Is it possible to straighten a warped door?

[Ushy M]

Mr M is spitting blood this morning. He has carefully made a ledge and brace pine door to go at the foot of the stairs up to the loft rooms to tackle the problem of the draughts we get howling through the house. It has now warped from the top opening corner (possibly a sign that there really is a powerful draught there!). The timber came from B&*, and yes we know it's nasty kiln-dried stuff but our only other local timber merchants is run by the Jesus Army (yes, really) who are even more random to deal with....

If he removes the door while it still has some reasonable moisture content in it and tries to weight it down, does anyone think this might "normalise" it while it adapts to the house's conditions? Or any other sensible suggestions? Or shall we just go and join the Jesus Army, forget all about doors and bask in the joy of our Saviour's love?

Bless you all.

(or shall I just tell him to go and get someone else to make one?)

 

[MdB]

If it cheers you up, my oak + rose head nail door has warped too. Fortunately it isn't really noticeable and "adds character"... Still annoyed about it though.

 

[Penners]

"Nasty" kiln-dried stuff?? Why nasty? It's possible that the warping is due to the kilning not being properly carried out, but it could also be due to the way the boards were cut. I really don't think you can blame Mr M.

I've had some success with rectifying warped ledge-and-brace doors in situ, but it does require patience. And it's really only practicable on doors that aren't used very often. The technique I have used is to apply opposite warp for some time, until the door shrugs its shoulders and says "Oh, all right then".

I wedge in the proud corner by whatever means available at that point. It's often possible to find a wall or something a few feet away and then wedge a length of timber from there against the sticky-outy corner (I'm not getting too technical for you, am I?). I also shove some sort of obstruction between the door frame and the opposite corner, so that it's pushed out from the frame as much as is reasonably possible when the door is latched. So, as I said above, you now have a door which you are effectively warping the opposite way to its own wishes.

Leave the door like this for as long as possible, checking it occasionally for progress. I've found that it's best to overstraighten it a bit, because once you've removed the kit it will tend to spring back slowly a bit, at first. It's all a bit trial-and-error I'm afraid.

If it has to opened from time-to-time, then you have to remove the anti-warping kit and replace it afterwards - hence my comment above about seldom used doors.

If it's a regularly used door, then you'll have to take it off its hinges and carry out a similar anti-warping procedure.

 

[Ushy M]

Thanks Penners - M has gone off for an "investigamalate" as he puts it. We'll review the sticky-outy bit situation in a week or so. Actually I'd better go and make sure he ends up on the right side of the door, or I'll have to post him very thin sandwiches through the gap.....

 

[chippy]

when making a door or anything else with a number of boards fastened together you should alternate the end grain of each board this helps to stop the door cupping, if you havn't done that take it apart and try again.

 

[Penners]

Thanks Penners - M has gone off for an "investigamalate" as he puts it. We'll review the sticky-outy bit situation in a week or so. Actually I'd better go and make sure he ends up on the right side of the door, or I'll have to post him very thin sandwiches through the gap.....

I recommend cucumber - with the crusts cut off.

 

[Andrew Bodenham]

Unfortunately there isn't really any way to 'unwarp' timber. It's not necessarily a function of moisture content either (thought this may well be a contributing factor). When pieces of seemingly stable wood are cut or even just planed then twist, warp, or cuppage can occur as the forces acting within the wood are changed. This can be especially problematic with wood which has been subject to rapid kilning.

My only suggestion is to wait and see how your door develops over a few months, see if you can pass any wonkiness off as 'character' , and failing that view it as a practice piece before condemming it to the firewood basket. Then get some decent wood, allow it to lie around in the house for a few weeks/months to acclimatise and have another go at making your door.

 

[Cloudscape]

Do B&* sell kiln-dried wood? I haven't bought wood there for years, so things may have changed. In my experience, their wood was always very green (even to the extent of condensation forming inside the plastic when the timber was poly-wrapped). Could the stops be remade, and given the same characterful curve as the door? To be honest, even if it was pointless, I wouldn't be able to resist have a bash at straightening the door a bit. I've had some success with the door of a Georgian cupboard. The heat from an open fire had caused the door to curve open (quite a bit). I laid the cupboard down and left weights on it for a few weeks and it seemed to (mostly) correct the curve. I totally admit I have never tried this with a full-size door.

 

[Penners]

Do B&* sell kiln-dried wood?

Most softwood sold for any kind of carpentry or joinery purposes is kiln-dried. A little is still air-dried but today's market pressures don't really make this commercially viable.

The moisture content of new-felled softwood can be around the 30% mark, making it only really suitable for fencing, etc. without being dried.

For general joinery use, softwood is usually kilned to about 15 - 18%, while for cabinet-making, 10-12% is usually specified (these are UK firgures). This figure minimises ingress and egress of moisture in the timber, inside a typical modern home.

I doubt whether your B&Q timber was dried to 10-12%, so its mositure content may have been a contributory factor to its warping inside your house. But, as Andrew has already been mentioned above, the quality of kilning can also contribute to the stability of the timber, as can the way that the boards are cut and their original position in the log.

I have had some success with the anti-warping procedure that I mentioned above.

 

[philmac1944]

Ushy
One other solution if all others do not work.
If the warp is not too marked, move the door stops to fit the `warp` on the door.
All the doors in my old house are like this and nobody really notices.
regards
Phil

 

[Schoolmarm]

Sliding bolts top and bottom.

 

[chuckey]

If the door is "raw", put a damp cloth on the inside of the bend and try to keep it damp and in position for say a week. It'll expand the cells on the inside of the bend and in so doing, will crush the cells in the outside of the bend, causing them to become shorter and hence the door will tend to straighten up. I have used this and it works on wooden shelves. To try and bend wood requires either a lot of stress or a lot of time (or steaming).
Frank

 

[Ushy M]

Thanks to all for your helpful suggestions - we're trying a combination of Penners' bracing technique and Frank's damp cloth and will review the situation in a week.

 

[Penners]

Best refer to it as an "anti-warping technique".

"Penners' bracing technique" carries implications of excessive alcohol consumption.

 

[FamilyWiggs]

:lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[Moo]

"Penners' bracing technique" carries implications of excessive alcohol consumption.

What nonsense. With your name attached, it implies brisk walks along a windy prom.

 

[Ushy M]

Though if this doesn't work, a couple of stiff bracers will be just what's needed!

 

[FamilyWiggs]

There's a naughty voice in my head that keeps hearing Penners say "Brace yourself dear, here I come"...

 

[skier-hughes]

Can you straighten a warped FamilyWiggs? Is the real question one should be asking!!

 

[Feltwell]

Don't worry FamilyWiggs, that was my thought as well.

The old joke about the definition of Austrailian foreplay - "Brace yourself Sheila" - sprang to mind!