Had our front door (East facing) replaced with a panelled cedar door just before Christmas. In less than 8 wks the door is cracked in 3 places ie the light shines through. All 3 places are at the thin part of the panelling. What has caused the cracking? Arrived with oil based primer and we arranged having the top coats painted. Joiner originally said he'd only replace the 3 damaged panels (has 6 in total) but has later agreed to replace the 6. I'm asking/fighting hard for a whole new door. Also, he'll only supply in primed state again and won't compensate for having it repainted. What's your opinion?
survivalkiwi,
Feb 24, 11:34am
If one cracked then why would another one not? I would be looking for a different type of door.
koru67,
Feb 24, 12:04pm
Me too. Is it a cheaper priced cedar door?.
hammer23,
Feb 24, 3:27pm
The joiner is correct. He only has to replace the cracked panels . The panels have cracked because they have dried out in the summer heat and other panels may still crack. A legal principal in contract law is that you the painter has to be satisfied that when you put your work against another contractors work you have to be satisfied that there work satisfactory and will not fail. You aren't to know this would happen but it does and you just have to take the repaint on the chin. If you go onto a building site you will see the painters draw rings on the gibboard if they are unhappy with the plastering,same princal other wise they would have to repaint the wall if the finished job was not acceptable.Sorry you have had this happen to a lovely door.
hammer23,
Feb 24, 3:50pm
The bad news is that those doors are shaped down to say 12mm on the edges to fit into the door style and do crack as they dry out,it happened to my own front door intime and you may be best to have a conversation with the joiner on using the existing styles and different shaped panels. Best of luck.
pauldw,
Feb 24, 4:26pm
survivalkiwi wrote: If one cracked then why would another one not? I would be looking for a different type of door.[/quote?]
Once you lock floating panels in place with paint they can't move with changes in size. They will tend to split as the panel tries to shrink.
mechnificent,
Feb 24, 10:17pm
Cedar is a very stable timber normally. not prone to splitting even in full sun. they make weatherboards, and shingles for roofs out of it.
I'd be confirming that it is cedar.
zak410,
Feb 24, 11:00pm
6 new panels is as good as a new door now your joiner knows the problem. Paint it as light a colour as you can.
pauldw above is right, that's why the panels are never glued in the grooves.
rozsina,
Feb 27, 5:38am
Thanks for your comments everyone. koru67 - It's a paint quality cedar which to me implies it's a cheap cedar. I'll be asking for a better quality cedar for the replacement door. hammer23 - I'm stuck having the same style for the replacement door as I've got 2 panelled side lights that match. They were also replaced at the same time as the door but they're fine. pauldw - ok, I understand what you're saying. So what's the solution for next time? Does the wood need weathering or special treatment before it's painted to prevent cracking after being painted? zak410 - if my joiner does know the problem he's not admitting it to me. He says there's nothing wrong with his workmanship, it's because I've painted it a "dark colour" (sage green) which draws the heat and I've breached the warranty - although he never gave me the warranty. I don't believe it's a dark colour. I've seen darker coloured doors in our street that get full sun all day (which our's does not) and they're not cracked. I believe the problem is in the building of the panels. What do I need to ask him to do differently next time so I can be assured they're not going to crack again? Do you think he's glued the panels?
mechnificent,
Feb 27, 2:07pm
I'd be quite sure it's the type of wood he's used. Cedar is really really stable. It is not at all prone to splitting. Not even in the hottest sun and after years and years. It gets used for roof shingles.
pauldw,
Feb 27, 2:59pm
Roof shingles have 1 nail and are free to move in all directions.The problem arises when you trap both sides of something that is shrinking. Very straight grained timber will easily split. If it is being painted why use cedar?
I have a pine door that has done the same thing. The inside was stained and polyurethaned but the outside was painted a dark colour. The door gets sun all morning. So many panels are split top to bottom that I think I will cover the outside with ply or similar. Some doors are made with either an MDF like panel or a ply panel with wood veneer either side.
mechnificent,
Feb 27, 3:31pm
They have been making cedar doors and windows for years and years, and painting them. and sometimes, in dark colours I'm sure.
Pine does split, and it's because it's not stable, it expands and contracts with moisture. Cedar is very stable, it does not expand and contract with moisture, it's one of the reasons they use it for doors and windows. The other reasons are it's stiff and light and . not prone to splitting.
The wood that door is made of is suspect.
rozsina,
Feb 27, 10:31pm
I have my doubts the panels are cedar too. It arrived primed so I couldn't tell. I'll be asking him for confirmation and later will be checking it out for myself when I can take the current door apart when it's replaced. Will keep you informed! I can't recall if I chose cedar or whether the joiner recommended it or it's just what they use but I was happy to go with cedar as I thought it was hard wearing.
jkp58,
Feb 27, 11:15pm
was it primed with waterbased primer or oil based.are top and bottom edges primer?Oil based primer is best .Bottom and top edges primed are a must,Having stained lots of new ceader over the past few years I have noticed the odd boards are spliting it may be a supply issue.
rozsina,
Mar 2, 5:04pm
It was primed with oil based primer. The top and bottom edges were primed. Thanks for your feedback.
don735,
Mar 3, 2:02am
A legal principle in contract law ! now thats crap. if I paint a concrete wall and the owner donsnt like the air holes caused by the forming of the concrete its the painters fault. show me this law? because thats what I would be asking you in a court of law to do
11
don735,
May 12, 4:15am
what a lot of crap hammer23 a painter isnt the joiner how come its the painters job to over see others work. any way there is no law in legal prinicipal as you say it. so show me it because thats what I would be hammer home to you in court. hammer you have to be a builder looking to blame others instead of uping your own game
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