How to Level Closet Doors

Open the cupboard and take a look at the screws holding the hinges in place. The door sags downward under its own weight if the screws have worked loose. Have an assistant take the weight of the door while you straighten the hinge and tighten up the screws. Do this on both sides to keep the doors level.

Remove the screws holding the hinge to the door while an assistant takes the weight of the door. Once the door is off the cupboard, remove any damaged or bent hinges and replace with new parts. Downward force on heavy doors could bend the hinges and cause the door to sag inward when closed. With the new hardware in place, have your assistant hold the door in position while you carefully screw it back onto the closet.

Replace the hinge screws if they turn without tightening the hinge to the frame of the closet. The screws may be too short or too narrow to fit into the hole, causing the door to drop downward because of lack of support. Purchase screws slightly longer and wider than the existing set.

Add a wooden shim or deepen the mortise behind the problem hinge. Door sag is sometimes caused by the hinges not being directly above each other. Adding a shim moves the hinge closer to the middle of the opening, while deepening the mortise, the slot in the jamb for the hinge, has the opposite effect. With a hammer and chisel, remove wood from behind the hinge to deepen the mortise. Add a shim, a simple piece of thin wood or a ready-made one from your local hardware store, behind the hinge and hang the door back up.