# Warped New Mahogany Entry Door



## jdsmith77 (Apr 10, 2012)

I recently purchased a new solid mahogany 3/4 Oval pre-hung entry door with two sidelights. I decided to stain and seal it before installing it. I removed the door from the frame and set it on 2 x 4's on the garage floor. I stained the outside with Sikkens Cetol (5 thin coats to get the right color). I stained the inside with Minwax (3 coats), then sealed it with Minwax poly. Did the same with the frame. 

We installed the unit on Saturday and discovered that the door is slightly warped in the middle at the pre-bored lockset area. The hinge side is OK. The warping makes the top and bottom protrude into the house slightly preventing a good seal at the weatherstrip.

*How can we reverse the warp?* I do know that it did not come warped from the factory. The door did sit on the 2 x 4's for several weeks while we did the staining and sealing, allowing for thorough drying time between coats of stain and finish.


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

The warpage may correct itself when the finish fully cures especially if the door is exposed to the sun. It was probably caused by using a different finish on one side than the other and made the moisture content higher on the outside side.


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## TimPa (Jan 27, 2010)

I suspect that no matter what you try, the "exterior" door aspect of having one side outside and one side inside is going to overide anything you try. very dependent on exposure (e.g. south side) and storm door or not. ride it out for a while and see.


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## jdsmith77 (Apr 10, 2012)

I should have noted that the outside of the door is exposed to North and Northwest high wind, rain, and snow in the winter. In other words, it takes a big beating in the cold months! It gets very little sun. This is why we opted for Sikkens Cetol. Also, we are on the water (Chesapeake Bay, where we have salty winds and no protection). 

We had to match the inside part of the door with our existing woodwork stain. This is why we used Minwax products. 

So, can we reverse the warping by laying the door flat on 2 x 4's and placing weights on the warped area for a while?


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*Ride it out...*



TimPa said:


> I suspect that no matter what you try, the "exterior" door aspect of having one side outside and one side inside is going to overide anything you try. very dependent on exposure (e.g. south side) and storm door or not. ride it out for a while and see.


From my experience a warp will occur because of a humidty difference one side to the other...exposed exterior vs interior OR just a condition within the wood as it acclimates to the environment. There's really not a lot you can do in either case, unfortunately. A remedy as you have stated would be a weight on the convex surface over time..... how long? who knows if it works at all. Certainly worth a try. The door would need to be removed to make that approach work and if that's not a problem great.  bill


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## Hammer1 (Aug 1, 2010)

Your big mistake was placing the door on 2x4s over a concrete floor and leaving it, even over night. It's a little late for you but someone else may see this. A concrete floor is similar to a damp sponge even though you may not see visible moisture. As you were applying finish to the one face, the other was drinking in moisture as the cells of wood are designed to do. With rare exceptions, proximity to concrete is one of the places you want to avoid with lumber. 

Will your door eventually expel some of the moisture, yes. Will it return to it's flat state, possible but doubtful. Can you do something to reverse the warp, unlikely. The door is probably stave core construction with veneers on the faces and you can only see this in the lock hole. It's extremely important to finish the top and bottom edges of the door since end grain is exposed there and that will absorb moisture more readily than any other surface. If you didn't do these areas, take off the door and do them now. The door could warp more. 

Since you have finish on both sides, there isn't anything you can do. Even if it was still in the raw, there isn't anything that will dependably correct the problem. The stave core is many blocks of wood laminated together. The moisture has made them move and they will take a set that can't be reversed. If the door might move, it won't be until well into next winter when the heat has been running and humidity levels are very low. You'll just have to wait and hope.

It may be possible to tweak the hinge side later which probably has a compression style weather strip. This will allow some slight adjustment by moving the hinges, maybe the top and center ones will need to have the screw holes filled and the hinges moved in or out, for example. This can tilt the opposite, strike side, of the door so the top moves in or out a little. Time will tell and there are other tweaks that can be done to help make the door seal better against the weather strips. Don't worry about it now, spring and summer weather maintains humidity levels that are too high to know if the door will dry out and change.


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## jdsmith77 (Apr 10, 2012)

Hammer1

When I placed the door on the 2 x 4's on the garage floor, I had spread a thick plastic sheet over the concrete and 2 x 4's, under the door. What effect would the plastic sheet have had? Also, I looked into the lockset bore and can see no veneers. I believe the stile is solid mahogany.


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## Sleeper (Mar 24, 2009)

I saw a YouTube video using steam on the inside curve to straighten a piece of hardwood, but you would have to sand at least one side. I don’t know if it would work on a door. I’m in a hurry to go to work now and don’t have time to find it.


