A door that rubs against the jamb and will not close cleanly usually means the door is misaligned and needs targeted adjustment at the hinges and frame.

Start by testing where the rub occurs and mark the high spots with a pencil so you can focus corrections. Remove the top hinge pin partway or fully and tap the hinge plate down or up to shift the door toward the desired side by using thin wooden shims or sturdy hard cards between the hinge leaf and the jamb; small, incremental moves make a big difference. If the door drags along the strike side, insert a pump air wedge in the hinge gap and gently inflate to lift the door into the correct plane while you tighten screws or add shims, then deflate and retest; keep the door supported while screws set. Make sure hinge screws are long enough to reach the framing and not just the jamb trim so the adjustment holds; replace short screws with three inch screws in the top hinge when correcting sag. Check for a warped door or twisted frame by sighting down the edge and measuring gaps at the top, middle and bottom; if the door itself is warped, plane the high edge by hand with a block plane or use a router with a straight bit in light passes and seal the cut edges to prevent moisture damage. Finally, if the latch does not align with the strike after hinge adjustments, file the strike plate slightly or relocate it by moving it up or down a few millimeters and enlarging the hole only as much as needed.

Common mistakes include tightening all hinge screws without first supporting the door which can trap the door in the wrong position so always support the door when fastening screws. Relying only on planing the door while the hinges remain loose can remove too much material and create a gap so make hinge adjustments first then remove small amounts of wood as a last step. Using short trim screws in hinges or screw holes stripped in the jamb leads to recurring sag and rubbing; swap those for longer screws anchored into the framing and fill or replace stripped pilot holes.

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