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Barn doors shrunk. Now fixed.

AndyP

AndyP

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Fitted about 18 years ago these barn doors appear to have shrunk to the point where last night they would not even stay closed. These doors will be heavy but are on lift off hinges which will help. My initial thought is to pack out the hinges on both doors to make up the gap. On which half of the hinge though? Frame side, door side or both?
Any other thoughts welcome as I will deliberate, procrastinate and delay until at least tomorrow as too hot for this today.
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Sorry for the wonky image, only way I could get all four hinges in shot
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Would it work if you remove the strike plate, add a long thin strip of extra wood, and refix? You wouldn't need to get the doors off to do that.

Or possibly, just fit an external padlock until the wet winter weather expands the dry wood again and it fits?
 
That’s a thought Andy, thanks. As well as the main latch strike plate there are another two plates, top and bottom.
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If I did more all 3 of them there would still be a gap for water ingress though.
 
I was thinking of an extra piece as long as the door, so just making the left hand door wider, to fill the gap.

If you still had a water ingress problem you could add a full height cover strip onto the edge of the right hand door.
 
Gotcha, of course. I’ll route around for suitable stock later, expected 34c here so doing much else is a no-no.

I’d have to move the holes that the top and bottom lever locks locate in but not impossible :unsure:
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Don't overdo it so they won't close come winter !

Lots of wood in our house is quite shrunken at the moment. Gaps around doors a shade wider. Tongue and groove showing a bit more tongue, edged of raised panels showing more. Evidence if it were needed that wood never stops moving, no matter how well seasoned.
 
I wonder if it's not just the doors that have shrunk, but the structure on either side as well. Removable sounds good!
 
Our side gate* is currently warped and the gap is so wide that I have moved the keeper on the brenton bolt.
I’m pretty sure that by February it will be back to normal.

* two 4ft wide solid gates
 
Despite the temperatures and seeking justification for all the lollipop sticks I never throw away* I thought I would try a quick temporary fix.
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3 sticks would be a better but ICBA to go back in the house for another one. Nonetheless it gives me a good idea that AndyT’s solution is the way forward. Many thanks.

*lollipop sticks also very good as glue spreaders too.
 
This reminded me of a recurring nightmare when I was a teenager. I was being chased by person(s) unknown...no face. I would teach the safety of our house, slam the door shut only to find that it had shrunk widthwise and that the striker and lock were an inch short of the other bit. That's when I would wake up !
 
Testing showed I need to make up 5mm to the width of the door which also involved moving the main strike plate and two other catch plates by the same amount.
5mm strips were ripped of an unknown reddish brown hardwood board.
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Pieces then cut to to size and shaped to go behind the strike plates and make up the extra width.
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Even managed a bit of hand planing
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Main catch plates showing backing piece and extra door width piece
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i probably should have made a neater job of this but hey it is only a barn door and if the doors /framework do expand in the the wetter weather it may all need to come off.
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But the doors now lock securely and one day the cat shown earlier might even catch the mouse.

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