Forum Discussion

rtreptow7's avatar
rtreptow7
Explorer II
Apr 03, 2020

cabinet door coming apart

During the winter of 2018-2019, our cabinet door just "came apart". Took it in and they fixed it. But it soon came apart again. Right at the seam. I'll post pictures. This past fall they got us a brand new door from the factory. I opened the box and it looked great. It didn't come in until late October. So I just put it back in the box and put it in the camper. Went and looked at it today, and it too came apart sitting over the winter. I'm guessing the cold is doing this? Any tips or suggestions on how to fix this? Not in warranty any longer. I can put all my weight on the door to try and push it back together but it won't budge. I was thinking of glueing it and nailing or stapling it. Not sure why I can't push it back together?

  • agesilaus wrote:
    larry barnhart wrote:
    looks like a simple glue job.

    chevman


    Glue plus clamps of some sort to pull it tight and hold it while the glue sets: Same principal here he fixes a Table but the idea is the same


    About 8:10 he's doing a cabinet door. I have a bunch of wood clamps in my shop but this is like the ones I use the most.
    Clamp
  • Just an update. Brought the door in the house last weekend. Was going to go borrow some pipe clamps from my father in law. Grabbed the door to show him and the floating panel now seemed loose and I could easily squeeze the frame back together by hand. Last weekend I couldn't get it to come together no matter how hard I pushed on it. The door did sit in my wood furnace room over the past week. It gets pretty warm and dry in there. So I'm guessing the humidity evaporated out of the wood? Will try to glue and clamp it back together and see what happens when it returns to the elements.
  • rtreptow7 wrote:
    Just an update. Brought the door in the house last weekend. Was going to go borrow some pipe clamps from my father in law. Grabbed the door to show him and the floating panel now seemed loose and I could easily squeeze the frame back together by hand. Last weekend I couldn't get it to come together no matter how hard I pushed on it. The door did sit in my wood furnace room over the past week. It gets pretty warm and dry in there. So I'm guessing the humidity evaporated out of the wood? Will try to glue and clamp it back together and see what happens when it returns to the elements.


    As one of the others said, you may want to disassemble the door and sand the center panel a bit, to give it a bit more space to "float".

    Lyle
  • laknox wrote:
    rtreptow7 wrote:
    Just an update. Brought the door in the house last weekend. Was going to go borrow some pipe clamps from my father in law. Grabbed the door to show him and the floating panel now seemed loose and I could easily squeeze the frame back together by hand. Last weekend I couldn't get it to come together no matter how hard I pushed on it. The door did sit in my wood furnace room over the past week. It gets pretty warm and dry in there. So I'm guessing the humidity evaporated out of the wood? Will try to glue and clamp it back together and see what happens when it returns to the elements.


    As one of the others said, you may want to disassemble the door and sand the center panel a bit, to give it a bit more space to "float".

    Lyle


    I'd like to try and dissassemble but the thing is nailed or stapled together with tiny little nails or pins too. Not sure how to get those out without ruining the door finish. I'm wondering if the glue will be strong enough to hold the door frame together? I can see how the expansion ripped the pins right through the wood.
  • From my experience, if you use good wood glue and clamp well the door will break somewhere else but not at the joint you glued together.
    Barney
  • rtreptow7 wrote:
    Just an update. Brought the door in the house last weekend. Was going to go borrow some pipe clamps from my father in law. Grabbed the door to show him and the floating panel now seemed loose and I could easily squeeze the frame back together by hand. Last weekend I couldn't get it to come together no matter how hard I pushed on it. The door did sit in my wood furnace room over the past week. It gets pretty warm and dry in there. So I'm guessing the humidity evaporated out of the wood? Will try to glue and clamp it back together and see what happens when it returns to the elements.


    Yes, it is humidity that causes the wood to swell. I had the same issue on a cabinet door in my fiver when I had an RV cover on it in my back yard over the winter a few years ago. I too could not push the joint back together, and took it to a friend of mine who is a finish carpenter. He managed to put it back together and glue it, and it is good to this day.

    Since then, the fiver has been in indoor storage every winter and there have been no further humidity issues.
  • rhagfo's avatar
    rhagfo
    Explorer III
    rtreptow7 wrote:
    laknox wrote:
    rtreptow7 wrote:
    Just an update. Brought the door in the house last weekend. Was going to go borrow some pipe clamps from my father in law. Grabbed the door to show him and the floating panel now seemed loose and I could easily squeeze the frame back together by hand. Last weekend I couldn't get it to come together no matter how hard I pushed on it. The door did sit in my wood furnace room over the past week. It gets pretty warm and dry in there. So I'm guessing the humidity evaporated out of the wood? Will try to glue and clamp it back together and see what happens when it returns to the elements.


    As one of the others said, you may want to disassemble the door and sand the center panel a bit, to give it a bit more space to "float".

    Lyle


    I'd like to try and dissassemble but the thing is nailed or stapled together with tiny little nails or pins too. Not sure how to get those out without ruining the door finish. I'm wondering if the glue will be strong enough to hold the door frame together? I can see how the expansion ripped the pins right through the wood.


    I would glue and staple it back together, I carry an air powered Brad driver and stapler in our 5er for repairs.