

When a screw spins without pulling the hinge tight it usually means the wood around the hole is damaged or the screw is too short to reach solid material; remove the screw and inspect the hole, then fill it with a few tightly packed wooden toothpicks coated in glue or use a hardwood dowel for a stronger repair before replacing with a longer screw that reaches fresh wood. If the hinge leaves are bent or the hinge pin is worn the hinge can no longer hold alignment, so remove the hinge, place it on a flat surface and gently straighten the leaf or replace the hinge entirely with a heavier duty unit matched to the door weight. Check the surrounding frame for rot by probing with an awl or screwdriver; if the frame is soft replace the affected section or sister a new piece of solid wood to carry the load. Verify the strike plate and latch alignment too because a deformed frame can push the door out of plane even when hinges are tight, and shim behind the hinge or under the jamb as needed to shift the door in small millimeter increments.

Three common mistakes are overrelying on the existing screw holes without testing hole integrity, which you can avoid by always probing and reinforcing holes before reinstalling fasteners. People also tighten screws while ignoring hinge or pin damage, so remove hinges to inspect geometry and replace hardware when you see wear rather than forcing a short term fix. And many try to correct fit without checking the frame, so look for rot or twists in the jamb and use shims or replace the jamb section if it is warped.

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