Finally got my shed door to close properly after three years

For the longest time, I just kept shoving it shut and it would always stick on the frame. Last weekend I took a tape measure and found the top hinge was off by a quarter inch. I loosened the screws, put a shim underneath it, and tightened everything back up. Now it swings smooth and seals tight. Anyone have a trick for keeping wooden doors from swelling in the summer humidity?

3 comments

3 Comments

aaron1761mo ago

That quarter inch makes all the difference, doesn't it? My back door was doing the same thing. I ended up sanding down the sticking edge just a tiny bit, maybe an eighth of an inch, and then gave it a few really good coats of exterior paint on all sides, even the top and bottom. Sealing it up like that kept the moisture out and it hasn't stuck since, even in the rainy season.

robert_smith361mo ago

My old house in Portland had a door that swelled every winter. I tried the sanding trick but it only worked for a few months. What finally fixed it was taking the door off and painting the top and bottom edges with an oil-based primer before the topcoat. That extra step sealed the end grain completely. Haven't had a sticky door in three years now.

noah_webb15d agoMost Upvoted

That trick with the oil based primer is legit. My own attempt at fixing a swollen door ended with me taking off way more than an eighth of an inch and basically having a pencil gap at the bottom. Looked like the door was trying to escape the house. Ended up having to buy a whole new slab because I got too aggressive with the belt sander. At least that one I sealed properly first time around.