How do you old pros handle an exterior door which is severely warped? We have an inset-panel fir door (made by Simpson) which is warped about 3/4″ out of flat. The door is beautiful, vanrished inside and out and cost $1000 when installed 1 year ago. It hasn’t been water damaged and was out of flat when installed. Do any of you know of a device or product specifically for “warping doors” which is cosmetically interesting?
thanks
johnny
From building boxes and fitting face frames to installing doors and drawers, these techniques could be used for lots of cabinet projects.
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Replies
was the door sealed on the top and bottom , that may have been the cause of it warping if not.I got some warped outswing doors from anderson but they stood by their product and shipped another right to me.Then i received that door , and it had a nickel size scratch right near the handle ,so guess what they sent me another one.
Edited 4/4/2006 1:00 pm ET by Shavey
sometimes you can lay the door out in the sun, with the bow up ( I think), and it'll straighten out.
If you have a problem with the door being out of wind, sometimes you can weight the high corner and get it close to straight.
But both methods aren't guaranteed. Its a fair amount of luck involved to make them right.
You do realize that an out of flat door should have been dealt with at installation time? Its much easier to get warantee service then.
But it might be worth a call to the supplier to see what they can do.
I custom build wood entry doors and wood can sure do strange things. I usually cut and plane my rails and stiles after choosing straight stock and let the pieces sit for a day and sometimes what started out straight ends up bowing or twisting. Usually 1/4" bow in the plain of the door is considered acceptable on standard height 6-8 doors. Anything over 6-8 usually has no warranty for solid wood. As someone mentioned before the door must be sealed front, back, top, bottom, and sides. I also require the owner or builder to seal the hinge mortises and lockset bore. My door warranty requires that the door be sealed within 72 hours from delivery or the warranty is void. In the case of Sausilito Design, I would certainly speak with the manufacturer.
MDM
http://www.viewwoodworks.com
Edited 4/4/2006 4:30 pm ET by maddogmaglin
Frank,
How's it goin?A great place for Information, Comraderie, and a sucker punch.
Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.
Quittin' Time
Hey Big Cal,
I'm hangin in there, but the work load still isn't like it was a year ago at this time. Am putting my place on the market next week and if all goes well I will again become a "buckeye" Have already gotten lined up with some builders, I just need a buyer.How's it goin in the Glass City?
Edited 4/4/2006 4:36 pm ET by maddogmaglin
Good advice.
Got any pics of your doors? I'd love to see some.
I know where Tx. is, but where's RU.
Around here that stands for Rutgers University.
Go to http://www.viewwoodworks.com and you can see some pictures of some of the doors I have made. I agree that TX is Texas, but the only RU I know of is Russia. Been there and have a Russian wife.
Nice looking work! The cabinets as well as the doors.
Do you do the glasswork as well?
Thanks Shep,
I have a glass company that I deal with here in Abilene. For plain Glass I just usually give them my sizes and they cut what I need; however, the ornamental leaded glass I get from a supplier in Dallas.
I looked at your web site, nice looking doors!
I'm jealous, I yearn for the day that I can put my house up for sale and move back the Hawkeye state.
Doug
Thanks Doug !
If you are going to do the "lay on the grass trick," the bow goes down toward the grass. The primciple here is moisture from the grass is absrobed and the sun dries out the other side causing it to shrink so it un-bows. Then put in a controlled environment and seal all edges and surfaces. RE hang and hope for the best.
If you are going to do the "lay on the grass trick," the bow goes down toward the grass.
That trick is good for a board or table top that is bowed but not worth a damn for a twisted door. I've straiten many a antique top with that method and it works fine if just a bow.
Like acornw said, "give it it's last rites and move on" your not going to take a 3/4" twist out of a door.
Doug
DougU,I agree that a severely twisted door won't benefit from the technique I described. The orginal poster was only talking about a bowed door and I was just corrected the post that followed that offered that technique as an option, but got it backwards.Kirk
things in the glass city are............well..........half full.
