I have a wooden front door which seems to have warped, possibly more so in the current weather. Facing the door from the outside, the lock is on the right-hand side and gap can be seen in the top right corner - not enough to see into the hall but a noticeable gap nonetheless. There is also a lesser gap at the bottom of the door. Both the bottom and top of the door on the reverse side (i.e. internally) are not flush with the frame. I have to push the door from the inside for it to latch and pull from the outside. As a result, there are signs of cracking on the caulking where the frame meets the walls. There appears to be some strain on the door lock too when the door is shut. I have tightened some loose screws on the hinges in case it has dropped. The hinges seem to have had cardboard placed between them and the door frame, not sure what that is an indication of. Can anyone judge from what I have written whether the door is likely to be warped and that I need to replace the door, as I have no experience of this though have done a few searches in the forums which leads me to believe it is warped and will need to be replaced. Thanks in advance.
Warped front door
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Thank you very much, gregers. Not heard of that before. I've had a look at some other threads and you might be right. It does sort of spring back when I shut it softly with the latch withdrawn.
I've also just looked at the door after googling hinge bound and the gap between the door and frame on the hinge side isn't consistent. The space between the bottom of the top hinge and top of the middle hinge is a lot tighter than the space from the top hinge to the top of the door. Same case for the bottom hinge. The top bit has a larger space than the bottom, which kind of is the same pattern as the gaps that can be seen from outside. Do you think if I pack the middle hinge that might sort it? Would the fact that there is packing their from the previous homeowner also point to it being hinge bound?
EDIT: I've packed all the hinges, trying the middle hinge first, a bit more but it doesn't seem to have had a great deal of impact.
I've also just looked at the door after googling hinge bound and the gap between the door and frame on the hinge side isn't consistent. The space between the bottom of the top hinge and top of the middle hinge is a lot tighter than the space from the top hinge to the top of the door. Same case for the bottom hinge. The top bit has a larger space than the bottom, which kind of is the same pattern as the gaps that can be seen from outside. Do you think if I pack the middle hinge that might sort it? Would the fact that there is packing their from the previous homeowner also point to it being hinge bound?
EDIT: I've packed all the hinges, trying the middle hinge first, a bit more but it doesn't seem to have had a great deal of impact.
NOW YOU AINT HEARD THIS FROM ME ok. 
there is a way of stretching the hinges,site agents/foremans do not like you doing this,coz it might damage the hinge blades????
when you suspect a hinge is not true or the same gaps as the others then get hold of a screw with a large head and gently shut the door on it using GENTLE force,this might sort your problem out.
do this at your own risk
there is a way of stretching the hinges,site agents/foremans do not like you doing this,coz it might damage the hinge blades????
when you suspect a hinge is not true or the same gaps as the others then get hold of a screw with a large head and gently shut the door on it using GENTLE force,this might sort your problem out.
do this at your own risk
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I think the hinge work isn't great but I'm pretty sure the door is warped. The missus has wanted it replaced for a while to double glazing so I think I might just have to bite the bullet. Thanks for the advice - I've learnt a few more new things as a result of this site.
ugh - a plastic door?
much more expensive and nowhere near as secure. And looks horrible. For lerss than half the money you could get a skilled joiner to fit a lovely hardwood frame and door with BS deadlock and BS nightlatch.
much more expensive and nowhere near as secure. And looks horrible. For lerss than half the money you could get a skilled joiner to fit a lovely hardwood frame and door with BS deadlock and BS nightlatch.
I have a very nice Hardwood front door, it is in an open porch so partly protected from the weather, and lasts very well with a breathable stain. I last did it over 10 years ago and it is getting a bit dull but is still OK. I fitted it over 20 years ago
I have two more exposed to the weather at the back of the house, and they need restaining every 5 years (or 3 is better). They would probably have lasted better with a microporous paint system rather than stain, or maybe linseed oil
None of then warp, but they do swell a bit depending on the season. AFAIK it is the dense, straight grain that stops them warping like cheap softwood joinery. They are very heavy.
I have two more exposed to the weather at the back of the house, and they need restaining every 5 years (or 3 is better). They would probably have lasted better with a microporous paint system rather than stain, or maybe linseed oil
None of then warp, but they do swell a bit depending on the season. AFAIK it is the dense, straight grain that stops them warping like cheap softwood joinery. They are very heavy.
As an update on this, a new hardwood door was fitted during the summer. I was happy with the fitting and quality of the door. However, I now find that the new door is starting to suffer from the same warping problem as the previous one.
Both corners on the locks side have 'peeled' internally and once again I think the cold weather is having a noticeable impact. The hall has a radiator in it which is the main temp control for the rest of the central heating.
Draught proofing has recently been fitted on the external frame to help with the draught and there is an interior bolt at the bottom of the door which I lock as much as possible to force the bottom of the door back a bit.
The door was painted with 3 parts Dulux Weathershield. The front door is northwest-facing but slightly shaded by a tiled roof, so it is the bottom of the door that can get noticeably hot during the morning when it is sunny.
Can anyone suggest what has caused the problem again - is it just the extremes of cold and hot air on either side of the door?
And is there much more I can do to stop or reduce the warping?
Both corners on the locks side have 'peeled' internally and once again I think the cold weather is having a noticeable impact. The hall has a radiator in it which is the main temp control for the rest of the central heating.
Draught proofing has recently been fitted on the external frame to help with the draught and there is an interior bolt at the bottom of the door which I lock as much as possible to force the bottom of the door back a bit.
The door was painted with 3 parts Dulux Weathershield. The front door is northwest-facing but slightly shaded by a tiled roof, so it is the bottom of the door that can get noticeably hot during the morning when it is sunny.
Can anyone suggest what has caused the problem again - is it just the extremes of cold and hot air on either side of the door?
And is there much more I can do to stop or reduce the warping?
Hi John. Washing is hung out to dry on concertina things, but in upstairs rooms that tend to be vented. Cooking can obviously create humidity but I wouldn't say excessive. I have noticed that sometimes there is some condesation that rests on the bolt at the bottom but again it is not excessive.
I can't think. can you post some pics to show us? including the outside and any features that may affect the way weather gets to it, e. g porch, roof etc, and if there is a leaky gutter o rt anything overhead.
does the adjacent wall, floor or ground seem damp? do you know what the door was made of (some are engineered or laminated)
does the adjacent wall, floor or ground seem damp? do you know what the door was made of (some are engineered or laminated)
Not sure as it was fitted by a builder. There was a slight bow at the bottom of the door but nothing substantial and it was only after the door was fitted that it was picked up on. The new draught excluder (P Strip) was removed as that was making it worse. It's definitely got a lot worse during the cold weather, which is what happened before on the old wooden door which I am guessing was 15 years old.
The new door is this one. http://www.howdens.com/product-rang...n/external-doors/hardwood-doors/richmond-m-t/
The door on the lock side, which is the problem area, doesn't go into a wall it goes into an adjacent glazed frame which is dead straight.
There is an overflow pipe above the porch roof that vents the heating which drips condensation but the slight pool is at least 0.5m away from the door and there is no splashback.
Will try and get some photos later.
Thanks all.
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