Heat and High Humidity can cause Sticking and
Swollen Wooden Doors
By: Mark J. Donovan
Wooden doors have the propensity to
swell and contract depending upon temperature and humidity levels. As a result,
you are more likely to experience sticking and swollen wooden doors during hot
and humid summer months, and loose fitting doors during dry and cold winter
months.
Fixing Swollen
Wooden Doors
To fix a swollen wooden door first
tighten up all the screws associated with the door hardware including the door
hinges and strike plate.
Sometimes they can work loose and
cause the door to lean into the far side door jamb.
If tightening the door hardware does not resolve your problems, then slowly
close the door and see where it is sticking up against the far door jamb. Use a
pencil to mark the areas on the swollen door.
Then use coarse sandpaper to sand the
edges of the swollen wooden door where you marked with a pencil. Make sure to
sand the door edge evenly across its entire face in the areas that you marked.
If you are unable to sand the swollen wooden door easily while it is still on
its hinges, remove the hinge pins so that you can remove the door from the
doorframe. Then turn the door on its side and sand as required.
Remount the wooden door on the doorframe and check to see that the door is no
longer sticking. Once you have fixed the swollen wooden door, lightly sand the
door edge with fine sandpaper and then touch it up with a little stain or paint.
Preventing Swollen
Wood Doors
To prevent swollen wooden doors from occurring, use a dehumidifier during summer
months to reduce the humidity in the home. Using a dehumidifier, however, will
prevent you from keeping the exterior doors and windows open. Normally it is the
heat and humidity associated with the hot and humid summer air that is causing
your swollen wooden doors.
If it is your basement doors that are swollen and sticking, then it may not be the hot summer weather
that is causing your doors to swell. Basements are notorious for having high humidity
levels due to underground moisture percolating up through the basement floor.
If it is your basement doors that are swollen then installing a dehumidifier in
the basement should eliminate the problem.
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