Wooden door absorbing moisture, what can I do?
My front door absorbed a lot of moisture and swelled up, now it won't close properly. Can I salvage it or do I need to replace it? Is there any practical solution that actually works?
2 answers
★ Best answer
I've been through this at home and it's annoying for sure. If the swelling isn't too bad, you can recover it: take the door off the hinges, let it dry in a ventilated spot for a few days (away from direct sun, which warps it), and then sand down the edges that are rubbing against the frame. If it gets really bad, then you just have to replace it, because wood that's too swollen doesn't go back to 100%. In the meantime, if the door closes but with difficulty, lubricate the frame with silicone and put a dehumidifier or even a container with coarse salt nearby to control the humidity in the room. Prevention is easier than a cure - install a sill or take care of your window seals.
The problem is that drying the door off its hinges won't always fix it if it's already swollen - the wood's fibres stay expanded and it won't go back to its original size just from drying. What I'd do is first try to deal with the moisture at the source: check if there's water seeping in, condensation, or if the door's getting a lot of rain exposure; sometimes the swelling happens because the place is just humid and the door will swell again anyway. If the swelling is moderate, you can plane down the areas rubbing against the frame, but if it was really bad and the wood got seriously bulky, honestly it's faster just to replace it - a new door is cheap compared to the frustration of messing with it for months on end.
Your answer
Log into answer.