# Fixing stripped screws in foam core steel door



## tigereye (Feb 25, 2009)

I've got a foam core steel door from the house into my garage. Over time, the screws that hold the faceplate of the latch onto the door have stripped out (probably from the kids slamming it all the time).

When I took the knob off, it looks like the screws were secured directly into the foam. I was expecting a wood backer in there, but there's nothing else to attach the screws to.

Just wondering if anyone has a way to fix this. Not sure if there is a way to repair the foam inside the door or add something I could screw into.

Thanks,

Mike


----------



## joecaption (Nov 30, 2011)

Post a picture.
Yes there should have been something solid behind the metal, not just foam.


----------



## CompleteW&D (Sep 4, 2015)

joecaption said:


> Post a picture.
> Yes there should have been something solid behind the metal, not just foam.


Yeah.... but you KNOW builders.... if they can save $10 on that door, they will. And there is ALWAYS someone out there making something cheaper to satisfy the lowest price shoppers. Even if that means it's an inferior product that doesn't last more than a few years. 

To the OP, maybe a larger self tapping screw with the same size head might work....


----------



## joecaption (Nov 30, 2011)

If there's nothing but foam a longer screws not going to help.
Bigger counter sunk hole and a bigger self tapping screw may be your best bet.


----------



## CompleteW&D (Sep 4, 2015)

joecaption said:


> If there's nothing but foam a longer screws not going to help.
> Bigger counter sunk hole and a bigger self tapping screw may be your best bet.


Correct.... I said "larger" self tapping screw with the same size head. I had to look again after your post to see that I didn't say "longer.".... LOL


----------



## SeniorSitizen (Sep 10, 2012)

Clean the two surfaces with sand paper then a half dozen kitchen match head size dabs of JB weld on the plate and a dab on each screw and in the holes will fix it for a long time. Supervise the kids while they work because they won't know what a kitchen match is.:wink2:


----------



## tigereye (Feb 25, 2009)

Picture attached. Obviously, it's bent as hell, too. I figure that's fixable. It looks like I might be able to get a shim between the metal plate and the foam, but there's not a lot of room to work with beyond that.


----------



## joecaption (Nov 30, 2011)

What picture?


----------



## tigereye (Feb 25, 2009)

Sorry joecaption, had problem getting the image to post.


----------



## joecaption (Nov 30, 2011)

That looks like a dead bolt that someone has kicked in, not a latch.
Even so there's no fixing that one.
Time for a new door.


----------



## SeniorSitizen (Sep 10, 2012)

Now that I see it is a complete wreck I'd like to change my fix approach to 2 tubes of JB weld.


----------



## SPS-1 (Oct 21, 2008)

Looks like those were sheet metal screws threaded into the steel tabs. You could try nest bigger size sheet metal screws if the steel hole is stripped. But you might have to increase the size of the countersink.

Sometimes, a cheap and dirty way of getting more bight for a sheet metal screw is to bend the steel tab, so that the hole is not round when viewed from straight on. That could be what happened to the bottom tab.


----------



## SPS-1 (Oct 21, 2008)

Another thought. You can buy a couple of clips like this to put over the hole. The one shown here has a straight thread for a machine screw, but more commonly, they have just a stamped hole for a sheet metal screw. You can find them at a good hardware store, or maybe even HD.


----------



## ChuckF. (Aug 25, 2013)

You might be able to fix that with a door repair/security kit, the kind that is a piece of metal, U-shaped, that slips over the door, and then you redrill some or all of the holes. Lot of work and won't be pretty. Look through the home center websites under 'door repair kit'. Here's one:

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Unbrande...-Reinforcing-and-Repair-Kit-U-11026/204254635


----------



## carpdad (Oct 11, 2010)

Could be done with a long bolt and a nut. Long bolt is so you have a room to thread everything together.


----------



## SPS-1 (Oct 21, 2008)

...or you can get them at auto supply stores. They are used a lot in automotive --- slipped onto plastic trim panels, so they can accept a screw.


----------

