wooden door warped

[jaydh]

Hi

I have searched but I cant find the answer.

My wooden front door is getting difficult to lock the bottom lock. When it rains/is damp/etc, it is tricky to pull the bottom half of the door to align up with the lock. The problem is, I didnt install the door so have no idea if its been sealed etc. I bought the house 3 months ago and its been fine in the summer.

Do I need to shave any sides of the door or seal the wood to prevent warping/expanding?

Thanks

Jamie

 

[JohnD]

probably both. Timber always expands and contracts with changes in humidity, and much more if it actually gets wet. Look for where it rubs, and plane it lightly. when the fit is good, re-treat the bare wood (remember to give room for the thickness of the paint). You may need to add a draughtstrip, I find the "furry pile" ones are very good. They stick best to clean, new paint.

a "breathing" woodstain or microporous paint will help it even out the moisture. Often the out-of-sight top and bottom edges of doors are not treated, and this encourages them to take up water.

is your door exposed to the weather, or is it in a porch? has it got a weatherbar at the bottom (a triangular strip of wood to help throw rain off)?

 

[jaydh]

Thanks for your response. We dont have a porch and there is no weatherbar. What would you suggest we try first?

 

[JohnD]

buy a hardwood weatherbar, it will help to protect the bottom of the door. Cut it so it will not hit the frame. You can paint it to match the door, preferably front and back, before fitting and leave it to harden. Buy a few brass screws (as they will not rust) about 60mm long, so they will go right through the door from the inside to hold the bar in place. This prevents any holes on the outside that can let water in and need frequent repainting, and also makes it easy to remove. Drill the door and bar before screwing it on. Run a little silicone sealant along the join at the top to keep water out before final tightening.

If you are strong enough to take the door off, do this, and sand and paint the bottom of the door if it is not already done. Bottoms of doors are very prone to water penetration.

Plane any parts of the door that are rubbing, loose enough that you can put a few sheets of paper in the gap, before repainting. You may find it needs doing again if we get a long spell of wet weather.

Is it a stained hardwood door, or a painted softwood one? Does it face the sun? If so, avoid dark colours especially black, as it will get very hot on sunny days. If it is a panelled door, it needs special care when painting or staining, and you should do it on a very dry day

http://www.realoakfloors.co.uk/media/1503_Door_Weather_Bar.jpg

 

[jaydh]

if the outside bar is attached to the door from the inside, wont it leave the sharp screw coming out the front of the door?

From the link you sent, our door matches up best to the hardwood, although i think our door is a slightly more reddy-brown. So would be buy a hardwood weatherbar, and then seal the whole lot togather after to try to match the two up a bit better?

 

[jaydh]

I assume this is what I should buy?

Also, it is probably worth mentioning that the door bounces when opening it from the inside - I've just read up on this, and the boucing suggests it is hinge bound. Do you think this is causing the problem instead of the weatherbar/sealant issue?

 

[JohnD]

I infer you mean you have a stained hardwood door, and I guess it will be panelled.

You can use wood dyes such as Ronson's to colour the bar to be a near match to the timber of your door, before you apply the protective stain. Stains are usually tinted, so will make it darker, and probably redder or browner. Staining the door and the bar before you put them together will ensure that hidden parts are protected. Letting it harden will prevent them sticking so much. It is easier to sand and repaint a door in future if you take all the hardware and bars off.

The reason for buying brass screws about 60mm long:
the door will be 44mm thick. This will allow 16mm to stick through the outside of the door. Position these so they go into the bar at a point where it is thicker, and the points will not come through. The bar is roughly triangular in section, and about 50mm at its thickest. the screws should be in the top half of the bar. If you use 50mm screws they will only penetrate by 6mm which is not really enough, unless you countersink the heads deeply inside the house. With brass screws you can nip the points off to shorten them if necessary, but it is essential to drill a pilot hole in the bar first, as brass screws are weak and break easily. Only use one row of screws along the bar, if you use two rows, or stagger them, it will crack in dry weather.

edited:
if the door is not well hung, you may do better to find a skilled local joiner, who will do a better job, quicker, than an amateur. Hardwood doors are heavy, but a semi-retired man can do this sort of job easily enough as he will have special folding wedges to hold it up. Skill and care are important in getting a perfect fit to a door. I am not a professional and find it quite hard (my front door weighs 41 kg plus the glass and hardware) so I plan to ask my local joiner to re-hang it on lift-off hinges one day.


BTW most hardwood weatherbars will be in a sort of "mahogany" substitute, a reddish wood.

 

[jaydh]

Thanks for all your advice. I think finding a joiner would be the best way to deal with it, but knowing what the problems are is very helpful