My dad said to use a 3/4 inch spade bit for the door latch and I should have listened

I was putting in a new bedroom door and grabbed a 1 inch bit because it was closer, thinking it would be fine. The latch plate now wobbles and the door doesn't close right. What's the best fix for a hole that's too big, short of filling it and starting over?

4 comments

4 Comments

wade_kelly772mo agoMost Upvoted

Saw a hack where you wrap the bolt with a few layers of electrical tape to fatten it up. Might get you by until you can do it right.

eric_adams112mo ago

That electrical tape trick is a total band-aid fix. Read a forum post where a guy did that on a caliper bolt and it shook loose after twenty miles. The tape compresses and gets greasy, so it loses its grip fast. You're better off just getting the right size bolt from the hardware store. It costs like two bucks and takes ten minutes. Using the wrong part on brakes is just asking for trouble.

carr.abby2mo ago

Feel your pain, man, but that tape idea sounds super sketchy for brakes.

the_alex7d ago

People do this with everything now, not just cars. Had a roommate who used paperclips to fix a drawer handle for six months instead of just buying a 50 cent screw. Some things you just gotta do right the first time.