MegaSack DRAW - This year's winner is user - rgwb
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So ours keeps swelling up and jamming so Wife has decided it is time for a new one. Someone on here is bound to know about front doors? It is south facing and quite exposed to the prevalent south westerly winds off the channel (about 1.5 miles due south of us.
So wood, or composite or what? Who sells a decent front door? Is it something a DIY idiot could do (hang the door assuming no new frame required)? They do seem very expensive, but on the other hand they are pretty important, and it is kind of annoying not being able to get in through the front door
Get a carpenter to shave a bit off of your existing ones, so they don't stick? Gonna be cheaper than replacing them.
It's a 30's house TimP - get something appropriate for its age please 🙂
Are you sure it's the door swelling and not the frame?
Tbh, if I was going to the effort and expense of replacing the door I'd do the frame too - just to get modern sealing etc all round if nothing else.
Also, maybe just take the door off, plane a bit off the hinge side, recess the hinges again, paint and rehang - see how much it shrinks back during the summer?
1952 actually, so about the same age as you?
We had it all rehung planed sanded and repainted a couple of years ago. Last year was fine, but this year it has started to jam again. Wife was locked out earlier and not overly happy about it!
Have a look at Nordan, they make very good doors
are you sure its the door swelling not the doorway moving? I lived in a house where a door kept jamming because the doorframe was moving
We was quoted £1800 for a hardwood door, plus fitting and replacement bit of glass that sits up top.
Be curious as to how much other folk pay for these things. I've literally no idea.
It'd be a made to order thing in a workshop down the road job. Fair size door as well.
Definitely the door. Swells in the sun and when it cools we can open it again
We have a Yale composite door in dark green. It has faded and cracked despite not being able to fade according to Yale. It also expands on sunny days and scrapes and jams. We would like to replace it but no idea what with as it wasn't a cheap low quality door.
Just plane it a bit more then. Seriously. It's not a difficult job - even I feel confident in taking it on.
We've got a plastic door that is south facing with a wood grain effect. Had it in for a good 8 or so years and looks as good as the day it was new. Looks great too and is really well sealed - no detectable draft when the wind gets up. You either like or hate wood effect plastic doors, this one looks great in my opinion, much better than some others, it was manufactured locally, but it is definitely weathering the direct sun.
Fitted with a Yale lock and locking system which we've had to replace once, but the replacement is doing ok for now.
My brothers got an expensive hardwood door. That has been fine too and looks lovely, but its a hell of alot of work. Every couple of years it's a real task to sand it down and re-varnish due to the battering it takes from wind, rain and sun. Never warped but takes some maintenance. Life's too short to have to maintain your front door.
Check the frame is secure in the wall opening.
open door and check the hinges are not worn,or loose, tighten screws.
can you see any part of the edge of the door sticking against the frame, paint being scuffed off the edge of door or frame,
Is the door sticking underneath, take off ease at base and coat with a few coats of oil based paint and rehang,
if sticking on side of lock remove hinges , plane at side of hinges after removing them and rehand door, after re-sinking hinges in door.
Check door is not sticking at top of frame.
New door 300 quids for wood.
new frame 100 quids,
fitting about 175.00 quids
Rock door, and I'm a joiner!!!!
The part of the door that absorbs the most water is the end grain of the stiles (the vertical sides of the door). Typically the bottom edge of the door never gets painted as it's not easy to do with the door fitted.
I must say I'm not a fan of the current trend to sell exterior doors where all the components are veneered; as soon as the paint wears and the timber gets wet, the whole door is ****ed.
Check door is not sticking at top of frame.New door 300 quids for wood.
new frame 100 quids,
fitting about 175.00 quids
Is that off the shelf pricing? Anywhere you'd recommend for wierd/old sizing? Certainly non of the retail sheds/builders merchants had anything close to ours.
And how long does a 300 quid door last in an exposed coastal south facing aspect?
I would say £1500 should get you a hardwood door made from Utile or Iroko (Meranti is barely more durable than pine),new locks, primed and fully fitted. That's what I would charge (but then I'm crap at making money out of my job!). £300 will buy you a stock sized veneered job.
what size door in inches,
the above price for a front door is a shed sold door, veneered chipboard, and in the instructions it will state all edges and faces need to be painted as well as all cutouts,load of crap, if it swells or goes veneer off, the shed will send a rep out from the suppleir who will check all the above points, and refuse a new door, and even if they do supply a new door youve got fitting charges again.
Get a rock or composite door, frame and door in one unit.
TimP 1933 here
I'd get a chippy to have a look, a couple of years would allow a bit of movement particularly with all the other work you've had done on the house.
We're not allowed a composite, council will tell us to GTF due to conservation status.
Googles whatever a rock door is.
Tbf, probs should of mentioned the conservation bit, at least we're not Grade 1 like next door with the fancy pants architecture.
Edit, that's also rock door out then,
Perhaps get one made of Acoya or one of the other modified woods.
As suggested above, a good quality hardwood door and frame. Yes, they need maintenance and painting (alternate years, the sun fades the paint) but I never need to take a plane to ours
Have a look at reclamation yards too, you should find something decent that's properly seasoned
We live in an old mill and our doors are all custom sized (partially on purpose as it suits the place).
£1000-£1500 is about right for a fully fitted hardwood door - our back door which is a metre by two meters, insulated and double glazed was £1500 fitted inc VAT and made by a local joinery company and then fitted by our joiner.
But, if I was in a house where a upvc etc suited, we'd have had that. Last houses' was +15 y/o and still perfect.