Fixing bow / warp on internal doors?

Howdy do folks,

Just looking to see anyone can advise on a way of sorting an issue I have.

Pretty much, we re-did all the doors in our house. We did ground floor separately to 1st floor, but they are the same doors from the same suppliers. They were done about 6 months apart.

All the upstairs doors have a warp on them, that may well have been caused by me storing them incorrectly (they arrived about 3 days before the chap came to fit them, so we just had them leaning against a wall).

Now, I'm pretty sure this issue has worsened over time (they're fitted about 2-3 years) as I never really twigged it at first, whereas nowadays it's wrecking my head, but it seems like all the doors 'fall away' from the door frames at the top of the door.

I am just after getting a bathroom renovated, so whilst the lads were doing that, the door was off it's hinges. I took the opportunity to attempt to lay it down and try to 'unwarp it' by placing it in a spare room with a chair-back under the bottom of the door, and a windowsill under the top of the door (hoping the door would 'sag' in the middle and straighten itself up).

Unfortunately, this hasn't worked at all. Door is almost exactly the same as before a week of me trying to "unwarp" it.


Just wondering if anyone has any ideas?

It's difficult to get a photo of, but here are three to give a rough idea (you'll notice the door is tight to the frame at the bottom, the top is about 8cm away)


https://i.postimg.cc/gdDTszSV/Doorwarp02.jpg


https://i.postimg.cc/GdmSSW-VZ/Doorwarp03.jpg


https://i.postimg.cc/dvvfGkBQ/Doorwarp01.jpg




Cheers to anyone able to offer any advice.

dodzy

So, does the door close ok?
If yes, then when in the closed position, if gap is visible on the top (I’m guessing you meant 8mm not cm ) , and that’s your only issue, I’d just remove the doorstop trim and refit while the door is in its closed position.
If it’s tight on the frame, then either plane or hinge adjust to improve the position.
The warpage cannot be corrected; it’s just a case of masking for a visually and functionally acceptable result, or change the doors!

tabby aspreme

Could you see a twist or bow in the door, when you took it off, it could be the frame that's not fitted correctly, open the door fully and sight one side of the frame off the other and see are they parallel.

dodzy

tabby aspreme wrote: »

Could you see a twist or bow in the door, when you took it off, it could be the frame that's not fitted correctly, open the door fully and sight one side of the frame off the other and see are they parallel.

not on 3 doors

the_pen_turner

is the door flush to the frame on the inside. if it is then the stop is not fitted corectly.
check the frame for pumb.
if the door is twisted there is very little you can do. you can straighten it a bit by clamping it in the oposite twist but is slow and doesnt always work. .

the easiest way to get rid of the unsightly gap is to move the stop . if it needs to be a lot out of parralel witht eh rest of the frame then you might need to rip down the stop so it is narrower. you will see 8mm diference a lot more if the stop to frame measurment is small. say 20mm at the bttom and 28 on the top. 35-42mm wont be as noticable.
you could also cut it wider at the top than the bottom

Hi All,

So the door sits away from the stop, at the top only. On the inside of the door, it's not flush with the frame, it's warped enough that it is flush with the bottom of the frame, but sits proud at the top.

If I close the door without pressure, the latch won't reach, it needs an extra little push (or pull) to get it to actually catch the latch and actually close.


I may be reading the advice here wrong, but is it being suggested that I should tske the stop off (only on the affected side/handle side), and plane the stop itself, at a slight angle, to get it to suit to suit door? So the door will remain warped, but the stop being cut to fit the warped door will fix the issue (aesthetically anyway?).

Doesn't seem like a bad idea, but I'm just not sure if I'm interpreting it wrong or not.


When the door was taken down, it didn't seem to have an obvious warping issue, but all signs point to it being the door's fault rather than the stop or frame.

dodzy

Not quite. Remember, the warp is there to stay.

So, remove the door stop on both the lock side and top section.
Close the door (the lock will engage fine) then:
1. Replace the doorstop, to get it as flush to the door face as possible in its closed position, profiling (planing) the stop as required. This will at least allow the skier to close easily but the door will still jut out at the top (visible on the opposite side of the door when closed or go that bit further......
2. With the stop removed, and the door closed, adjust the sash lock plate (the metal piece on the frame that catches the lock) and move it inwards (some minor woodwork required to the mortice with small wood chisel). This will ensure that the door closes over more than it did before, thus concealing the externally visible warp, but pushing the bottom of the door in 8mm (approx). The misalignment will not be as noticeable in this scenario as it’s masked by the frame plus won’t catch the eye down low....then profile & Replace door stop.

