Movement? Door binds at the top months after being planed

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Hi chaps.

We moved in our house 12 months ago. One of the first things that annoyed me was our bedroom door (solid fire door) was sticking at the top. As part of decorating the room, I took the door off and planed off 2 to 3 mm. The door then closed perfectly, until about 6 weeks ago. It has now starting sticking at the top again. I've checked the frame and nothing seems to be loose. Could this be a seasonal thing of when there is more moisture in the air the door is swelling a little? There is no bare wood, it is all painted. Resisting just taking is back off and shaving off another few more mm.

Cheers.
 
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how old is building ??
has it had a new roof fitted??
sometimes you can get a new heavier roof fitted without additional support for the extra weight
the extra load can find its way to the central wall often with a door each side deforming the frame slightly
 
What's above?

do you store boxes in the loft?

Has it had a loft conversion?

Is it a three-storey house?

show us some photos showing the roof timbering.
 
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Hi.

It is 3 story house where the third floor uses the loft space. It was built like this by permission. I cannot really take pictures of the roof timbers as they are not accessible without knocking a whole in the wall... (dont think the mrs would approve). The third story rooms are not directly over the troublesome door. They are more over bedroom 2 and 4 from floor plan. We use the third story left bedroom as an office. So normal home office furniture. We do have a few storage boxes in their too which we have not unpacked nothing super heavy. This was a problem when we moved in and i planed it the first time and the people who had it before hardly had anything in what is our office. So I think think it is something we have causes. Happy to be corrected.

6roof.jpg
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if, as seems likely, the walls of the ensuite are flimsy partition walls, then I'd suspect they are either sinking (e.g. due to damage to the floor, such as a leak softening the chipboard) or are being pressed down from above (e.g. by bad roof construction, or heavy loads on weak timbers). Door-linings for fire doors are pretty substantial and would take more load than should be present.

If you try a spirit-level on the floor and the ceiling, you may get more of a clue.

Also try the door frame, and lightly pencil straight horizontal lines near the ceiling and the floor to help you see any future movement.

And the ceiling of the room below, especially if any wall or staircase support has been changed.

If you can photograph the storage area above, and try your spirit level up there, it may reveal something. The roof timbers are very frail in areas that were not designed and built as habitable rooms.

My guess is that it's not the door where the fault lies.
 
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Walls dont tend to drop evenly over openings. And loft load does not affect walls. If the wall is moving then it will have cracked somewhere, likewise for the ceiling.

If the gap has closed evenly across the whole or partial width of the door, then the top rail of the door has expanded.

Being a new occupier, with different heating and usage patterns, means that previous stable timber can experience some moisture movement.
 
do you think humidity from, say, frequent steamy showers and an ineffective extractor fan could make a fire door (presumably chipboard core) swell by 2-3mm on the top?
 
All the fixing are tight, there are no cracks in any of the walls around the door. The floor feels solid in the en-suite and around the door. I've have took a picture the door and as you can see, it is only just catching on the left hand side.
 
Pic
 

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just to check, it is the top edge of the door that's rubbing, towards the lock side? not the lock side of the door?

are both walls flat and vertical?

can you take a pic focussed on the top hinge, with the door shut

It looks to me like the door lining is dropping on the lock side. I think it's going trapezoid because the sides look vertical.

I don't think it can be the door. I can understand that happening if the en-suite partition wall was dropping. Is there any cracking of paint in the corners of the architrave?
 
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just to check, it is the top edge of the door that's rubbing, towards the lock side? not the lock side of the door?

are both walls flat and vertical?

can you take a pic focussed on the top hinge, with the door shut

It looks to me like the door lining is dropping on the lock side. I think it's going trapezoid because the sides look vertical.

I don't think it can be the door. I can understand that happening if the en-suite partition wall was dropping. Is there any cracking of paint in the corners of the architrave?


Yes, as you look at the door, it is the left (lock) and side and towards that is rubbing.

I have put my level on the en suite wall which is level. Both side of the door frame is level. The bits that are out is the top of the door frame, that slopes towards the en suite where is catches the door. The right hand wall is also out, but that is an internal supporting wall covered with dot and dab board. So that could be the board being out.

There are no cracks on the plaster or the door frame/architrave.

I will upload the pics I took of the level.
 

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