How to plane a sticking door
Updated: October 2026
The door rubs, and a plane is already in the basket. Stop there. How to plane a sticking door starts with the hinges, then a millimetre or two only on the rub. Stop if the leaf is fire-rated or the next shaving would break a hollow-core lipping. Flattening a sole is on [how to set up a Stanley plane](/hub/diy-supplies/stanley-plane/sub/stanley-plane-how-to-set-up). Which plane to own is on the [best Stanley plane](/hub/diy-supplies/stanley-plane/sub/stanley-plane-best) page. Prices are on the [Stanley plane comparison](/hub/diy-supplies/stanley-plane). Peter F. used Checkatrade and the BWF Fire Door Alliance. There is no lab test.
The door rubs, and a plane is already in the basket. Stop there. How to plane a sticking door starts with the hinges, then a millimetre or two only on the rub.
The door rubs, and a plane is already in the basket. Stop there. How to plane a sticking door starts with the hinges, then a millimetre or two only on the rub. Stop if the leaf is fire-rated or the next shaving would break a hollow-core lipping. Flattening a sole is on how to set up a Stanley plane. Which plane to own is on the best Stanley plane page. Prices are on the Stanley plane comparison. Peter F. used Checkatrade and the BWF Fire Door Alliance. There is no lab test.
Our top picks
| Badge | Product | Job | Cutter | Review file | Note | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall |  Amazon Basics Amazon Basics No. 4, DS-WPAMZ001 | Door, gate, or one-off trim | 51 mm blade | 4.4 from 4,007 | 8.2 | about £16.20 | View offer |
| Preis-Tipp |  WZHHDM WZHHDM mini door planer | Very small internal-door trim | Two spare blades listed | 4.4 from 11 ratings | 4.4 | about £9.59 | View offer |
| Alternative |  Stanley Stanley No. 4 Bailey, 1-12-004 | A face, more than one rub | 45 mm on the bullet | 4.3 from 437 | 5.4 | about £59.95 | View offer |
On this page
Tighten the hinges before you buy a plane
Open and close the door and watch where it binds. Checkatrade's order is hinges and screws first. Tightening or replacing loose screws, including a slightly longer screw into a worn hole in the jamb, fixes many doors, and you can undo it. Door Superstore says to tighten by hand, not with a drill. A plane will not pull a dropped leaf back up.
Mark nothing until the screws are tight and you have closed the door again. If it still binds, pencil the rub on both faces. Take the door off before you cut. Planing a hanging door is how the edge goes out of square. If the door is twisted, or the frame has dropped, call a joiner. You cannot put the wood back.
A millimetre or two, and only on the mark
Most sticking doors need a millimetre or two at the problem point, not a full-edge resize. Checkatrade's clearance for a standard internal door is about 2–3 mm. That is a gap to aim for on an ordinary door. It is not an amount to remove from every edge, and it is not the fire-door figure. Use masking tape beside the pencil mark, a sharp iron, a slight skew, and the grain. Take thin shavings. Hang the door again before the next pass.
A blunt blade needs more force, which is how the edge digs in. Retract the iron between cuts. Plane the mark, not the whole stile, unless the whole stile is the mark. Too much off becomes a draught you cannot close. A cracked handle is a different complaint from a bevel that still needs honing. Which? summarises a 30-day right to reject under the Consumer Rights Act 2015.
Hollow core and fire doors are different jobs
A hollow-core door has a timber lipping and a void behind it. BuildWiz's warning is that once the lipping is planed away, the door is scrap. Stop when the next shaving would break through. If you can already see the skin at the edge, you are too close.
A fire-rated door is a certificated leaf. Do not plane it until you have found its label or plug. The BWF Fire Door Alliance states an installation gap of 2–4 mm. That is how a certificated door is hung, not permission to remove 2–4 mm. FireSealsDirect says nothing should be trimmed off the top. The sides and the bottom may be trimmed only inside that manufacturer's evidence. If you cannot find the label, do not cut.
Which tool, and when to stop
A face No. 4 is the wrong first purchase for one rub. People often buy the Amazon Basics No. 4 at about £16.20, with 4.4 from 4,007 reviews. Sharpness on arrival is mixed. The WZHHDM mini planer at about £9.59 has 4.4 from 11 ratings. Eleven ratings are not evidence it will save a lipping. A Surform leaves a rasp. A chamfer plane cuts 45°, the wrong angle for an edge that must sit square to the frame.
Call a joiner if the door is twisted, the frame has dropped, you would break a lipping, or the door is fire-rated without its instructions. A qualifying amazon.co.uk purchase can earn us a commission at no extra cost to you.
Common questions
Should you plane before you touch the hinges?
No. Tighten or replace loose hinge screws by hand, not with a drill. A slightly longer screw into a worn jamb hole fixes many dropped leaves, and you can undo it. Only if the door still rubs do you mark the spot, take the door off, and plane. Planing first removes wood you cannot replace.
How much should come off a normal internal door?
Most sticking doors need a millimetre or two where they rub, not a resize of the whole edge. Checkatrade's figure for a standard internal door is a gap of about 2–3 mm. That is not a fire-door measurement, and it is not an order to take 2–3 mm off every stile. Fit the door between passes.
What if you plane through a hollow-core lipping?
The door is scrap. The lipping is the solid timber, and behind it is a void. Stop when the next shaving would break through. There is no universal millimetre allowance in this research. Use the maker's limit if you still have it. If the edge already looks thin, do not experiment.
Can you plane a fire door if you take only a millimetre?
Not on that sentence alone. Find the label or plug and follow that leaf's instructions. The BWF gap of 2–4 mm is how a certificated door is hung, not how much you may remove. FireSealsDirect says the top should not be trimmed. If you cannot find the label, do not plane it.
Which plane in this set is for a door?
After the hinges, people often use the Amazon Basics No. 4 at about £16.20 or the WZHHDM planer at about £9.59. The first has a large review file and mixed comments on sharpness. The second has 11 ratings and no described depth adjuster. A £59.95 No. 4 is a face plane. A Surform rasps. A chamfer plane cuts 45°.
When is the job a joiner's?
When the door is twisted, the frame has dropped, you would break a lipping, or the door is fire-rated without its trim instructions. Also when the cut is deep or the work is at height over a stair. A plane that still needs honing is a setup task. A cracked handle is a complaint about the tool, not about the door.
Related pages
Sources
Public UK sources on hand planes, workplace equipment, and faulty goods. Listing prices and star counts are the amazon.co.uk figures kept for this comparison, October 2026. Prices move.
- Stanley Tools UK, No. 4 smoothing bench plane 1-12-004 (retrieved 17 October 2026)
- Stanley Tools UK, 50 mm bench plane iron 0-12-313 (retrieved 17 October 2026)
- PUWER 1998, regulation 4 (retrieved 17 October 2026)
- HSE, Safe use of woodworking machinery (L114) (retrieved 17 October 2026)
- BuildWiz, UK hand-plane guide (retrieved 17 October 2026)
- Small Workshop, bench plane sharpening angles (retrieved 17 October 2026)
- Checkatrade, how to plane a door (retrieved 17 October 2026)
- Which?, what to do with a faulty product (retrieved 17 October 2026)