How to stop door latch

[skoobidude]

One of the doors in my house rattles when closed. It appears that the slot which the latch closes into is larger than the latch itself. It rattles when the window is open so we end up having to prop the door open else it blows shut and begins to rattle. Years ago we had the same problem with a door in a previous house. I solved this by using strips of sticky foam around the inner frame which presses back onto the door once closed keeping it still. I don't want to go down this route as the foam looks awful when the door is open as it eventually turns a nasty creamy colour. Is there an easy solution for this? Thanks Nick

[Clanad]

I can only try to visualize the type of striker plate you have. This is the usual term, at least here in the U.S., for the brass plate surrounding the hole into which the tongue of the latch fits. If this is the case, the plate will have a small tang that fits into the actual hole. The plate can be removed and this tang straightened slightly by bending it towrds the center of the hole. this should make the tongue fit more firmly. In the worst case the plate can be removed, the screw holes filled with epoxy and then re-drilled fitting the plate more closely to the door frame for a firmer fit. This is probably somewhat confusing due to the difficulty in describing a simple device. Perhaps this site will more clearly describe the concept:
http://www.hometips.com/articles/door_locks_kn ob_fixes.html
Good luck!

[buildersmate]

Clanad's idea sounds a good one. Many of the UK striker plates (the bit that is screwed to the frame) don't have a tang that pokes into the slot, but if you do have that arrangement, then bending the tang out a bit should reduce the amount of air gap between the latch and the plate. The other method I have used is to cut a small rectangle of metal about 1mm thick (depends on the size of the gap you are trying to take up) and glued (epoxy) it into the slot, to reduce the air gap. I used aluminium because it is relatively easy to find and to cut, but you could use brass. This is easier than trying to move the whole of the striker plate, particularly if it is recessed flat into the wood that surrounds it. Use metal, not wood, because it otherwise wears away every time the latch passes over it.

[skoobidude]

Thanks. the plate has no tang so I'll adapt buildersmate's theory.

cheers

Nick