Browse Forums Windows & Doors 1 Feb 18, 2011 11:51 am Hi, I'm after advice on what might be done about the front door on our home. Relatively solid door on appearance, but I'm pretty certain it's the standard panel construction. A not-so-good feature of the design of the house is that the NW-facing front door sits under a cathedral ceiling with an eaved porch less than a metre wide. So it cops the full force of sun and rain, with little protection. As a result, the door (and possibly the frame as well??) expands every time it rains. It can then be somewhere between difficult and impossible to open. (Very much the latter with recent deluges in Melbourne.) The sticking point always seems to be at the bottom corner (opposite side to the hinges). We've just put up with it for ten years, but said deluges have caused a rethink. Apart from the fact that my wife and daughter can't open it at all at the moment, it takes all of my strength with a lot of brute force and violent shaking to get it open. Definitely a safety hazard, were there a fire Is there a solution to this? ... Door and/or frame of different material? ... some kind of cladding somewhere? .. anything?? [Tried to attach a photo, but got message saying board attachment quota reached.] Thanks. Regards, Lance <º))>< NB: A fairly 'challenged' handyman Front door stuck after rain 3Feb 18, 2011 1:26 pm Thanks, kb. Well I could answer that question by pointing to my signature But to follow-up (pardon my appalling ignorance), I'm not sure how to judge the right amount to plane off. How much is it likely to swell after rain? If I plane off enough to stop it sticking when wet, would / could it finish up with too big a gap in other respects when dry? If the above questions have you laughing hysterically, I can promise plenty more laughs ... Regards, Lance <º))>< NB: A fairly 'challenged' handyman Re: Front door stuck after rain 4Feb 18, 2011 2:22 pm Hi eNOch, I'm by no means a handyperson but the first thing I think you need to check is that the door has been sealed properly (ie: painted or lacquered) at the top and the bottom. If not that could be allowing water to creep into the door causing what seems like fairly severe swelling. With regards to planing; I'd err on the side of caution and take a small amount off at a time. You can always take a bit more off but it's impossible to add it back on! Of course if you take too much off the door you can always use a draft excluder to hide the gap (my home has one for the purposes of meeting energy rating requirements) but they are kind of ugly Good luck Re: Front door stuck after rain 5Feb 18, 2011 4:20 pm eN0ch Thanks, kb. Well I could answer that question by pointing to my signature But to follow-up (pardon my appalling ignorance), I'm not sure how to judge the right amount to plane off. How much is it likely to swell after rain? If I plane off enough to stop it sticking when wet, would / could it finish up with too big a gap in other respects when dry? If the above questions have you laughing hysterically, I can promise plenty more laughs ... I didn't mean to come across as rude - sorry if you read it that way. And I wouldn't be laughing, I am queen of stupid questions myself, believe me! As grom40 pointed out easy does it on the planing but is probably all that is required. Also, I wouldn't take the swelling as a sign that your door is hollow - our new timber bi-folds have swollen some and the builder has already planed them back once - just one of the side effects of timber. Just an afterthought - you say it is worst on the bottom opposite the hinges - you might want to check the corner diagonally opposite for a corresponding gap. Perhaps your hinges have sagged and that is contributing? Front door stuck after rain 6Feb 18, 2011 6:53 pm Thanks to you both. And relax, kb. I wasn't at all offended. My response obviously failed as humour Some helpful starting points there. I've got a painter coming in a few weeks to finish a job started last summer. So I think I'll get his opinion, bearing your suggestions in mind. Hopefully I'll remember to post back with a report. Thanks for responding so promptly. Regards, Lance <º))>< NB: A fairly 'challenged' handyman The bottom of the downpipe has been taped (see the black tape) to seal the necessary gap between the downpipe and the adaptor that would normally prevent the downpipe… 3 9197 Hi When it rains in a particular direction water comes through the security door. It hits the main door and the bottom swells and jams. There is already a cover over the… 0 38443 Building Standards; Getting It Right! AS2047 Section 6 Page 31 speaks to Construction/Tolerances of Windows and external glazed doors in buildings Check also New South Wales Guide to Standards and Tolerances,… 12 24762 |