Hello all, The doors of my house have started to stick. Think I may need a foundation person to come out and look at it. Does anyone have any recommendations? thanks
Are they wood doors or fiberglass. Wooden doors facing the elements will swell, especially if the sealer has broken down.
If they are doors exposed to the elements, yo may need to reseal the doors. They may be taking in moisture and swelling up. I'm no expert, but I did sleep at a holiday in express last night.
I'd start with this and see if it helps! LIke Falcons Talon said, doors tend to swell with humidity or eztreme change in temps. But if it's really bad you can determine where the door is sticking - at the threshold, the side, or the top. Mark the areas of drag with a pencil or chalk. Remove the door from the hinges and sand it very lightly where it sticks (if you have access to a plane even better). Rehang door.
House was built in 1930 and has not yet had foundation work done? Mine was built in 1954 and had pier and beam foundation work done in 1986. I make sure to use soaker hoses to keep the foundation wet in the dog days of summer, and the only problems I've ever had in the 6 years I've owned the house were 3 minor cracks in the walls that my handyman fixed and did touch-up painting on. I had some bigger cracks in walls in the garage that I patched up myself.
Thanks for the advice. It's the interior doors, so no, they are not exposed to the elements. I have only lived in the house for a few months. Do you all think this is something that happens every year? It sounds like you don't think it is a foundation issue, eh?
No and when I had it inspected, the inspector said if it was in this good of shape without foundation work, I probably shouldn't do anything major.
If they aren't that bad and you can live with it until Spring you might find that they'll return to normal. This has happened to a couple of doors on our house. If that's the case and they do loosen up, then yes, it'll probably happen every season (winter). It's not a hard thing to fix. But if it's a foundation problem, then that's out of my league. good luck
My house was built around 1930 as well. More than likely you will have a pier and beam foundation If this is the case your house will rest on several blocks of concrete which raise the house above the ground. Inherently, this type of foundation has more bend and flex than a slab foundation. There is not much you can do about it. The good news is that if you have problems they are many, many times less expensive to fix than problems with a slab. One thing that you can do to keep it flexing so much is to make sure the soil around your house stays slightly moist constantly.
Running the heat a lot lately? Could be just temp and climate changes causing the house to bend here and there. Just sand the ones that are sticking a little.
Yes, I have been running the heat a lot lately. Figure I'll go ahead and get the foundation checked just in case. It is pier and beam. Thanks for all the advice. Again, if anyone knows of a reputable foundation company, I would be much obliged.
If you want the cheap way to fix the symptom, it can all be fixed on the hinges. If it sticks at the top, tighten the top hinge. If it can't be tightened any more or that doesn't fix it, loosen the bottom hinge and put a shim in behind the hinge until the door doesn't stick. Tighten the bottom hinge and snap off the shim to where it doesn't show. If it sticks at the bottom, tighten the bottom hinge. If it can't be tightened any more or that doesn't fix it, loosen the top hinge and put a shim in behind the hinge until the door doesn't stick. Tighten the top hinge and snap off the shim to where it doesn't show.
Bump - I am in a similar situation, but my house isn't nearly as old (1983). Front door is now sticking badly at the top, and the whole thing is off such that the dead bolt hardly can fit into the hole even after adjusting. I feel like I have to call in a contractor at this point. Recommendations?
