My aunt has a wooden gate that swells up when it gets moist and then she can't open it. Any thoughts on how to fix this? I'm thinking non-breathing type of paint or finish to try and keep the moisture from getting to the wood? Supposedly the guy that installed it tried shaving the wood down but it didn't work and the thing still sticks.
Any tips?
Thanks.
Shave it down more.
Quote from: Speeddog on October 19, 2009, 09:45:26 PM
Shave it down more.
It seems to be swelling quite a bit and shaving it down more will not leave much material left. It'll also leave a huge gap when the wood isn't swollen. Not sure what kind of wood it is that it swells so much.
Quote from: erkishhorde on October 19, 2009, 09:56:02 PM
It seems to be swelling quite a bit and shaving it down more will not leave much material left. It'll also leave a huge gap when the wood isn't swollen. Not sure what kind of wood it is that it swells so much.
There's a joke in there somewhere. ;)
Perhaps wait until it shrinks to a usable condition and use Thompson's Water Seal?
I don't know much about wood treatments for that purpose, surely someone else here knows...
I think Thompson's water seal might work, or almost any kind of stain or solid color paint should seal the wood. Are the hinges firmly attached? If they're loose the slop could be allowing the gate to bind.
I'd try paint or stain first and if that doesn't work and the gate is too thin, can you shave more off the fence post instead of the gate?
Pictures?
It's unlikely you'll stop the wood from swelling with paint or stain. Pictures would help, it really sounds like something doesn't fit right.
My wood gets swollen when its wet too... if it stays that way for longer than four hours you should call a doctor.
The Thompson's water seal will work to keep it in line, just make sure your wood is dry before you put it on or you will seal the moisture in.
Might it be the hinge side post leaning over in the wet ground? IMHO, sealing it won't keep moisture out, particularly in the longer run. Think about fully painted interior doors that stick when the humidity comes up. My advice would be to pull or brace the hinge post away from the closing side if it is out of plumb. If it is not out of plumb, shave off material.
I hd a sticky gate due to the post twisting and warping after install. It is not the moisture, although a good rain made it worse. I put a decorative detail above the gate that spread the hinge side back out to plumb.
I second the notion it might be the weight of the water in the wood, not the swelling, that is causing fit problems. Big wood gates are a b!tch to keep working right over the years.
mitt
Ah, got more information from her. Thanks for the suggestions so far.
Quote
All new fencing materialsâ€"redwood panels, treated posts, hinges, etc. The only thing they didn't do is cement the posts. They dug out the old posts and put in new posts (which is now no longer 4†x 4†but in reality much smaller but is still called 4 x 4) and put in shims to hold it in place (in other words, the square holes were larger than the new posts). The gate is really heavyâ€"now only about 55†wideâ€"4' 7†since has been shaved a bit. It is standard 6' tall paneling, but I didn't measure itâ€"might be taller with the wheels.
After she described it I kinda remembered what the gate is like. There's a wheel on the opening end to let it roll. I'm thinking that the post is her problem but with the wheel supporting the opening side I don't understand how the post is getting bothered by the gate.
Quote from: Statler on October 17, 2009, 06:57:18 AM
it doesn't take off.
(http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:rvsAYHGhd76phM:http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f3/Woodworking-Plane.jpg)
It is totally the post. I have built plenty of fences in my time. I always recommend cementing every post 1/3 its height in the ground. I've built fences for folks without enough coin to buy that much concrete, so I've set those in gravel. I NEVER set gate posts (hinge or latch side) in anything but concrete.
It gets wet, the weight of the gate pulls the post down toward the latch side. The only way to fix it is put in a new hinge post, set in concrete. You could set an anchor in cement like four feet away, near the fence line and run a cable or wooden support to pull it upright, but that would look awful (might be easier than pulling the current post).
I've had 6 foot gravel set posts (1/3 in the ground) move more than a foot at the top, not at a corner or a gate, just frost heaving.
<edit>
I just reread your post. So they set the new post in the old concrete using shims to square it up and fill in the voids? With shims, they are likely only getting contact around the top of the hole, which acts like a hinge point. How much room is there? Enough to pour in a pourable concrete like floor leveler?
I think the new post is a 4x4 in a concrete hole that originally had a 5x5. Not sure that's enough space to fill in with concrete.
Quote from: erkishhorde on October 21, 2009, 02:43:53 PM
I think the new post is a 4x4 in a concrete hole that originally had a 5x5. Not sure that's enough space to fill in with concrete.
Do you think you could use grout or masonry mortar that is fine grained with no gravel? Mixed a little thin you might be able to get it down the gap.
Quote from: Langanobob on October 21, 2009, 03:06:56 PM
Do you think you could use grout or masonry mortar that is fine grained with no gravel? Mixed a little thin you might be able to get it down the gap.
+1. You can mix grout so it will almost flow or use the quick set floor leveler (liquid, self leveling, fast setting) and pour it in the hole.