Cracked door panel

Hi. My front door is wood, one of the panels has crack. Was small, has gotten bigger. Filled with wood filler last fall but reopened during the winter. Crack is now bigger than ever. Can this be fixed? Right now I have it taped to keep out the draft. I hate to have to replace the whole door.

 

Unfortunately, replacement is about the only solution. Do you have any idea of why it cracked? That isn't very common.

 

Thanks, I think it was probably my ex years ago. He liked to hit doors and walls when he was angry (hence the "ex"). The crack didn't open this badly until this past year.

 

OK, so the problem probably isn't with the "soundness" of the door (soundness of ex's is a whole 'nother thing )

It may be possible to replace the panel if you - or someone you know - is a good woodworker. The panel fits in grooves which were milled into the door rails and stiles when it was built.

Working very carefully with a saw or router, cut away just enough of the rail and stiles to expose the edges of the panel. When you have the edges exposed, the panel should pop right out.

Make a new panel approximately 1/8" smaller than the opening (in both directions) and install it - replacing the parts of the rail and stiles that were cut away with some new filler pieces.

When you put it back together, bed the panel in a bead of glaziers putty and don't nail or glue it in place. It needs to "float" so it can expand and contract with changes in temperature and humidity. The filler pieces are glued and nailed.

Before you leap into this plan, get some other opinions. It may be less expensive to just replace the door.