Adjust a uPVC door that sticks, drops or lets in draughts

Use this guide if your uPVC door is hard to lock, the handle needs forcing up, the bottom catches on the frame, or you feel a draught round the edge. You need a set of Allen (hex) keys, a Phillips screwdriver, a pencil, and light machine oil or a lock lubricant.

Step by step

1. Diagnose where the door is catching

   Close the door slowly and watch where it first touches the frame; rub a pencil along the frame edge so any rub marks show up. If the handle is stiff to lift or the key hard to turn, try it with the door open: if it works smoothly open but not closed, the door is out of alignment rather than the lock being broken. Look at the gap round the door: a wider gap at the top on the lock side and a tight gap at the bottom means the door has dropped. Stop forcing the handle now, because forcing a misaligned door is a common way to break the multipoint lock gearbox and get locked out.