Do you have doors in your home that have suddenly decided not to cooperate? The springtime rain in our great state of Oklahoma could be a reason.
See five reasons why the doors in your home have stopped closing properly.
Swollen Wood
Factors like the changing of the weather and humidity can prevent a door from closing properly or cause it to stick in its frame. Your wooden door may shrink or swell because of changing weather conditions, especially if it’s old or unprotected. The swollen wood may be a part of the door or the door frame; either way, your door won’t close properly.
Wood has been known to shrink in cold weather and swell in hot weather. It is more common for outside doors (like shed doors, garage doors, and main doors) to changes in the weather. The wood of your door or door frame may also swell if water has been spilled on it recently. A door can even become warped or cracked if left closed and there is no room for it to expand.
To avoid this happening in your home and having to replace a door, make sure your doors are properly sealed.
Stiff Gaskets
Gaskets are the material filling between two or more surfaces. It’s a joint of sorts, and is made up of material like rubber, plastic, and metal. Gaskets are found in refrigerator, oven, and some doors that have been sound proofed.
Gaskets have to be made of a material that can yield and mold itself against a surface to minimize leaks. Whenever a gasket becomes stiff, the loss of the flexibility can cause leaks. The lost flexibility can also prevent the door from sticking properly. This is a common problem with fridge doors, where old, worn out and stiff gaskets cause the door to pop out on its own.
Some patio doors and car doors also have problems with their gaskets. Gaskets, like wood, are also vulnerable to changes in the weather. Gaskets may rot, crack or dry out over time, which prevents them from functioning correctly and your door from closing.
Expansive Soil
The soil your house has been built on can shift and expand after torrential rain or in the winter. The type of soil that is vulnerable to shifting and expanding is known as expansive soil and it usually has a high content of clay in it. Clay is a mineral that can absorb water in large quantities and can retain it for a long time. The expanding clay plates, in which the water gets trapped, can exert immense pressure to the foundation of your home and cause it to lift or shift. This pressure is sometimes enough to cause cracks to driveway, walls, floors, and ceilings.
In summer months, the moisture in the soil can fall drastically. The fall in the moisture can cause your home, which had been lifted upwards, to shift downwards and resettle. This movement may result in extensive damage to your home.
If everything seems to be fine with your door (there is no visible swelling or loose gaskets), then the expansive soil may be responsible for the problem. In this case, it’s recommended that you contact a professional for help. You will not have too much choice in this matter; this is way beyond replacing a door or unplugging a pipe. What type of soil should you buy and how much soil do you have to replace and where is something you will need advice on.
Door Frame
If you think your door is fine and there is no expansive soil in your area, check your door frame for problems. Some of the common problems found with door frames include cracking, splitting and warping of the wood, the growth of mildew and mold, and the development of rust, if the door frame is made of metal.
If rust is a problem it also means you may have a leak somewhere in your home, obviously near the door frame. Either way rust is unappealing and you will want to replace that part of the metal anyhow because rust is certainly degrading to look at. The door frame, like the door itself, may also swell because of high humidity or a water leak. It may contract in the winter, which will prevent your door from closing.
Garage door frames are known to be susceptible to rot. If your garage door frame has developed rot, it will have to be replaced.
Loose Hinges
Loose hinges are a problem that can be repaired. If your door is scraping against the floor and tilting on one side, chances are a loose hinge is responsible for that. Loose hinges can be tightened with a screwdriver. Loose screws may have to be removed and replaced.
If the hole seems too big for the screw, you will need to buy some carpenter’s glue to help affix the screw. In some cases, the entire hinge may have to be replaced and new holes will have to be drilled into the frame. If this sounds like too much of a bother, call a carpenter.
