Door swelling and sticking

[Matt42]

Hi,

The door on our new shed/garden room is becoming impossible to open this year. Last year was okish but I guess we have had a lot of rain. I'm going to pull the handle off soon! It seems to be sticking around the handle area so I'm thinking about filing the inside of the door down a bit so it closes at least a bit more easily. I appreciate things will dry out and shrink and I may have a new problem in the summer i.e. a gap but replacing a door is cheaper than replacing a frame? Any advice before I get a file out?

Matt

 

[JohnD]

It looks to me like rain is getting to the door. Is there an overhang or gutter above? Stand back and take a wider pic.

It also looks like any initial stain or varnish has weathered away.

Please take a photo of the top edge of the door. It gets most rain on it but is often neglected (door bottoms are neglected even more, and suffer from damp and rot)

BTW you would use a plane, not a file.

It might be possible to improve the fit by shaving out the hinge recesses. Please show them.

Have you got some chalk?

 

[Matt42]

More pictures. Actually I think it's sticking more at the bottom first. I have taken a picture where the door stops as you push it in as well. The door is a howdens basic door I think. It has weathered in a year but looks more in keeping with the cedar panelling.

 

[JohnD]

The chalk is to put on the edges of the door, it will rub off at the points of contact.

Quite a nice door.

I see the cladding and the door go right down to ground level, so they will always be damp from rain splash, and this will acceleratre rot. Is there any way to scrape it back from the bottom of the wall?

A canopy over the door would add protection.

Is the finish a woodstain?

I can see the makers label on the top edge of the door, which suggests it has not been treated.

 

[Matt42]

Cant say I noticed the label! The entire shed has cladding around it that almost goes to the ground. There's a bit of a gap. My builder for something else (not this garden room/shed) said that there would be inevitable splash back from rain bouncing up. The cedar panels aren't treated as they are meant to grey in time although the garden fence cedar panels have greyed already ahead of the shed panels for some reason (different story I guess). Let me try the chalk trick next, thanks. Edit. The way the garden is, the face of the shed points towards the south facing alley so does take a hit of wind/rain this time of year

 

[JohnD]

You may have seen brass or stainless "kick plates" on the bottom of doors.

I have put one on my shed door, and the bottom of the end wall facing the weather, to throw off rainsplash. I ordered them from a stainless supplier, who cut them to size and made the screw holes.

Might be worth a thought.

 

[mrrusty]

The way to do this is to remove the door and hinges, and take say 2mm off the hinge side of the door with a power planer. The hinge pockets then need to be made 2mm deeper and the door refitted. It's a quick job with the right tools, so perhaps find a local handyman. You can't easily adjust the lock side because the handle and handle hole mean you can't easily/neatly trim that side. 2mm should be enough to give winter clearance and not be too much for summer when it shrinks back a bit.

Obviously fitted in warm high summer and fitted a bit tight, and now in damp winter it has swelled a bit.

You shouldn't have to replace anything - it just needs a touch of fettling.

 

[Matt42]

Sticking more at the bottom, did the chalk trick as John said. I reckon if I could shave a few mm's off the bottom of the door more on the inside and in the middle then that should help. With this thought, I remembered a guy came round our house after we had carpets fitted with a tool that he ran along a few inside doors to shave a bit off rather than taking the doors off etc. He only charged me 20 quid from memory. I might see if I can find him unless any of you know this 'special' tool? If I take the door to plane it I reckon I'm going to get in a 'situation' especially in the rain lol

 

[JohnD]

External doors need to have the bottom and the top thoroughly painted after trimming.

These edges are especially important due to rain penetration

But usually neglected due to effort.

 

[Matt42]

Thanks. Quite willing to short cut at the moment. If push comes to shove then I can find a new door in the summer. The door isn't treated anyway

 

[^woody^]

That door does not look like it's got any sort of coating at all!

 

[Matt42]

No it doesn't as someone pointed out previous. We were leaving it to fade to match the rest of the shed and just left it out as you do. Hence why it isn't precious! Just a bog standard howdens door I think. Any thoughts on the tool I need? Starting to think there may be a drill to do this rather than a specialised tool

 

[^woody^]

If it's the bottom of the door, you could try the old rough sandpaper on the cill trick and opening and closing the door a few times. Then wax the area that's binding.

The tool the carpet fitter may have used might be a biscuit cutter. Very rough if so.

 

[Matt42]

That is a good idea. I'll try the sandpaper first. I dont think much needs to come off to start making a difference and if the door isn't treated then what odds right? Thanks

 

[Matt42]

Well sandpaper didn't do much so I bought a 10 quid stanley planer which has got rid of the sticking points all around except the bottom of the door where there's no room to plane. Reluctant to take the door off yet to plane. Clearly, can see the middle part of the door is lower as there's wetness there in the mornings. Not sure where the wet is coming from though as there's no wet around the door or on the step in the front of the door. Could it just be condensation forming over night?