If you are a homeowner, apartment dweller, or anyone who deals with home maintenance, it is important to know how to fix a crack in a wooden door. It is important to do this small task not only to increase your home’s value but also to increase its “resell value” for the future. Lots of homes have wooden doors that can sometimes get cracks from a number of different causes, such as getting the door frame caught on the door, kids rough-housing through the house, pets, and general wear and tear.
STEPS TO FIXING A CRACK IN A WOODEN DOOR
To fix the crack, follow these steps based on recommendations from the Woodworkers’ Guild of America:
- Locate the crack and pour baking soda into the crack to fill up the space. Pour some baking soda all over the area with the cracks until it fills up the crevices.
- Next, take a putty knife and smooth out the surface so that the baking soda fills all of the empty spaces evenly without gaps.
- Using CA glue, a strong adhesive glue that bonds quickly to wood surfaces, put small drops of glue in any of the areas that contain white baking soda where there were cracks and crevices when pouring the baking soda.
- Using sand paper, sand down the entire area firmly so that it creates a smooth surface above the crack or crevice where you poured the baking soda and glue.
- Finally, allow this to dry for at least two-three hours. Then paint over the surface to completely cover the crack. Since you have put baking soda in previously, the paint should settle nicely without any gaps and you can paint easily over the cracked surface.
FOR LARGER CRACKS
If you are dealing with much larger cracks in wooden doors, you may have to resort to stronger measures than baking soda, glue, and paint. Here are some recommendations for fixing cracks in wood doors containing larger cracks.
- Wood Putty– Wood putty allows you to spread it in the hole and crack so that it acts like a paste that will fill the empty spaces left by the crack. The advantage to wood putty is that it is thick and the repair you make may last a long time. One disadvantage to wood putty though is that it comes in a variety of colors so you will need to match the color to the wood you are working with.
- Wax Sticks– Using wax sticks to fill the gaps may work in cases where the crack is extremely long or needs a lot of filler material to take up the space left by the crack. The advantage to wax sticks is that it is very flexible and can be molded to the crack with minimal effort to fit the open space. Once you have pressed the wax stick into the crevice, simply remove the excess with sand paper or a putty knife.
- Glue and Sawdust– Sawdust makes good filler for a lot of things, so using these leftover wood shavings may work for many door cracks. This method takes more experimentation than anything. So use your fingers to fill in the gaps and smooth it over.
OTHER METHODS
A final method you could try when fixing cracks in wood doors is to use real wood to fill in the wood cracks. Some find this the best solution since it tends to be a stronger repair and will likely last longer than other substances. To do this, simply cut out a section that is approximately the size of the gap left by the crack in the wood and sand down the remaining wood to fit the rest of the area.
SUMMARY
As you can see there are many ways to fix a crack in a wooden door. You can try baking soda and glue, then paint the surface on top to smooth it over. You can use wax sticks, putty, or glue and sawdust, which is perhaps the easiest way to fix a wood crack. Or you can use real wood, which takes a bit more creativity, but allows you to seal the crevice more solidly than you could do with any of the other methods and means. The good news is that you don’t have to be a carpenter or a woodworking expert to do this. Home ownership is a big responsibility and you should have the tools handy when needed to keep your home in top shape so that you increase the value of your home for yourself, and increase the resale value. Knowing how to fix a crack in a wood door is a small thing in itself, but it pays off big when you start to assess your home and get a valuation on your property.
Related Resource: Impact-Resistant Doors
