Repainting new front door - any tips?

[Bathman]

I had a new wooden door fitted in November last year to replace the PVC door that was fitted before I moved in. Since then I've been having a few problems with it, the main one being the paintwork splitting all along the trim joins, which has been getting worse as its gotten hotter. You can also see in one of the pictures below that the actual joints between staves is starting to split.

I've got a couple of questions:
1. Is this sort of deterioration expected with wood movement or has their been an issue with manufacturing the door?
2. I am going to get the whole door repainted as it looks a mess (along with a few other areas bodged up) - is it a simple case of sanding down all the split paint and repainting, or should I caulk the joints before painting.

Appreciate any advice.

 

[CliffordPope]

It looks as if the wood has shrunk. The door must have been damper where it was stored and has now dried out in the open air.
I think all you can do is wait until it has stabilised and then repaint. If it is softwood timber than it will always be prone to this in different weather conditions.

 

[plasticpigeon]

Those panels are a loose(ish) fit in the framing of the door so that they can expand and contract with the chaninging humidity. If they were in glued or fixed hard in some way, they would crack as they changed shape with the weather so they are like that by design. However the side effect is that you get some shrinkage at the edges. If the door is new, it may have been machined before it had reached ambient humidity as it is easier to machine wood before it totally dries out. Just sand the most uneven bits and repaint it. I'm sure it will settle down and stop moving in time, but the panels will always contract and expand a bit.

 

[Flyfisher]

Agreed. Our old, black-painted front door has split panels for exactly the reasons PP describes. Years of paint has stuck the edges of the panels so they cannot move within the frame of the door and being painted black means that it experiences quite a range of temperatures and something has to give somewhere - in our case, a split panel

I've heard that Accoya (acetylated wood) is very dimensionally stable and am considering it for a new door. Has anyone got any experience of Accoya?

 

[88v8]

So the top rail runs right across? The stiles stop short? That's a bizarre way to make a door.

I'd have gone with an old door, there are thousands in salvage yards and on eBay.
That said, there will always be some movement, particularly if it's south facing. The sun is a great destroyer. But not as much movement as you have.
What was it painted with?

I've seen doors protected in the summer by curtains like this
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Hot-sale-Custom-High-grade-Hanging-Bead-door-curtain-wooden-bead-door-screen-Feng-Shui-bead/1947032870.html?spm=2114.40010308.4.8.K3EH3X
I recall a lovely stained & grained door in Southgate N London, protected in that way.

Ivor