Hope that’s clear

dodzy

dodzy wrote: »

Not quite. Remember, the warp is there to stay.

Is it though? Is it really that hard to get rid?


Assuming it is, then I do understand the process you're suggesting and may be the route to go alright. At least that way it'd be all sorted and I could do them all in one day (well.. get someone else to do it, I wouldn't have a planer or fancy the risk of making a balls of it and having to replace/fix things).

listermint

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Is it though? Is it really that hard to get rid?


Assuming it is, then I do understand the process you're suggesting and may be the route to go alright. At least that way it'd be all sorted and I could do them all in one day (well.. get someone else to do it, I wouldn't have a planer or fancy the risk of making a balls of it and having to replace/fix things).

Hard ? No impossible the timber is now in that position because it was stored that way and with moisture that made it pliable is gone. All the joints will be warped to suit it's new fixed form.


New door or shape the stops to fit is the only solution tbh

mickdw

dodzy wrote: »

Not quite. Remember, the warp is there to stay.

So, remove the door stop on both the lock side and top section.
Close the door (the lock will engage fine) then:
1. Replace the doorstop, to get it as flush to the door face as possible in its closed position, profiling (planing) the stop as required. This will at least allow the skier to close easily but the door will still jut out at the top (visible on the opposite side of the door when closed or go that bit further......
2. With the stop removed, and the door closed, adjust the sash lock plate (the metal piece on the frame that catches the lock) and move it inwards (some minor woodwork required to the mortice with small wood chisel). This will ensure that the door closes over more than it did before, thus concealing the externally visible warp, but pushing the bottom of the door in 8mm (approx). The misalignment will not be as noticeable in this scenario as it’s masked by the frame plus won’t catch the eye down low....then profile & Replace door stop.

Hope that’s clear

Ya id do as above but id leave some strain in the door for a good term to see if it improved anything. So yes id adjust lock in enough to pull in top of door but leave the bottom of door stop in position so that the top of the door is pulled in when closed. Yes there will be strain when closing but it might improve over time.
Push door stop against door in closed position.

You could consider moving top hinge in a mm or 2 also to try to average out things. That could get rid of 2mm of the 8mm by itself and not be very noticeable at all.

whizbang

Are those damp stains on the frames ?

Did you paint each side of door with a different paint/varnish ?

if no issues as above; Either way most folk will not notice 8mm offline. Rehang and replace stops on frame.

Lumen

I reckon it is possible to fix this without removing the door, using a clamps and a steam iron.

If the door is painted, remove the paint or at least scratch through to the wood using a wire brush or spiked wallpaper roller thing so that moisture can penetrate, but only in the area that is warped, and only on the concave side.

Remove stops going to the warped corner, leaving enough stops to restrain the rest of the door.

Close the door and use clamps or brad nailed blocks to push the warped corner slightly past the line of the old stops. How much past? Don't know. You might have to tape the latch open to allow the door to move a bit more.

Use a steam iron to heat and moisten the concave side until the stress is relieved.

Wait for the door to cool and dry out. Hopefully you will not be trapped in the room during this time. Maybe bring some beer and a bucket.

Remove clamps/blocks, check the door is straight and replace the original stops.

dodzy

mickdw wrote: »

You could consider moving top hinge in a mm or 2 also to try to average out things. That could get rid of 2mm of the 8mm by itself and not be very noticeable at all.

Assuming the door on the hinge side is plumb, then even a slight adjustment on said hinges will likely result in ‘ghosting’ - Unless the door is locked, it will open or close over by itself because it is now out of plumb). Another pain in the hole. And ‘ghosting’ was of course a made up term:)

Bonzo Delaney

dodzy wrote: »

Assuming the door on the hinge side is plumb, then even a slight adjustment on said hinges will likely result in ‘ghosting’ - Unless the door is locked, it will open or close over by itself because it is now out of plumb). Another pain in the hole. And ‘ghosting’ was of course a made up term:)

Made up or not "ghosting" is what I'm calling that pain in the arse headache from now on cheers

mickdw

dodzy wrote: »

Assuming the door on the hinge side is plumb, then even a slight adjustment on said hinges will likely result in ‘ghosting’ - Unless the door is locked, it will open or close over by itself because it is now out of plumb). Another pain in the hole. And ‘ghosting’ was of course a made up term:)

If the many new builds I survey are anything to go by, 1 to 2mm in a frame is present in far far too many door so i dont see an issue in adjusting - you may even be putting it right.

chooseusername

Why not move the bottom of the door stop on the lock jamb the 8mm
then any misalignment between door and the jamb will be at the bottom
and be less noticeable .
Either take it off and reposition it .
or scribe it and trim it in situ.