Don wrote:
friend has a front door which is a bit exposed. Recent rains made the
lower part of the door expand and swell up.

Door was replaced but before it could get properly painted, it was
caught in the wet weather againa nd it swelled up once more.

What can they do this time to prevent this happening? of course the
door needs to dry out first.


What do you mean by the "lower part of the door" Don - is it the frame sides
or the sill?

In view of the lack of further info, I will suggest a few of courses of
action you can take - but none of these will really stop a wooden door from
swelling or shrinking (or even twisting) because of the weather (just reduce
it).

A - Ease the door whilst it is still wet and swollen - this ensures that it
will open and close properly and maintain its draught and water-resistant
capabilities - but will lose these to a certain degree when it dries and
shrinks.

B - Wait for the door to dry and then shrink and these ease it so that when
it swells again it will fit - there is a good probability that if this is
done, too much will be taken off the door, leaving it with a draughty fit
and poor water integrity.

My preferred method is ‘A’ as this lets the door fit properly in the winter
when heat loss and water integrity is at its most important, and to assist
with this, draught excluders could be fitted to the outside of the frame.

Once you have used your preferred method and eased the door (wet or dry) -
then paint it with (assuming it is bare) a coat of good, oil based primer,
two coats of a good, oil based undercoat and ditto with the gloss [1].
Ensure that all surfaces are painted - including the top AND bottom edges
[2] and this should hopefully restrict the amount of movement.

[1] Essential that oil based paints are used here rather than water-based,
quick drying acrylics. Oil paints are far more durable and water resistant
in exposed exterior situations than acrylics.

[2] Pick a couple of nice dry days when the door can be removed and the
bottom edge painted up to the full specification.



Cash