My fancy custom front door warped so bad after three months I could see daylight through the gap

I went all out on this solid Mahogany door from a local millwork shop near Austin. Paid like $4,200 installed. Looked gorgeous for about 90 days then the bottom corner started bowing out maybe a quarter inch. By month four I could literally poke my finger through the weatherstripping gap on humid mornings. Called the installer and he blamed the finish not being sealed on the bottom edge (which the millwork company swore they did). Ended up having to sand it down, re-seal it myself with three coats of marine grade spar urethane, and add an adjustable threshold. Has anyone else had exterior doors just go wonky after a season or two?

2 comments

2 Comments

faith6846d ago

yeah I read somewhere that solid wood doors especially exotics like mahogany are basically guaranteed to warp if the bottom edge isn't completely sealed. Something about the end grain sucking up moisture like a straw. I think it was a building science blog that said even a tiny unsealed spot can ruin a door in one humid season. The spar urethane was a good call thats what they use on boats so it should hold up better.

faith6845d ago

Installer probably didn't prep the jambs right, plenty of solid doors last decades without issues.

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