Metal (woodcore) door warping question...

[Blake Patterson]

I had a doorframe/door replacement done in early February. It's a pressed-wood / particleboard core door with metal sheet over both sides with a large window in the middle. I leearned shortly after it was installed that I need to paint the door, sealing it entirely as to avoid warping. My intention was to do this in the following months after things warmed up.

I never got around to it.

So now it is mid October and tomorrow temps run from morning to nite from low of 45 to high of 60. It will be 2 weeks before I can get to it again if I don't paint it this weekend. It is raining today but no rain (currently) called for tomorrow. The situation is not ideal.

The door is not warped currently - it opens / shuts as easily as it did when installed. I am wondering if warping is a guarantee if I wait until NEXT spring to paint/seal this door. Will it almost certainly warp?

Thanks.

bp

[ameijers]

???? Learned from who that it had to be painted? If the door is fully skinned (ie, no exposed wood on top and bottom edges), and properly shimmed and installed, warpage should not be a problem. Biggest reason to paint steelclad doors when new is to avoid having to sand/scrub off all the rust and crud before you paint them. If you have a large window in the middle, need to make sure the trim on the outside doesn't let water into the interior of the door- a thin bead of caulk will take care of that, but then you have to scrape that out when you do paint. I've seen good-quality steelclad doors go for a decade without warping or rusting, with nothing but the factory primer on them, but they did have an overhang to protect them from some of the weather.

aem sends....

[Blake Patterson]

The ends of the door are painted (just primered maybe?) so bare wood is not visible - but they are not sealed off with metal strips like the rest of the door. How does that affect things?

Thanks.

bp

[Blake Patterson]

...oh, and the door is receeded 7' under an overhang - it never gets directly wet or in direct sun, ever.

bp