Warped Wooden Garage Door

ThisIsWeird

Snow_Phoenix said:

Thanks. Surprised about you staying to put the slip-bolt horizontal rather than into the ground as thought that would just pull the other door out?

My husband is not going to change the hinges at all as he is too worried about taking it off and not being able to get it back on again, we are very novice DIY's. 

The other door is already slipbolted to the floor, so it cannot move or be pulled out.
I suggested horizontal bolt for the warped door largely because it would be much easier to fit - no holes in concrete, just screwed into timber.
The 'T'- hinges can be painted without removing them :-) they'll look sooo much better! 
Is there a window in the garage? Another option would be to remove it, cut down to the floor, and fit a door instead. Then both main doors can be bolted from the inside. 

Mistral001

It seems to me that problem stems from the basic way the door itself is constructed.  For example has it got horizontal and diagonal boards on the inside as in a traditional ledged and braced door or is it just sheeted on the inside. 

Snow_Phoenix

Having had another look tonight I think I am some way off before can fit a slip-bolt as could not get it to fully shut, there is about a 1-2cm gap no matter how much I push the door. I understand the suggestion about removing a window to put in a door but it would be an unnecessary expense and if I was going to go to those length then I would just pay to replace the garage door itself. 

@Mistral001 it is a ledged and braced door on the inside. 

@ThisIsWeird how would I go about bending it back with the door open. Just thinking if around the house at the weekend even a few hours of doing this may be helpful in the long run?

ThisIsWeird

Snow_Phoenix said:

Having had another look tonight I think I am some way off before can fit a slip-bolt as could not get it to fully shut, there is about a 1-2cm gap no matter how much I push the door. I understand the suggestion about removing a window to put in a door but it would be an unnecessary expense and if I was going to go to those length then I would just pay to replace the garage door itself. 

@Mistral001 it is a ledged and braced door on the inside. 

@ThisIsWeird how would I go about bending it back with the door open. Just thinking if around the house at the weekend even a few hours of doing this may be helpful in the long run?

Sounds like a pretty substantial door, then!

This is what I'd try. You'll need a timber wedge block (or two), and a timber post - anything, a 3x2 or whatevs - a good 2m+ long.

Open the warped door. Place a wedge under it at its outer edge on its outside - the idea is to completely prevent the door from moving any further backwards. Get the length of 3x2 and brace it against the door's central horizontal stile, as close to the door's outer edge as possible, and then use summat to hold the 'ground' end in place.

Check to see how far you can now move - flex - the rest of the door backwards with the bottom still being held - I'd hope at least an inch. Use some method of holding the brace there; for example, if you secure the 3x2 in place using a further length of timber flat on the ground and held against an immoveable object - a wall for example - then you can tap the other wedge between them both, and this will apply a strong force up the 3x2 to push the door back at its middle. You need to be able to see some movement - the door needs to be forced back into an anti-warp shape.

Leave it like that for as long as possible - all day if poss. Repeat the next day. This is not a quick solution - the door needs to be persuaded back into the flat shape it was when made. As soon as you can get the door to press 'flush' when closed, then add that slip-bolt, and that should 'keep' any gain you've made. Repeat whenever you can.

That is based on the bend being - as you reckon - occurring from the door middle to the bottom. If, instead, the warp is across the whole outside edge, from very top to bottom, then the 3x2 brace should be acting against the top stile instead.

Mistral001

Snow_Phoenix said:

Thanks. Surprised about you staying to put the slip-bolt horizontal rather than into the ground as thought that would just pull the other door out?

My husband is not going to change the hinges at all as he is too worried about taking it off and not being able to get it back on again, we are very novice DIY's. 

You seem to be implying that there is no bolt going into the ground at the left hand side door.  I would have thought that such a bolt would be essential for just making the door secure even if the right hand door was not warped.

Snow_Phoenix

Ok @ThisIsWeird I will keep putting a weight against it for now. I am not sure if there is anything that side with the door in place I can use to give it the tension needed from the outside. Would putting a straight piece of wood clamped to the bent area for a period of time help to straighten it out as it is providing the tension needed?

Sorry @Mistral001, it does have a ground bolt on the left hand door, it was just the way I was conceptualising it in my head. But thinking about it more ThisIsWeird is correct it would not therefore pull it out. 

Eldi_Dos

What is humidity like inside the garage.

ThisIsWeird

Snow_Phoenix said:

Ok @ThisIsWeird I will keep putting a weight against it for now. I am not sure if there is anything that side with the door in place I can use to give it the tension needed from the outside. Would putting a straight piece of wood clamped to the bent area for a period of time help to straighten it out as it is providing the tension needed?

Sorry @Mistral001, it does have a ground bolt on the left hand door, it was just the way I was conceptualising it in my head. But thinking about it more ThisIsWeird is correct it would not therefore pull it out. 

I understand the LH door is also bolted at its top - hopefully so?

In which case, the RH door can hopefully be de-warped similar to before; 

1) Fully bolt the LH door closed. 

2) Fully close the RH door too, and note WHERE, exactly, the warp begins. 

3) You now need a small block of wood or similar type of solid spacer - say 2" thick. Wrap it in cloth to protect the surfaces of the door. 

4) Position this block at the height the warp begins - presumably the middle or the top - and partially open the RH door, place the block in the way, and shut the door again - the block will prevent the RH door from closing fully, yes? To clarify, if the warp is evenly distributed through the whole door height, then place the block at the top. If it really only starts from the middle down, then place the block in the middle.

5) Then you slip a timber wedge under the RH door at the bottom near the opening edge, and kick it in with your foot - as you also push the bottom of the door inwards as much as you can with your other foot, or someone else's. You need to bend that door inwards against the warp, and then block it there for as long as possible.

Snow_Phoenix

@Eldi_Dos we did have the tumble dryer next to the door so when it was used the end of last year it may not have helped the matter. The door was already warped before we moved in though. It has now been moved away from there but unsure what the humidity is in there. 

@ThisIsWeird following more research we have decided to install a turnbuckle and are using this to provide tension to pull the door in over time. This will hopefully keep it in place long term. Thank you for your suggestions. 

Eldi_Dos

@Snow_Phoenix ;  You mention door is under a canopy and presumably gets sun on that face. If your garage has high humidity the face getting sun on it will warp towards that. I would suggest improving ventilation in garage and not storing anything damp in there meantime.
Also there appears to be a small step up at garage floor, could dampness be running off that onto back of door at floor level keeping inside face of wood at a high humidity compared to outside.

One thing you could try is about half a dozen soft wooden wedges placed about where door is fully open and push door against wedges. Even get a bit of timber and hammer from what is inside of door onto wedges.