There's been alot of auto slowdown readjustment over the past 10 yrs. and it's showing. However, there's still some money floating around and I'm doing my best to get some of it. I've been the lucky beneficiary of repeats and referrals over that period of time and things look ok for the near future. As usual, nothing the same. No kitchens in the near future, but some counter coordination and a few changes in kitchens and baths. Some office bookshelves and a couple other interesting jobs on the books. Beats me, everyday is an adventure.
With the daughter getting married in July, I'm sure all spare moments till then will be accounted for. Here's a good one. For her golf pro fiance-4 or 5 "stands" to move from fresh grass practice tees so they can post the distances to greens on the range. That should improve my game or at least get me on for nothing...........which should improve my game.
You get here to Ohio, you let me know.
Here's a job tip. Cloud Hidden (on the board here) has a client (Dome homes) around Cinci. You could sell some doors and come up on a delivery, do some scouting. Contact Cloud.A great place for Information, Comraderie, and a sucker punch.
Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.
Quittin' Time
Hi Frank, Didn't you buy a Bosch hinge router kit from me several years back?
Edited 4/4/2006 7:41 pm ET by allenschell
Hi Allen,
I sure did buy your hinge template kit and use it quite frequently. How have you been doing?
MDM
By all means, contact Simpson, though it may be too late. 3/4" twist cannot be dealt with successfully in any way, in this life, within the 4 dimensions we are given. It is always the mark of a desperate man to try to overbend, wet, clamp, pry or pray a door back into flat.
In 30 years, I 've been called in to try to save more than a few doors gone bad. Mostly nothing could be done but last rights. Occasionally I'd get one that I replaced and try all the old -timey methods on it to see what effect I could have. Mostly no effect, except for a cracked stile or joint every now and then when twisting back the opposite way times 2 or 3.
If a door has 3/4" twist, it is manufacturing defect. A little water up a stile end or two won't make the door go crazy, but every single door warranty in the business would have you believe that a too light a coat of primer under that one hinge is what made all the panels split in two. I have tried to warp doors, and it is not easy - if they are made properly. It is not voodoo or even white magic. Wood moves as science predicts.
When you get the replacement, determine it is flat and proper. After fitting and hanging in normal weather, paint a little marine epoxy on the entire bottom and top of the door - let that end grain drink it up, then finish the other four sides with Sikkens for stain or high quality paint - or both, within a day or two. It doesn't matter if there is a full moon of not, despite what some would have you believe.
Dave S
http://www.acornwoodworks.com
Thank you everyone who replied to my query! I should level with you that in fact the door is not warped, the wall is...
The house is a log structure and there was and still is no way to straighten it. Now, I could have hung the frame in-plane but that would have made the problem even more obvious because I would have had to try and hide the distortion with some really wide trim.... butt ugly. We also tried rehanging the door jam to split the difference between the various corners and it turned into a mess.
I was hoping one of you might know of an unobtrusive device to induce a twist into the door. I could design and build one but would prefer to avoid that.
By the by, the door was seasoned and varnished with marine varnish, front, back, top, bottom and edges. It looks great!
thanks
johnny
I always try to make a good fist impression by lying to people. I learned it from my local politicians.Speak the truth, or make your peace some other way.
If it were me, which it isn't, I'd put the jamb in Plumb and hang the door to that. Make up the difference in the out of plumb sidewalls with tapered jamb extensions. Trim looks right, door is right. A great place for Information, Comraderie, and a sucker punch.
Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.
Quittin' Time
Johnny
I was hoping one of you might know of an unobtrusive device to induce a twist into the door.
FWIW, there is such a thing but I don't think it would work on your door.
Hafle' makes a threaded rod that you let into a door or flat panel that allows you to take a twist out of the slab.
We've used them on some panels that had to stay as flat as possible so as not to hinder the up/down movement of the panel.
They work well but I cant imagine how it would work in your situation, maybe take a look at Hafle and see what you find.
Doug
you can take some of the wind out by moving the hinges in or out as needed, so the strike side will hit all the way.
There is a limit to how far you can move the hinges without it being too obvious. IMO, 3/4" is a bit more than this technique can handle.