What should I do about my swollen exterior, out-swing french door?

Question

I have an out-swing, exterior french door that I use daily.

It was installed professionally in the summer. With a few tweaks, it was shutting perfectly, everything was in alignment. With the recent wet weather, it has expanded just a bit and is now sticking when I try to shut it. I now have to slam it to shut it all the way. Should I sand or shave it down, or just wait until spring when it dries out, or will it dry out????

Answer 1

Assuming that your French doors are made from wood, the installer or a qualified finish carpenter should be contacted to make adjustments. Wood dimensions change during seasonal changes. The installer apparently didn't figure this in when making preliminary measurements. The doors may need to be edge planed or this could be a problem with the door frame. Either way call a qualified finish carpenter..

Answer 2

Let me guess! Your over hang outside the door is about 12 to 14 inches with no gutter? Close? When it rains the water splashes on the bottom of the door which if not painted or sealed, will suck up the water. A diverter or a gutter is advisable. Also don`t forget a door has 6 sides. Seal all of them.

Answer 3

The door was improperly sealed at installation. Now you are between a rock and a hard place. If you plane it down now, you will have air leaks in the summer. My recommendation is to wait for dry weather and for the door to unswell, and then remove it and water seal it with several coats of Thompson's or a similar sealer. The water is in the door now, and sealing it now will just seal the water in and hasten the rotting of the door.

Answer 4

There are ways to get the doors to swing out, but it pre-supposes that you don't want/need storm doors (or the likes) on the outside -- otherwise, the french doors wouldn't be able to swing outwards. When you order the doors, just tell them you want the doors to swing outwards. good luck