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How to fix swollen laundry door?

Hello all,

Have recently discovered my laundry door has been swelling and suffering from water damage due to a leak at the washer which has now been repaired.

Wondering what I could do to fix this since it’s pretty severe. Would a replacement be better of the door; it’s about 2.5m in length, held up by 3 hinges? Unsure if I still have the identical paint lying around though.

Cheers!

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JacobZ

Hi @MarkoLow,

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community, it is fantastic to have you with us.

Your laundry door is made of MDF, which is essentially heavily compressed wood fibres held together with glue. Think cardboard, but much denser. Like cardboard, when moisture gets into MDF, the wood fibres expand, and the glue and wood fibres will weaken.

Unfortunately, there is no great way to fix this, so the best option is replacement.

If you can advise what the thickness of the door is, as well as the height and width, I'd be happy to recommend a panel that you could use to replace it.

You will have to drill rebates for the hinges in your new door. For this, you can use this Kreg Concealed Hinge Jig.

If you do not have the paint lying around, you can take a paint chip from your door and bring it to the Paint Desk in your local store so it can be colour-matched.

Let me know what you think.

Jacob

MarkoLow

Hey Jacob,

Thanks for the reply. Unfortunate to hear it isn’t fixable.

Regrading replacement, the measurements in cm are: 235 L x 41.9 W x 1.8 D. Would be happy to give it a crack.

Thanks again

MarkoLow

Further update. Have noticed the actual frame the door is attached to is also swollen at the bottom. Would this be replaced by ripping it out and sliding/glueing a new piece in?

thanks again.

JacobZ

Hi @MarkoLow,

You'd have to replace the frame, but I'm not 100% certain how you would go about it.

You'd have to try your best to replicate what is currently there. I doubt it is just glued in place, as it is supporting the weight of the door, so there will probably be screws somewhere

Is there anything else attached to the frame?

Can you see how it is currently attached? Any screws or visible screwcaps?

What is the frame attached to?

I can assist further when we've had a look at these things.

You can use this CUSTOMwood 2400 x 1200 x 18mm Raw Standard MDF for the door.

You'll have to start by cutting it to size. I'd recommend using the technique shown in How To Cut Laminate Benchtop, using a spirit level and clamps as a guide to ensure you get perfectly straight cuts.

Once cut, prime and paint, then drill out the holes for your hinges.

Let me know how you go.

JAcob

Noyade

Hi @MarkoLow

For me I would try cutting to size a Bunnings Specrite hardwood board - door and frame. I'm no fan of MDF - unless you can figure out why this area got so wet?

Just a thought.

MarkoLow

Hello Jacob. Had a look and there are screws that go into the wall, they are just above the hinges. Im guessing I would remove them, and do the same process as with the door, then drill in new screws to hold it.

JacobZ

Hi @MarkoLow,

That is more or less the process; remove and replace as close to how it was done originally.

If you can get the screws out, you may even be able to reuse them or at least purchase similar new ones.

Let me know if you have any more questions, I am more than happy to assist further if required.

Jacob

MarkoLow

Cheers for that Jacob. I see the link you posted for the MDF isn’t working, or the product is out. I’ll have a look around and visit my local Bunnings (also will think about using the hardwood).

I understand Bunnings offers some cutting services, though it might not be 100% accurate?

EricL

Hello @MarkoLow

Yes, the shop saws are not built to do precision cuts, they are often used for cutting the timber materials down for ease of transport. I suggest trying this link CUSTOMwood 2400 x 1200 x 18mm Raw Standard E0 MDF. If it still fails to bring you to the correct page, please go to the main Bunnings Page and type in this description - CUSTOMwood 2400 x 1200 x 18mm Raw Standard E0 MDF.

If you need further assistance, please let us know.

Eric

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