# Wood Door Frame Stuck Shut

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wood-door-frame-stuck-shut/670429>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [October 5, 2013, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wood-door-frame-stuck-shut/670429 "2013-10-05T13:00:56Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![SerafinaPekala](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecae2f/32.png) [@SerafinaPekala](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SerafinaPekala)\
**Post date:** [October 5, 2013, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wood-door-frame-stuck-shut/670429/1 "2013-10-05T13:00:56Z")

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Yes he’s been at it again!

The DH powerwashed the porch and soaked the wood door and its frame so that it is stuck shut. With much brute force I got the door to open (nearly yanking the handle off) and sprayed it down with WD-40 to try to get it to work, but it is so swollen that it will not shut again. NOW WHAT? Do I need to get a carpenter in to re-do the whole frame? Just wait for it to dry out again or …? TIA for any help.

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**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\
**Post date:** [October 5, 2013, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wood-door-frame-stuck-shut/670429/2 "2013-10-05T23:55:40Z")

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The moisture in the wood causes it to expand. When the wood dries out it will shrink. So just wait until it dries out–unless you have a general problem of the door sticking. A lot of people have problems with doors sticking certain times of the year–when it is humid.

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**Author:** ![SerafinaPekala](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecae2f/32.png) [@SerafinaPekala](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SerafinaPekala)\
**Post date:** [October 6, 2013, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wood-door-frame-stuck-shut/670429/3 "2013-10-06T00:24:14Z")

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Thanks. 🙂 Hoping IL will dry out sometime this year still.

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**Author:** ![Aquadementia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aquadementia/32/555_2.png) [@Aquadementia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aquadementia)\
**Post date:** [October 6, 2013, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wood-door-frame-stuck-shut/670429/4 "2013-10-06T04:55:41Z")

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Wax, like a candle, rubbed on the door edge and/or frame works really well for most stuck doors. Much better then WD-40 in my opinion.

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**Author:** ![SerafinaPekala](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecae2f/32.png) [@SerafinaPekala](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SerafinaPekala)\
**Post date:** [October 9, 2013, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wood-door-frame-stuck-shut/670429/5 "2013-10-09T15:47:02Z")

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Thanks.

Not learning the first time, he now painted the front door shut. “But I used the HAIRDRYER to dry it before shutting it!!” was his defense. ayeayeaye. I cant even crawl out a window - those are painted shut too.

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**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\
**Post date:** [October 14, 2013, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wood-door-frame-stuck-shut/670429/6 "2013-10-14T22:07:54Z")

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It sounds like the door needs to be hand planed. That will shave off just a little wood and give it room to open/close. Here’s one being used. It just takes off a thin shaving. You don’t want to remove too much because the door shrinks in dry weather.  
[http://us.123rf.com/400wm/400/400/artfotoss/artfotoss1010/artfotoss101000179/8118402-hands-of-a-carpenter-planed-wood-workplace.jpg](http://us.123rf.com/400wm/400/400/artfotoss/artfotoss1010/artfotoss101000179/8118402-hands-of-a-carpenter-planed-wood-workplace.jpg)