"franz frippl" wrote
Charlie S. wrote:

Have a wooden front door that has warped with age. Doesn't stay closed.
Have tried putting insulation strips to keep it shut. Still swings
open. If I put too much insulation it is too difficult to close.

Can't seem to find the right balance of friction. I know the door is
most likely not set right, but don't have the expertise to re-hang
hinges. Any other suggestions?

Check the hinges to make certain all screws are in as tight and as flush
as possible. Also look for anything which might interfere with door
closing: weatherstripping, paint build up, dirt, etc. You might also
want to make sure hinges aren't bent out of shape.

Thanks Franz, most of the others didnt give Charles any suggestions.

Charles, if it's developing slowly and it's damper just now than normal, you
might have some wood swelling. That generally causes it to 'stick' though
vice swing open.

I would also look at strike plate in relation to latch mechanism. Are
they both aligned properly? If not, realign them.

Absolutely, but this can be a little hard to understand if new to this sort
of repair, as his post indicates. I know how to do that, but not how to
properly describe it. My old front door is gone (renters kicked it in) but
at one stage, we had to relocate the deadbolt due to warpage.

Charles, we backfilled the holes with a sealing putty substance that dries
like cement, put the deadbolt back in above it then covered the old hole
with a decorative plate. Ths was what that specific door framing problem
needed. Alternative was the replace the framing. Long view, we later had
that done but at the time, could not afford it and did not know enough to do
it ourselves. The old frame had warped due to natural settling.

Doors fit according to humidity and time of year. Wood absorbs moisture
which sometimes affects performance.

Yes, more common to see it dryer this time of year. This makes me think he
may have a tight seal when damp and a loose one now perhaps? Cold causing
things to get smaller too?

Charles, it sounds to me like the frame is the real problem but fixing the
door is much easier. Its a solid wood one right? Not sure how much you
know so please forgive if i seem to talk below your level on this, but you
are apt to need a tool most do not have. It's called a plane.
(Wood-plane). Similar in construction in someways to a 'mandolin' used in
slicing foods. They are hand held, with a flat bttom and a blade
(adjustable please) that will shear off a thin sliver of wood. To use it,
you want to keep to thin slivers or you will get a ripple effect. Use this
to trim down where the door sticks then you can more evenly apply the
weather stripping. The only downside of this is you can't get at the bottom
if it sticks there (have to take the door off). You should be able to get
at the top and door-knob side though.

Just for fun, I'll describe something near it we have to do. We have to do
this with a new wood screen door for our back porch (renters again, door no
longer there, frame damaged and we just finished fixing that). The frame is
warped over time but otherwise solid so we are going to plane down the wood
screen door to fit the opening. 1/4 inch at top left and up to 1/2 inch
bottom right. Easy to do before we hang it. Will plane it down, propping
in place to check, then paint and hang.