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cabinet door coming apart

rtreptow7
Explorer II
Explorer II
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?

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27 REPLIES 27

rhagfo
Explorer III
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.
Russ & Paula the Beagle Belle.
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blofgren
Explorer
Explorer
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.
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BarneyS
Explorer III
Explorer III
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
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rtreptow7
Explorer II
Explorer II
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.
2018 GMC Sierra Denali 2500HD Crew Cab 6.0L 4.10
2019 KZ Durango 1500 286BHD fifth wheel
2010 GMC Sierra 2500HD Crew CAb 6.0L 3.73 REPLACED
2004 Chevy 2500HD Exteneded Cab 6.0L 4.10 gears REPLACED
2004 KZ Frontier 2453P-F fifth wheel-REPLACED

laknox
Nomad
Nomad
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
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rtreptow7
Explorer II
Explorer II
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.
2018 GMC Sierra Denali 2500HD Crew Cab 6.0L 4.10
2019 KZ Durango 1500 286BHD fifth wheel
2010 GMC Sierra 2500HD Crew CAb 6.0L 3.73 REPLACED
2004 Chevy 2500HD Exteneded Cab 6.0L 4.10 gears REPLACED
2004 KZ Frontier 2453P-F fifth wheel-REPLACED

Edd505
Explorer
Explorer
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
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Cummins12V98
Explorer III
Explorer III
larry barnhart wrote:
Cummins12V98 wrote:
That is simply a disgusting product !


because it gets on your fingers? does mine but have used it many times.

chevman


Personally, quality wood glue for me like Titebond. That mitre will look just like that for years to come.


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larry_barnhart
Explorer
Explorer
Cummins12V98 wrote:
That is simply a disgusting product !


because it gets on your fingers? does mine but have used it many times.

chevman
chevman
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Cummins12V98
Explorer III
Explorer III
That is simply a disgusting product !
2015 RAM LongHorn 3500 Dually CrewCab 4X4 CUMMINS/AISIN RearAir 385HP/865TQ 4:10's
37,800# GCVWR "Towing Beast"

"HeavyWeight" B&W RVK3600

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2007.5 Mobile Suites 36 SB3 29,000# Combined SOLD

Johno02
Explorer
Explorer
Humidity causes the problem, Gorilla glue fixes it.
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Desert_Captain
Explorer III
Explorer III
While not exactly the issue the OP has the cure I employed might help to strengthen the doors...

First my smaller closet door came apart in my hand one day when I opened it. After 8 years of bouncing down the road the framing split/separated. About 6 months later the larger closet door did the same thing. Both times I used this trick to strengthen them.

First I bought "L" shaped braces at the local hardware store and screwed them, overlapped, into the the two pieces at the top and bottom of each door. I used Gorilla Glue drizzled into the cracks and secured them with several clamps. The next day I sliced/scraped the excess glue off and they are both stronger than they were originally built. More than a year later both work fine and show no signs of another failure.

Straight bracing might work for the OP if he could clamp the separating sections together and then screw the braces in place to lock them in position. Good luck.




:C

Cummins12V98
Explorer III
Explorer III
These doors are typically pinned with micro headless nails.

2015 RAM LongHorn 3500 Dually CrewCab 4X4 CUMMINS/AISIN RearAir 385HP/865TQ 4:10's
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StirCrazy
Moderator
Moderator
mhardin wrote:
RobWNY wrote:
Don't get any glue on the raised panel portion. Those are supposed to "float" in the rails and styles. If you glue that part in, eventually it will break because wood expands and contracts. Just glue the rail to the style at the bottom. Clamp it for a day and re-hang the door.


What he said!


don't worry about getting glue on one side of the floating pannel, it can still contract and expand in 3 directions so all will be fine.

I had a few of those in my old trailer, just use a tooth pick spread some plain white carpenters glue into the joint all around and clamp it over night. if you don't have bar clamps use a ratchet strap or something like that, I think last time I used a piece of rope and a screwdriver to tighten it up while I was camping.

Steve
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