Is your door rotting because of water damage? This article will instruct you on how to repair split in water damaged door.
The Repairing Process
1. For the door itself
To fix the split in a water-damaged door, apply a Bondo wood filler to the rotted area and sand the affected part of the door using medium-grit sandpaper to get rid of water damage without taking off the coat of the paint. If necessary, add a second layer of wood filler and use a clean paintbrush to paint the area using one coat of wood sealant.
2. For the frame
To restore the rotted wood frame, remove the rotted portion of the wood using a sharp tool, coat the rotted door frame using a wood hardener, and press a polyester wood filler or Bondo wood filler on the affected area using a putty knife.
If the door’s frame damage is just a scratch, you can choose to sand it until it is smooth. However, for deeper dents, gouges, and nicks, fill the space using epoxy filler and let it sit overnight; once the epoxy filler is dry, sand it until it’s smooth.
You may click on this article to know more information about repairing water-damaged wood door frames.
3. For moisture damage
If you want to get the moisture out of your door, you need to take it down from the frame and thoroughly sand it. Let it dry under the sun or use a fan to blow off the moisture, and remember that there can be dampness in your door if you don’t protect it with an exterior sealer.
A wooden door can contract and expand when exposed to moisture and changes in climate. However, if a door is swollen because of heat moisture exposure, it is near impossible that it will revert to its original shape.
If your door absorbs a massive amount of water because of exposure to rain, the moisture can dry out and evaporate, but water damage can change the quality of wood fibers forever.
The rot around a door can easily be visible, but there are instances when doors are leaking, and there are no visible signs around the door itself. It’s possible that the door’s sill is not sealed correctly, and water is flowing around the sill and below the door.
4. For the surrounding areas
The trim around your door may also have lost its weather-tight seal and is slowly collecting water, rotting the door’s frame, so it’s essential to routinely check if the area beneath your door is starting to get rotten.
There are many ways to check if your door is taking in water. Try looking at the bottom corners of your door’s frame to see if there are any traces of rotted material.
You may take your finger and poke the door’s frame. Unfortunately, if it feels soft, you should consider an immediate repair.
Do you have a basement area? Does the basement wall under your door look differently than the rest of the basement walls, and do the floor joists under your door show any signs of moisture?
Feel free to check out this article to know more details on how to protect your basement from water damage.
Best Materials To Use
Wood fillers like Bondo and Minwax work well as purpose fillers for holes, gaps, and rotted wood. It is easy to apply, and they’re not supposed to shrink once dry.
In terms of exterior use, Best Exterior: 3M Bondo Wood Filler is one of the best you can use as a wood filler. Its two-part solution mixes into a wood-like medium brown hue, and it can rebuild rotting and damaged wood.
Other Methods To Fix A Water Damaged Door
As we all know, it doesn’t feel enjoyable when you try to close your door, but it doesn’t due to the swells. It will be difficult for you if all your interior and exterior doors expand and you don’t know how to repair the doors.
Shown below are other methods you can consider in fixing water-damaged doors.
Heat gun or hair dryer method
In using a heat gun on the water-damaged area, the wetness inside escapes back into the air. Ensure that you’re holding the drying tool 30cm away so that you don’t burn the wood.
Heat guns are one of the quickest and most effective options for repairing a water-damaged door. You need to apply the heat to the wood’s surface and gently peel it off as it heats up.
Fasten the screws and sand the edges
Remember to fasten the screws on the iron wares, including the hinges and strike plates. It’ll be hard to close that door if the screws get loose because they tend to loosen the door towards its frame, making it hard to close.
Total replacement
When the doors are out of shape, you don’t have any option but to change them. This practice is the last resort after trying out all methods available to fix the exterior and interior doors.
It’s better to ask a professional before trying any corrections because it’s not easy to carry out a door replacement, especially if it’s wooden material. You need to pierce holes for the handles and ensure that the measurements are correct.
If you don’t know how to install a new door, it’s better to call a professional in choosing the best door based on your budget.
How To Prevent Water Damage
If your door and door frame feels solid and there are no signs that your door is absorbing water, you can do more things to prevent water damage to your door. Shown below are things to consider to keep your door water-tight.
Check the weather stripping around the door and on the sill
Inspect to see if a light is coming through anywhere around the door. This issue is concerning because water can pass inside the small cracks and get into the area around your door, rotting the door or worse.
Even if there are no signs of light passing through, you should still inspect the weather stripping. If it appears to be worn out, it’s advisable to replace it with a new one.
Add new sealant
Water can get into a door through the edges of the sill, cracks, or between the frame. It is better to use a high-quality caulk to seal air leaks and add a touch of sealant between the sill and the frame at the bottom.
Ensure that you seal up any cracks you may see around the door frame.
Conclusion
How to repair split in water damaged door? You can repair splits in a water-damaged door through a method called sanding.
Apply Bondo wood filler to the affected area, and use medium-grit sandpaper for sanding the water-damaged areas. Continue sanding the remainder of the door to make an even layer, remove the wood dust, and use a clean paintbrush to paint the door with one coat of wood sealant.
Check out this article to get more details on how to repair water-damaged door facing.