Straightening a warped door

ed110220

Does anyone know the best way to straighten a warped door?

I found an original (to the house) 1940s 4-panel door that had been left outside for a long time leaning against a wall. It's exactly the same as ours and we were missing one so I took it for restoration.

Anyway, it has restored really nicely but even though I dried it flat for a long time it's still slightly warped. It's curved about 5-10 mm top to bottom and so doesn't close properly.

I was thinking of screwing some spare 63 x 38 mm CLS timber to the back to straighten it, unless there is a better way?

Furts

Are you able to tap your door stops so they allign with the bowed door?

On houses built in the last forty years, or so, the stops are typically pinned in place with 30-40mm oval nails.

If you cannot tap across the stops you could take them off, re-allign, or even plane them down.

Hope this helps.

ed110220

Furts wrote: »

Are you able to tap your door stops so they allign with the bowed door?

On houses built in the last forty years, or so, the stops are typically pinned in place with 30-40mm oval nails.

If you cannot tap across the stops you could take them off, re-allign, or even plane them down.

Hope this helps.

Hi, I'm not sure I understand you. Do you mean make the door stop curved as well to match the door?

The door was placde upright against a wall outside, so it's slightly curved from top to bottom. Because of the curve, the door hits the door stop about half way up, even though there is room at the top and bottom.

Ed

Furts

With my door stops they can be curved - you tap them to suit the door. Use a block of timber against the stop and tap the block along the stop until you have achieved the required shape. Perhaps plus or minus 3-4mm, at a guess.

A stop is machined and planed straight but it can be bent to suit a door. If not, just plane or trim your stop to the shape of the door.

Biggles

I have a similar problem, though the door is fairly new, having been fitted just under two years ago.

The builder explained that it was to do with the moisture outside and the different temperatures inside and outside the house. He seemed unmoved by my suggestion that exterior doors were supposed to be designed to be cold outside and warm inside.

I have mortice bolts top and bottom, so I'm presently packing the centre of the door to push that away from the stop and forcing the mortice bolts home, in the hope that this will correct the curve; I think it has slightly improved but don't hold out great hopes...

Furts

Biggles wrote: »

I have a similar problem, though the door is fairly new, having been fitted just under two years ago.

The builder explained that it was to do with the moisture outside and the different temperatures inside and outside the house. He seemed unmoved by my suggestion that exterior doors were supposed to be designed to be cold outside and warm inside.

I have mortice bolts top and bottom, so I'm presently packing the centre of the door to push that away from the stop and forcing the mortice bolts home, in the hope that this will correct the curve; I think it has slightly improved but don't hold out great hopes...

Your builder should have inspected the following. Are the top edge, bottom edge, letterbox opening, hinge cut outs etc. all thoroughly sealed and decorated?

Is the finish/decoration on both the inside face and outside face appropriate? Are these finishes compatible with each other?

Is moisture getting into the door?

With doors is moisture ingress is an issue. The aim is to prevent this and keep the door stable. But accepting that some moisture will get in there has to be a means of escape. All of this is performed by the door quality, construction, finish and decoration.

If all these have been addressed by your builder, you have truely found a really good builder!

ed110220

Furts wrote: »

With my door stops they can be curved - you tap them to suit the door. Use a block of timber against the stop and tap the block along the stop until you have achieved the required shape. Perhaps plus or minus 3-4mm, at a guess.

A stop is machined and planed straight but it can be bent to suit a door. If not, just plane or trim your stop to the shape of the door.

I'm not sure how mine could move as it's nailed to the door frame, though it could be prized off with a hammer and chisel. Also the doors fit flush with the frame when closed (or it should if it wasn't warped) so curving the stop wouldn't be ideal because it wouldn't be flush.

As it's for a spare room I wouldn't mind fixing battens to the back for a while to try and straighten it - if it doesn't just spring back when removed!

Ed

tony6403

In my experience , trying to straighten bowed wood ( in your case a door )simply by clamping it straight ( same effect by fixing battens ) will not work.
Straightening has needed the wood to be bent in the opposite direction to the existing bow and held in that position for several days.
I am sure that you could , if you want to try this , think of ways to do it . I can suggest possibilities if you like.

ed110220

tony6403 wrote: »

In my experience , trying to straighten bowed wood ( in your case a door )simply by clamping it straight ( same effect by fixing battens ) will not work.
Straightening has needed the wood to be bent in the opposite direction to the existing bow and held in that position for several days.
I am sure that you could , if you want to try this , think of ways to do it . I can suggest possibilities if you like.

Thanks, that is what I feared. I'm thinking of balancing the door like a seesaw with weights on each end to reverse the bow.

Ed