A friend has asked me if I can fix a freestanding clothes closet her grandfather made in the mid 50’s. The main problem is warpage of the doors which are about 5′ in length and about 18″ wide each. They appear to be made from mahogany (rails & stiles with panel insert). The warpage over the full length is about 2″. Short of rebuilding the doors does anyone have suggestions as to how I may fix the doors. There is also some warpage in the cabinet body but not to the extent of the doors. Because of the sentimental value of the closet, I would like to try and keep it as original as possible. Thanks for you help.
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Replies
You can buy heavy guage piano wire,and bend it like a clothes hanger,overcompensating for the warp. Then drill holes in the tops and bottoms of the stiles,and rout a small groove to hide the wire in the rails.Insert at least 5 inches into the door stiles and the warp should be removed.
Good luck.
Thanks for the suggestion. I'm not sure if piano wire will be stiff enough but the idea of putting some type of stiffener in the doors sounds like the way to go. I'll be looking into it more. Thanks again.
How many hinges are on the door? What type of hinges? If there are only two barrel hinges, if you add one or two hinges(depending on the height of the door), that could help straighten it out.
That is, if I understood you correctly.
John, There are several ways to alleviate the problem with warped cabinet doors.
One way is to alter the positioning of the hinges to make a compromise (that is,by relocating the top left hinge leaf on the jamb out beyond the bottom hinge and moving the bottom left hinge's leaf in)
This will bring the bottom of the door inward to close the space a little. To continue to lessen the gap, reposition the right door, BUT!..Just the opposite way. It will further close the gap..
The above scenario would apply if the bottom right edge protrudes out past the bottom left's edge. If the opposite is true, reverse instructions. You may add a center hinge to further realign the doors, but,keep the hinge barrels in the same plane.
A 2" gap is severe and sometimes caused by an uneven floor, so try shimming up one corner at a time with a wedge till you re-level it.
If this STILL needs 'tweaking,' install an elbow catch at the bottom of the wayward door to hook with a gentle push.
Sometimes using a small block of wood to act as a stop inside the bottom of the opposite door and a strong magnetic catch on it's top will pull everything neatly together.
Another way I've tackled stubborn warped doors, is by cutting kerfs on the inside rails and gluing and wedging thicker splines to actually bend the door to my will. Check with wife before this extreme measure! Stein.
Edited 11/10/2003 11:19:58 PM ET by steinmetz
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