Newly Hung Door Binds On Install: Hinge Vs Jamb Vs Floor Commissioning Decision Tree

Why this matters

A brand-new door that binds is a commissioning problem, not a wood-movement problem. You set the jamb, hung the slab, and it rubs or will not close flush. Because you just installed it, there has been no time for humidity or settling, so the cause is one of a short list: the jamb is not plumb or is racked, a hinge is set wrong (proud, recessed, or screws not driven home), or the floor and the bottom clearance are off. The fix is to read the reveal, the gap line all the way around the slab, and let it point you at which adjustment to make. Random planing on a new door is how a crisp install becomes a permanent gap.

Commissioning a door means dialing it in so the reveal is even, the latch catches, and it swings free without rubbing.

Symptom presentation

Stand back and read the reveal (the gap between slab and jamb) on all three open edges plus the bottom:

• Even reveal all around but rubs: the whole unit is fine; the slab is oversized or the stop is too proud.
• Tight at the top-latch corner, open at the bottom-hinge corner (or vice versa): the jamb is racked or out of plumb, or the hinges are mortised unevenly. The slab is "leaning" in the opening.
• Rubs only at the latch edge top to bottom: the jamb is too tight on that side, or the hinge side is recessed too deep, pushing the slab toward the latch jamb.
• Hinge side binds / door springs back: a hinge mortise is too shallow (hinge proud), pinching the door.
• Drags on the floor or threshold: bottom clearance is short, the floor is high, or the unit sits too low.

Quick checks

1. Check jamb plumb and the hinge-jamb straightness. Level on both faces of the hinge jamb and a string or straightedge down its length. A racked or bowed hinge jamb throws the whole reveal off.
2. Read all four reveals. A consistent target is roughly an even reveal (commonly around an eighth of an inch) on the head and both sides, with the manufacturer's specified bottom clearance. Note where it deviates.
3. Sight the hinges. Each hinge leaf should sit flush with the jamb and slab face. A proud leaf (mortise too shallow) binds the hinge side; a deep leaf (over-mortised) lets the slab swing toward the latch and bind there.
4. Confirm screws are home and into framing. A long screw in the top hinge into the trimmer/king stud pulls the jamb true and supports the slab. Backed-out or short screws let the jamb pull.
5. Check shimming behind the hinges and strike. Hollow shimming lets the jamb flex when the door loads it. Verify solid shims at hinges and strike.

Isolation tree

Stop at the first YES.

• Is the hinge jamb out of plumb or racked (not square to the head)?

  • YES: The whole opening is leaning. Re-shim and re-plumb the hinge jamb first; everything else chases this. Set the top long screw into framing to draw it true. Most "new door binds" problems start here.
  • NO: continue.

• Does the door bind on the HINGE side and spring back when closed?

  • YES: A hinge leaf is proud (mortise too shallow) or a hinge is over-shimmed. Deepen the mortise or remove a shim behind that hinge so the leaf sits flush. This is "hinge-bound."
  • NO: continue.

• Does it bind on the LATCH edge top to bottom, with the hinge side reveal too wide?

  • YES: A hinge mortise is too deep (door pushed toward the latch jamb) or the latch jamb is shimmed too tight. Add a thin shim behind the deep hinge (cardboard behind the leaf) to push the slab back toward center, or relieve the latch jamb shim.
  • NO: continue.

• Is the reveal even on the sides but the door drags on the floor/threshold?

  • YES: Bottom clearance. Confirm the unit is set at the right height and the floor is not high at the swing. Trim the slab bottom to spec only if clearance is genuinely short, keeping the door square; never trim to fix a plumb problem.
  • NO: continue.

• Is the reveal even all around but the door still rubs the stop or won't close flush?

  • YES: The stop is proud or the slab is a hair oversized. Adjust the stop (it is usually applied, so reposition it) or ease the slab edge minimally. This is the last resort, only after plumb, hinges, and clearance are confirmed.
  • NO: re-measure; an even, free-swinging door that simply will not latch is a strike-position issue, so move the strike to meet the bolt.

Confirming diagnosis

• Jamb plumb: A level on the hinge jamb reads true on both axes and the head reveal is parallel. Once plumb, re-read the side reveals; they should normalize.
• Hinge-bound (proud leaf): Closing the door, you feel resistance and spring-back at the hinge side; backing the leaf out flush removes it instantly.
• Over-deep hinge: The latch-side bind clears the moment you add a shim behind the deep hinge and the slab recenters.
• Floor drag: Lift the slab off the hinges (or sight under it) and the rub is only at the bottom; correcting height or trimming to spec frees it.

Remediation

• Plumb/shim the hinge jamb first; long screw into framing at the top hinge.
• Hinge-bound: deepen the shallow mortise or remove a shim until the leaf is flush.
• Latch-side bind from a deep hinge: shim behind the deep leaf to recenter the slab.
• Bottom drag: set the unit at correct height; trim the slab bottom to the specified clearance, kept square, sealed.
• Stop/oversize slab: reposition the applied stop or minimally ease the slab edge as the final step.
• Verify even reveal and a clean latch before calling it commissioned.

References

• International Residential Code (IRC) Chapter R3 (Building Planning) and the door/prehung manufacturer's installation instructions for reveal, clearance, and fastening.
• Window and Door Manufacturers Association (WDMA) installation guidance for plumb, level, and square tolerances.
• Builder hardware manufacturer hinge and strike templates for mortise depth and screw length into framing.