Ever try to open a wood door on a hot and muggy day. You can pull and pull until you 're about to "bust" a blood vessel and the door won't budge. You stand there all frustrated, turn and walk away. You vow to yourself that tomorrow, you'll get that door open if you have to take a crowbar to it. The following day you walk up to the door and grab the handle to give it one more pull. Much to your surprise it opens without any resistance. You stand there amazed that your other half has performed a minor miracle and you didn't have to say anything. Well, maybe you live with a miracle worker, but the usual explanation is that the door has shrunk to a size that now fits into the door frame. Wood products are effected by moisture and humidity. When it gets hot and humid, moisture is absorbed by the wood fibers in the door. This absorption causes the wood to swell. This swelling may case the door to rub the door casing. Sometimes doors may swell so much that they become stuck in the door frame.

Should this condition result from the door swelling, do nothing. Wait for one complete heating and cooling cycle. The door should acclimate itself to it's surroundings and will not trouble you again.

Sometimes, the doors are installed with minimum clearances. This problem can be correct in two ways. You may remove the entire door and frame and re-hang the door, or remove the door and plane the offending surface.

One way to minimize door swelling is to completely seal the door surfaces. Seal the face sides, all the edges, including the top and bottom. A good primer and two finish coats of paint can really be an arm saver. When clear coating a door,follow the procedure of one coat of sealer and two coats of finish. This process will not guarantee that your doors will not bind, but it certainly will decrease the amount of time you're left with a knob in your hand and a door in front of your face.