Heresy! Caulking the joints of an exterior panel door

[WelshDog]

I have a nice TruStile exterior wood front door. It is a large single panel in their proprietary stile and rail frame.  It has square sticking and is about 4 years old.  The door was HVLP spray painted with an oil paint.  The door gets rain on it regularly as I am in Texas where it doesn't just rain, but usually storms with rain blowing in under the overhang. The door also get sun exposure.

 

So the door is already showing problems with swelling of the lower rail and stiles after a rain. The panel is veneered I think and there are some vertical gaps showing where the paint did not adequately create a contiguous film over the joints. The gaps are less than 1mm.  What I want to do, and feel I must do, is get some flexible caulk in between the panel and the rails/stiles.  I know that this is normally considered wrong since there needs to be movement there for expansion/contraction.  But since the sticking is square (water stands on the rail) and the HVLP paint failed to create a good film of paint I feel I have no choice.  After applying a very tiny amount of caulk I will brush paint the door to get good coverage.  I am less clear what do do about the gaps that have appeared in the panel.  My first thought is that brush painting will get some paint in there which might slow down any additional water intrusion and gapping.

 

Please let me know what you think about my plan.  Thanks!

 

 

[Brendon_t]

Im thinking if there is a high moisture content in the door and you seal it up, your begging the wet wood to start rotting.

[Tpt life]

Chamfer the rails? Might require a refinish.

[dwacker]

TS is know for their lousy mdf exterior doors. You need to know if it's from their mdf line or their stave core line. If it's from the mdf line then caulk away. All exterior doors should have a seal in the stiles and rails to seal off the panels. But it won't do a thing for water sitting in the rails.

[wdwerker]

If it's not that great of a door and you are going to caulk I use Lexcel caulk in situations that require flexibility. It's a very flexible caulk and comes in clear and white. It's paintable and cleans up with mineral spirits. The clear is incredibly clear which is handy for backsplashes and bathtubs.

[Eric.]

Leave it to Don to cut right to the bone.  The man doesn't parse words...ya gotta respect that.

 

Wish I had a more positive and contrary bit of advice to add...but it does sound like shoddy construction and/or materials is at the heart of the problem.  May not be as high-quality as you think.  I'd contact the company and demand replacement or other restitution...most quality exterior products come with fairly long-term warranties.

[dwacker]

The fault is the guy that installed the thing. The door is not rated for driving rain. The mdf doors swell and are held together with a draw bolt. These doors need to be installed only in a entry with a long over hang to prevent issues. Wood dries faster mdf holds moisture longer like a sponge.

[WelshDog]

Leave it to Don to cut right to the bone.  The man doesn't parse words...ya gotta respect that.

 

Wish I had a more positive and contrary bit of advice to add...but it does sound like shoddy construction and/or materials is at the heart of the problem.  May not be as high-quality as you think.  I'd contact the company and demand replacement or other restitution...most quality exterior products come with fairly long-term warranties.

 

The door warranty explicitly excludes rain issues if the overhang does not meet their specifications and apparently it does not. I purchased the doors and had them installed. The dealer did not offer any explanation or warning about installation restrictions (natch) or ask me any questions about where the doors were being located.  Not having any experience with this sort of thing I assumed "hey exterior door waterproof right?"  I only fully read the warranty specs after the door were purchased and didn't really think it would be an issue - live and learn.  Some of the problems also come from my style choice - I really wanted the square sticking for a cleaner look.  I used to live in an old craftsman style with a huge door that had square sticking, but it also had a enormous porch that completely shielded the door from water.  I liked the door and wanted to have something similar here.

 

If I remember correctly these doors are an MDF and real wood hybrid.  They do have the bolt through the rails which tends to make them feel very solid. The only problem area is where the water runs down to the lower rail.  I do think that if I can get some caulk in there and a good paint film over that the water ingress will be stopped or slowed. I will find the Lexcel caulk that Steve mentioned and use that to provide flexibility.  The wood in this door has to move a lot due to the sun exposure during parts of the day so flexible caulk is important.

 

Thanks everyone for the information and comments.

[dwacker]

 The wood in this door has to move a lot due to the sun exposure during parts of the day so flexible caulk is important.

 

 

Not really the door should not move much at all, thats part of the reason it has a MDF core. If the door moves its saturated and damaged. MDF does not expand and contract like real wood. If it expands its because its saturated and the damage is done, game over. Since what is done is done you can fill the void with any paintable silicone.