# Sticking Doors due to rain

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sticking-doors-due-to-rain/214004>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [November 19, 2003, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sticking-doors-due-to-rain/214004 "2003-11-19T00:16:55Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![biddee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/839c29/32.png) [@biddee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/biddee)\
**Post date:** [November 19, 2003, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sticking-doors-due-to-rain/214004/1 "2003-11-19T00:16:55Z")

</div>

We just had a week and a half of rain and very high humidity and consequently all the doors in our new house are now sticking because the wood has swollen. Will these dry out and shrink again, now that it is dry, and how long will that take? If not, is there any way, other than planing the doors that we can get them to stop sticking?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\
**Post date:** [November 19, 2003, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sticking-doors-due-to-rain/214004/2 "2003-11-19T00:48:24Z")

</div>

Other of the suggestions you already mentioned. You may want to try rubbing a bit of bar soap on the sticky parts, that may help.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![zabrain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/dbc845/32.png) [@zabrain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zabrain)\
**Post date:** [November 19, 2003, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sticking-doors-due-to-rain/214004/3 "2003-11-19T02:16:30Z")

</div>

They may also stick if your doors are painted and the paint has been applied too thick over the years. This excess paint can be sanded away.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\
**Post date:** [November 19, 2003, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sticking-doors-due-to-rain/214004/4 "2003-11-19T03:37:42Z")

</div>

[Some ideas](http://www.bhg.com.au/home_improvement.nsf/Content/Article_BHG_apr02_sticking+doors)  
[If that don’t work…](http://www.jeffgreefwoodworking.com/pnc/hmimp/StuckDr/index.html)

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\
**Post date:** [November 19, 2003, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sticking-doors-due-to-rain/214004/5 "2003-11-19T03:46:24Z")

</div>

fyi, you can dehumidify (somewhat) by running the central A/C or heater.

Don’t try to bake or freeze your house though… Just keep it comfortable. It will dry out faster that way that leaving it open to the elements.