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## Hammer1 (Aug 1, 2010)

Plastic sheeting would have helped but the humidity in the basement is likely the cause. The effect can be the same whether the door is solid wood or stave core. The door construction doesn't make any difference. Most doors come with a sticker concerning finishing and they recommend applying finish in short order to avoid moisture migrating into the unprotected wood, including top and bottom edges. That's even in the best conditions.

You can place a piece of lumber, like a piece of 1x8, on your lawn over night. The next morning, the piece will be curled. The face in contact with the grass will swell more than the opposite face because of moisture absorption. You can flip it over for another night and it will reverse. You won't be able to control the amount of movement and when dried out, you won't know if the board will go flat or be curled in either direction. So, you can make wood move, you just don't have any control or know what the final outcome will be. This can happen with a piece that has finish applied but the moisture can effect and degrade the finish. Since you have finished the door, you would run the risk of ruining the finish if you tried applying moisture and it would only be a shot in the dark that may have worse consequences.

I would wait. If moisture is in the wood, the finish will retard it's drying out. It's hard to say if there will be any change. If you had a flat, strong reference surface like a cabinetmakers work bench, you could try clamping the door to that with the proper supports and applying pressure to pull the warp out. You would have to be careful not to apply so much pressure that you might stress glue joints or twist the door enough so you might break the glass panel. Whether that would have a permanent fix is hard to say and it may need to stay in the clamps over several weeks. 

Here is some info from Simpson, just one manufacturer of mahogany exterior doors. Click on the excluded warranties at the bottom of the page for additional info. In essence, it's telling owners they have a responsibility to handle and finish the door with care, and that the doors may not be or stay perfect within certain specs. I explain handling and finishing requirements to my customers and stress essential points regarding this. I always put it in writing because, if not followed, the frequency of door warping problems is great. Then the customer wants a solution to a problem they may have caused.
http://www.simpsondoor.com/support/care_finishing/mahogany.asp


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## Al B Thayer (Dec 10, 2011)

IMHO I doubt it's mahogany. Mahogany does not move much to cause it to warp. Is it actually 3/4" thick?

Al

Friends don't let friends use stamped metal tools sold at clothing stores.


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*Good catch, probably a typo*



Al B Thayer said:


> IMHO I doubt it's mahogany. Mahogany does not move much to cause it to warp. Is it actually 3/4" thick?
> 
> Al
> 
> Friends don't let friends use stamped metal tools sold at clothing stores.


Probably meant to say 1 3/4" or at worst 2 3/4" thick...


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## cabinetman (Jul 5, 2007)

Al B Thayer said:


> IMHO I doubt it's mahogany. Mahogany does not move much to cause it to warp. Is it actually 3/4" thick?
> 
> Al


If you are referring to this statement by the OP:


jdsmith77 said:


> I recently purchased a new solid mahogany 3/4 Oval pre-hung entry door with two sidelights.


What is meant by 3/4 Oval likely refers to the size of the lite (glass) in the door. The overall size would be a 3/4 view. A 1/2 would be the top half of the door. 

So, I'm thinking that the 3/4 doesn't refer to the thickness of the door. I could be wrong though.








 







.


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## WarnerConstInc. (Nov 25, 2008)

Did you seal the top and bottom of the door?

You know doors have 6 sides right?


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## TimPa (Jan 27, 2010)

i have successfully corrected unfinished warped boards by placing them on the moist ground with a hot sun above. the moisture absorbs into the bottom face, and moisture is removed from the top - place them concave down. i've found that you have to overcorrect, as it will settle back when re-acclimating. if you try it, i wouldn't set your finished door directly on the ground as it may spoil your finish.


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## cabinetman (Jul 5, 2007)

It's hit or miss any way you try. The simplest method would be to lay the door on a bench warp up, with the ends propped up, and clamping the edges to an overbend the other way (correct beyond straight). Like it was suggested, it may work and spring back to straight if you're lucky. I would give it a day or two (or longer) for the door to acclimate within its MC, to the new shape. 









 







.


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## Al B Thayer (Dec 10, 2011)

cabinetman said:


> If you are referring to this statement by the OP:
> 
> What is meant by 3/4 Oval likely refers to the size of the lite (glass) in the door. The overall size would be a 3/4 view. A 1/2 would be the top half of the door.
> 
> ...


Thanks Cab. I get it.

Al

Friends don't let friends use stamped metal tools sold at clothing stores.


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## Al B Thayer (Dec 10, 2011)

Is the OP still involved with this thread? I would reverse the bend with blocks and clamps. If the door comes out warped the other way it will seal after its closed if its not too far.

Al

Friends don't let friends use stamped metal tools sold at clothing stores.


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