If you didn't lube the slides and pins with brake lubricant (just buy the large tube. It'll last for 30 years), the pads will have a hard time moving away from the rotor - I'd look at that first. It'll also let you look at everything else as you disassemble the brakes for cleaning and lubing.
The rotor shield can be bent by accident sometimes.
I wouldn't worry excessively about the torque. I've been doing brakes for (crap, it's really been thirty years?) and 'just past snug' generally locks everything up adequately on disc brakes. Drum brakes are more picky, but even there, I've mostly just used 'snug' and for the critical pieces, a beam torque wrench.
That said, I have _two_ click torque wrenches - one 3/8", the other 1/2". Harbor freight's torque wrenches go on sale regularly, and they're perfectly adequate for a shade tree mechanic - so there's no excuse for not using them, especially if you're not a frequent flyer at the parts counter