Door and Lock Repair in Lafayette, LA

This work covers doors that stick, drag, or will not latch, jambs that have split or pulled loose, and new knobs, deadbolts, and weather stripping. Sometimes the fix is a hinge screw and a plane pass. Sometimes the frame itself has moved and the door has to be rehung.

Call (337) 722-1349 or send the details

Doing this in Acadiana

Doors in Acadiana live in humidity most of the year, and wood swells with it. A door that closes clean in January can bind by July, then loosen again when the air dries out, so a door that only sticks in the wet months is usually swelling and not a broken frame. The clay soil under a lot of Lafayette, Broussard, and Youngsville homes shifts as it takes on water and dries out, and that movement racks door frames until the gaps go uneven. Wind-driven rain during hurricane season finds tired weather stripping fast, and exterior door bottoms and jambs that stay damp are exactly where termites and rot start, so it is worth looking closely when you are already in there.

How to tell where you stand

What makes the job bigger or smaller

Yourself, or a pro

A homeowner can handle plenty here. Tightening loose hinge screws, swapping a knob or deadbolt, and replacing weather stripping are all reasonable weekend jobs with basic tools. Moving the strike plate a hair or backing a long screw into the top hinge fixes a lot of sticking doors. Where it gets past DIY is when the frame is out of square, the jamb is split, or the wood is rotted or bug-eaten, because then the door has to be rehung or the frame rebuilt and a wrong cut can leave you worse off. If an exterior door will not lock or seal at all, that is a security and weather problem worth getting done right rather than experimenting on.

What to ask anybody quoting this, us included

Walk away if you hear these.
  • They quote a full door or frame replacement over the phone without seeing the door.
  • They push you toward replacing everything when you asked about a stick or a loose knob.
  • They cannot explain why the door is binding, only that it needs to be swapped.
  • They wave off soft or damp wood around the jamb instead of checking it.

Tell us about your doors and locks job

Every question is optional. The more you answer the faster somebody can come back with a real number, and the better we can match you to the right person, but a name and a number is enough to get started.

Tell us what needs doing

As much detail as you feel like giving, as little as you have to. A photo helps most.

Questions people ask

Why does my door only stick in the summer?

That is almost always humidity. The wood absorbs moisture and swells, so the door grows just enough to rub the frame, then shrinks back when the air dries out. If it only binds in the wet months and closes fine otherwise, the frame is probably fine and it just needs a small adjustment or a light pass where it rubs.

Can I put a deadbolt on a door that does not have one?

Usually yes. It means boring a new hole through the door and cutting a pocket in the jamb for the strike, which takes the right bit and a steady hand. A solid door handles this better than a hollow core one, and an exterior door should get a good grade bolt since that is your actual security.

My deadbolt is hard to turn or the door has to be pulled tight to lock. Is that the lock?

Often it is not the lock at all. When a door sags or the frame shifts, the bolt no longer lines up with the strike, so it drags. Fixing the alignment usually solves it. If the lock itself feels gritty or catches even with the door open, then it is the hardware.

Is it worth fixing an old exterior door or should I just replace it?

Depends on the door and the frame. A solid door with a tired seal or a scuffed jamb is worth saving. Once there is real rot or termite damage in the frame, or the door has warped, repair can cost more effort than it is worth and replacement makes more sense. Have someone check the wood before you decide.