Rot/water damage to bottom of door - what to do?

PopeSock

I rent a house and I've noticed the bottom of the front door corner outside has damage - possibly rot. I'm going to tell the landlord/agency at some point, but should I be worried about it from a security standpoint - I have bolts on the top and bottom. Is there any urgency to getting it fixed? Also, is there anything I can apply to the door - varnish etc - without changing the colour - to stop any further damage?

maninthestreet

The door needs a weather board along the bottom edge to prevent damage like that.

AlexMac

I wouldn't worry about it. I'm no carpenter, but I thank if you've got bolts and deadlock(s) in the middle and upper part of the door and that area of timber is sound, the door will be as secure as any old timber door can be without edge bolts and rim reinforcement to prevent it being kicked in -

and if someone's that determined, they'll smash a window, which is unlikely.

It looks like the deterioration has been caused by a combination of old age, a bit of historic water damage/ wet rot, and maybe somone bodging a repair when trimming a bit off with a saw or plane to stop it sticking at the bottom. Short of a new door, a repair would involve a patch repair with a new bit of timber or filling with wood-filler, maybe adding a projecting weatherbord drippy thingy at the bottom, prepping and redecorating...

Which ain't going to happen! Even if you wiped it with white spirit and painted a bit of clear varnish on it I suspect you'd be wasting your time and a few quid! I'd live with it. No one looks at the bottom of a door

Norman_Castle

That looks like damage from catching on the floor or the step when opening, is it tight or touching at the bottom?. Try prodding the wood with a screwdriver. If its soft its rotten.