Repairs: joinery, doors and kitchens

Modern components tend to be framed up using dowelled joints. Although this produces a fitting that appears the same as a properly mortice and tenoned construction – to start with – the technique often allows the timber to ‘cup’ and warp and distort, particularly if water enters the end grain of the joint. The dowelled joint is inherently weaker than a tenoned one, so early water ingress leads to accelerated distortion of the timber, leading to more water ingress, and thus to early breakdown of the joint (unless it is very well maintained or in a sheltered location).

Doors and windows that are properly tenoned together with through-joints are likely to have a considerably extended life, improved cost-in-use and are more easily repaired.

It is sometimes possible to repair this kind of defect, but it usually requires (for a door) removing the door entirely and boring through the frame to insert new substantial dowelled pegs from one side of the frame (stile) into the rail to lock the timbers in position.

If a doorframe of this sort fails there are several options. The first two techniques described assume that you have access to a well-trained craftsperson.

Note: these techniques can be applied to sash windows as well as doors and other window types.

Solution 1

If the door is of any age, consider completely removing it, breaking all the joints open, reassembling them and regluing them.

If the door is quite old, the original glue may have been an animal glue, which is prone to breaking down with age, moisture ingress and so on. Modern glues such as polyvinyl acetate (PVA) offer considerable adhesion compared with traditional alternatives, but are still prone to deterioration if there is any moisture ingress.

Careful external decoration normally overcomes this.

Waterproof glues such as urea-formaldehyde glue (e.g. ResinMite, formerly known as Cascamite) offer a long-lasting alternative, but it would not be possible to deconstruct the door in the future if further repairs were required. Because of their permanence, waterproof glues may not be appropriate in conservation work.

Solution 2

A second option would be to apply cramps to the door in order to straighten it up prior to repinning some of the joints and tightening wedges into the tenons, without actually completely deconstructing the door.

A third alternative would be to apply localised scarfed-in timber repairs if the frame or door will stand it, or to use a 2-pack resin, as outlined above.

Use of resins assumes the door would be stained or painted.

Regluing the frame using carefully positioned cramps to help realign and 'square up'