Quick Fix: Correct Squeaky Floors and Sticky Doors

No matter how often you work on your house, there always seems to be a few things that are never completely fixed. Squeaky floors and sticky doors are definitely on that list. They're annoying, but not quite annoying enough to call a handyman at the first sign of trouble. Atlanta contractor Clark Harris of Innovative Construction shared his tips for fixing these floors and doors yourself. If you have a door that rubs against the top of your doorjamb:

Try taking out the screw in the top hinge that attaches the door to the jamb. Find a longer screw — about 2.5 inches — and screw it through the hole in the hinge and into the jamb. Keep tightening the screw so that it goes into the framing in the wall and tightens the door so it won't rub against the jamb anymore.

Irritating floor squeaks generally happen when the subfloor separates from the floor joists. The nails that attach these two pieces start to squeak as they slide in and out of the joists. The trick is to re-attach the subfloor to the joists, but it differs according to what kind of flooring you're dealing with.

If your carpeted floor is squeaking: Try nailing a finish nail — a nail with little or no head — through the carpet and into the floor where it squeaks. Take a flooring nail set (or use another nail) and hammer the finish nail into the subfloor.

If your hardwood floor is squeaking: If the area below the floor is unfinished (like in a basement), you can fix the squeak by working on it from underneath the flooring. Go down into your basement and find the squeak on the floor above you. Insert a shim (a wedge of wood) where the subfloor is rubbing against the joist, and fill in the area with a strong glue (such as liquid nails) to keep the piece in place.