Common Door Defects at Handover: Snag Catalogue India 2026

The day your doors are handed over is the day to find their faults, while the carpenter and painter are still on site and the bill is not yet settled. This guide is a plain-language catalogue of the common door defects that show up at handover on Indian fit-outs — the leaf that binds, the gap that is wider at the top than the bottom, the lock that will not latch first time, the leaf that swings open on its own, the chipped lipping, the paint run, the loose hinge screw, the gap between frame and wall. For each, you get the likely cause, how a good fitter puts it right, and — just as important — whether it is genuinely a defect to be rectified or an acceptable, within-tolerance feature you should not insist on. This is the handover-defects catalogue; it complements rather than repeats the step-by-step repair guides such as door hinge replacement and door strike plate alignment. For the wider walk-through method, start with the door snagging guide, and for the whole subject the complete door guide.

How to read a door defect — snag or acceptable?

Not everything that catches your eye is a defect. A door is a hand-fitted moving part, and a small, even tolerance is normal — insisting on a perfection that the trade does not promise only delays your handover and sours the relationship with a good carpenter. The honest test is whether the door operates and looks right within accepted tolerances: even margins of roughly 2–4mm, a frame plumb to about ±1.5–2mm, a leaf with no visible bow, one-hand operation, latching first time, and a finish free of runs and scratches at normal viewing distance. Anything outside that band is a snag for the punch-list; anything inside it is acceptable. The deeper acceptance bands sit in the door acceptance criteria guide, and a printable checklist comes out of the door snagging checklist generator.

The defect catalogue — cause and cure

Below is the working catalogue most Indian handovers throw up. Read it with the door in front of you, opening and closing it slowly and looking along the gap line.

Operation defects — it binds, won't latch, or self-swings

A binding or hinge-bound leaf rubs the frame and is stiff to close. The usual cause is hinges recessed too deep (the leaf is pushed across onto the lock-side frame) or screws proud in the recess. The fix is to pack out the deep hinge or re-seat it; this is the most common single snag. A door that will not latch first time has a strike/keep that does not line up with the latch — adjust or re-cut the keep (see door strike plate alignment). A leaf that self-swings open or shut when left ajar means the frame is out of plumb; the cure is to re-plumb or pack the frame, covered in door frame plumb and level. A stiff or scratchy lock is usually a dry or misaligned mortise — lubricate and align rather than force.

Geometry defects — uneven gaps, bowed leaf, frame-wall gaps

Uneven gaps (wider at top than bottom, or one side tighter) point to a frame that is out of square or a leaf trimmed off-square. Small evenness errors are acceptable; a visibly tapering gap is a snag, re-hung or re-planed. A bowed or twisted leaf that rubs at one corner often means a leaf stored badly — left leaning, damp, or against a wall in the sun — and may need replacing if the bow is beyond a couple of millimetres; this is why door delivery and storage on site matters. A gap between frame and wall (the architrave not covering it, or daylight at the jamb) is a fixing or making-good defect — pack, fix and fill, then re-fit the architrave.

Finish defects — runs, scratches, chips, bare patches

Paint runs and sags, brush marks, bare or thin patches, scratches and chipped lippings/edges are all finish snags. Runs and scratches are rubbed back and re-coated; chipped lippings on a flush door are filled and touched in or, if deep, the lipping is replaced. Set the standard at "smooth and clean at arm's length", not under a torch beam. The finish detail and how to judge it sits in the door finish defects guide and feeds from door painting.

Hardware defects — loose, misaligned, missing, stiff

Loose hinge or lock screws, a misaligned lever, a rattling latch, a closer that slams or won't shut the door fully, and missing seals or stops are all on the list. Tighten and align; replace a stripped screw with a longer one into fresh timber; adjust the closer's latch and sweep speeds. Missing intumescent or smoke seals on a fire door is not a finish niggle — it is a life-safety defect and must be rectified before the door is accepted.

The full catalogue table

Use this as your punch-list reference. "Rule of thumb" rectification costs assume a carpenter and painter already on site during the defect liability period.

When a defect is more than a snag

Most of the above are cosmetic or adjustment items a carpenter clears in a morning. A few are not. A fire door with missing or wrong seals, an over-size hardware cut-out, gaps wider than 3–4mm around the leaf, or a closer that does not shut it fully has a compromised fire rating — that is a safety failure, not a snag, and the fitting must comply with the fire-door installation compliance rules before you sign off. An accessible door whose lever is at the wrong height, or whose closer is too stiff for one-hand operation, defeats the RPwD intent and must be corrected. And a bowed or split leaf beyond tolerance is a replacement, not a repair — do not accept a filled crack on a structural or fire leaf. Where the door is part of a contract, IS 1200 and CPWD specifications govern measurement and workmanship, and your defect liability period (commonly 6–12 months in India) is the window in which the contractor must return and rectify. Log every item, photograph it, and hold a fair retention until the punch-list is cleared.

Getting defects fixed — the handover discipline

The leverage to get defects fixed is strongest at handover and during the DLP, so capture them properly. Walk every door slowly, open and shut it, look along the gap, run a hand over the finish, and write each item with the door reference and a photo into a snag list. Group the list by trade — carpenter, painter, ironmonger — so each tradesperson clears their own items in one visit. Re-inspect after rectification and only then sign acceptance. Keep the list, the photos and the closed-out record with your door handover guide pack. A clean, honest list — separating real snags from within-tolerance features — gets you a faster, friendlier fix than a long list of things that were never defects in the first place.

Frequently asked questions

What are the most common door defects at handover in India?

The usual suspects are a binding or hinge-bound leaf, uneven gaps around the leaf, a lock that will not latch first time, a leaf that self-swings, chipped lippings, paint runs and scratches, loose or misaligned hardware, gaps between frame and wall, and missing seals on fire doors. Each has a known cause and a quick fix during the defect liability period.

What door gap is acceptable and what is a defect?

As a rule of thumb an even margin of about 2–4mm all round the leaf is acceptable, with the frame plumb to roughly ±1.5–2mm. A gap that tapers (wider at top than bottom), that exceeds 4mm, or that causes the leaf to bind is a defect to be rectified. On a fire door, gaps wider than 3–4mm are a safety failure, not a cosmetic one.

Is a small bow in the door leaf acceptable?

A leaf should look flat with no visible bow or twist. A bow of more than about 2mm that makes the door rub or fail to sit against the frame is a defect, and a badly bowed or twisted leaf is usually a replacement, not a repair — especially on a fire or structural door where you must never accept a filled crack.

How long do I have to get door defects fixed?

Most Indian contracts carry a defect liability period of about 6–12 months after handover, during which the contractor must return and rectify snags at no extra cost. Log every defect with a photo and the door reference at handover, hold a fair retention, and re-inspect before signing acceptance.

Which door defects are safety issues, not just snags?

Anything that compromises a fire door — missing or wrong intumescent/smoke seals, over-size cut-outs, gaps wider than 3–4mm, a self-closer that does not shut the leaf fully — is a life-safety defect and must be fixed before acceptance. So is an accessible door whose lever height or closer force defeats one-hand operation. These are not negotiable like a paint touch-up.