Have a big wood door that has panels on the front that appear to shrink in winter exposing inner layer of door which isn't weather proofed. Not sure how to fix it. Pics hopefully will help explain.
Heavy Wood door repair (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter MEMCruiser
- Start date
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You can see the biscuit joinery they used to make the door. Usually this is a pretty good method of keeping wood together. It looks like the expanding and contracting forces caused the glue to fail.
I don't think there is an easy way to fix this outside of completely disassembling and re-gluing it back together.
I don't think there is an easy way to fix this outside of completely disassembling and re-gluing it back together.
- Thread starter
- #3
What about pre-tinted wood filler in gaps? I'm not disassembling door
The door looks to be made of pine - which is going to have a lot of movement and is completely unsuited for an exterior door - as you’ve found out. It really should be made of a tight grain hardwood to limit movement, but any wood is going to expand and contract to some extent with seasonal humidity changes - swelling in humid conditions and shrinking in dry conditions. Anything you stick in the joints - filler, caulk, etc - is going to pop out when it expands and the gaps close up.
I need to know a little more about the door's construction.
Post a pic of the edges and the inside face.
I can see the biscuits, which is weird because usually a door like this would use T&G which allows for some movement without compromising the integrity or weather tightness of the door.
How thick is the door?
Is it constructed with these planks on both sides and something in the middle? Plywood? Styrofoam?
Is there a solid stile and rail at the edges?
With those gaps opened up the way they are the door must be at least 1/2" wider that it was built. Is it hitting the frame?
How old is the door?
A quick fix might be to remove the door from the frame and re-glue all the open joints and clamp until dry.
Use an outdoor rated wood glue and pry open small gaps to allow for better distribution of the glue.
Use a table or saw horses that are level and flat so you don't warp the door.
The door should be painted on all edges, including top and bottom, to keep moisture out of the door.
Post a pic of the edges and the inside face.
I can see the biscuits, which is weird because usually a door like this would use T&G which allows for some movement without compromising the integrity or weather tightness of the door.
How thick is the door?
Is it constructed with these planks on both sides and something in the middle? Plywood? Styrofoam?
Is there a solid stile and rail at the edges?
With those gaps opened up the way they are the door must be at least 1/2" wider that it was built. Is it hitting the frame?
How old is the door?
A quick fix might be to remove the door from the frame and re-glue all the open joints and clamp until dry.
Use an outdoor rated wood glue and pry open small gaps to allow for better distribution of the glue.
Use a table or saw horses that are level and flat so you don't warp the door.
The door should be painted on all edges, including top and bottom, to keep moisture out of the door.
- Thread starter
- #7
Here are some more pics. Not sure what pipe clamps are. Googling now.
adding filler will just cause problems in the summer when the wood expands again. this appears to be 3 layers of wood; Strips on the inside/outside and a solid sheet in the middle. Biscuits may not have been the best method for making the inner and outer panels. Normally, this would be done with tongue/groove joints and the outer faces would be stained or painted so gaps are not noticeable as the door shrinks and expands.
You could paint it, but with as cold as it is right now, that might be a problem itself.
In the old days, this would be done by laminating 3 or more layers of tongue/groove boards. As the pieces shrink/expand the joints are always closed and it makes an effective door. I'm not sure what your center core is, but probably plywood. You might consider getting a new door or making it yourself. This style of door really isn't difficult to make with some basic tools if you can find the lumber for it.
You could paint it, but with as cold as it is right now, that might be a problem itself.
In the old days, this would be done by laminating 3 or more layers of tongue/groove boards. As the pieces shrink/expand the joints are always closed and it makes an effective door. I'm not sure what your center core is, but probably plywood. You might consider getting a new door or making it yourself. This style of door really isn't difficult to make with some basic tools if you can find the lumber for it.
