We’re not sure how many times we’ve written these words: water is the enemy of wood, but it is germane to today’s piece on warped cabinet doors, whether kitchen or bathroom.
The kitchen sink, the dishwasher, the bathroom sink, the toilet, the shower, the bathtub – all of them a water source directly impacting kitchen and bathroom cabinet doors. When in a humid natural environment that itself is already adding moisture in those rooms, the additional use-introduced moisture can become excessive. That moisture content can strain wooden cabinet doors and the ability of whatever finish you’ve chosen for them to withstand that moisture and protect the wood.
Sometimes shortcuts are taken when we build our own cabinets, and maybe we don’t finish both sides of the door or pay as much attention to the inside of the doors since they are not as often or readily seen. We’re inviting trouble when we do that and should never take those kinds of easy ways out.
Is a warped cabinet door a lost cause, though? Is the warping fatal to the door’s continued use? Maybe, but also maybe not. Let’s consider our options.
What Can Cause a Cabinet Door To Warp?
We’ve already identified the most likely suspect, haven’t we? Moisture is evil when it comes to wood and should always be considered both when building our workpieces (furniture, shelving, cabinets, countertops, etc.). At the first sign of damage, too, it’s the first cause we consider.
But there are others:
- A cabinet door hinge that is just a cm or two off from the door, the opening, and the other hinge(s), or a loose screw connecting the hinge to the door or the hinge to the cabinet face;
- Environmental swings that cause expansion and contraction beyond the door’s ability to maintain structural integrity; and,
- A cabinet frame that wasn’t square when built.
Each of these conditions can impact a kitchen or bathroom cabinet door, and after you have removed the door to examine the extent of the warping you need to address, you should examine the cabinet fully to determine what else might have been at play beyond the prime suspect (water).
If the cabinet box is not square, you’ll need to remove it and make the necessary adjustments with a little rebuild. Remember that it’s connected to both the wall and to any adjacent cabinet to hold it in place. Your cabinet maker should be consulted, too, and with a little disappointment, unless you were him or her.
When working with RTA (ready to assemble) cabinets that you assembled yourself before installing, be sure to check for square throughout assembly. Factory-made does not mean, in all cases, a true square, so follow the old political axiom: trust, but verify.
Symptoms of Warped Cabinet Door
Of course, we know what warped is – that convex bump or bow in the door. That is pretty clear. Perhaps the first sign we notice is the cabinet door not closing fully or closing at the top and bottom but not in the middle. We’ll get to its cure in a moment.
But when is a warp not a warp? When it’s a twist. Sometimes a factory-built frame and panel door will be a bit twisted, causing the cabinet door, when closed, not meeting the top and bottom of the face frame. Clamping won’t help, but we might be able to offer a suggestion when we get to the cure section below.
Is It Possible To Repair A Cabinet Door?
In many instances, yes. There are steps that can be taken to repair doors depending on the extent and cause of the warping or twisting.
We recently posted a piece about dealing with warped plywood and steps that can be taken when dealing with it. The same cure might be the appropriate way to deal with a warped cabinet door if moisture is the cause of the warping.
When Moisture is the Cause
In that piece about warped plywood, we recommended allowing the plywood to dry, spraying the concave side with a little water, and letting the sunshine warm the sheet. This will relax the bow/bump enough for the sheet to become flat again.
We also recommended adding a bit of weight on the convex side of the sheet to speed along the flattening. As the spray of water, you added dries, the concave side will become firm, and the sheet will lie flat. Sometimes clamps can be used in place of weight if the warp is very mild.
This same concept can work with a mildly warped cabinet door.
- Remove the door from the cabinet face; choose a level and flat surface on which to do the flattening;
- Sand the bowed (convex) side of the door down to raw wood to remove some of the bow;
- Lay the door on the flat surface you have chosen and cover the door with a thick and large towel or a blanket that you have sprayed damp with water over the door;
- Place some weight on the towel or blanket, and let it sit for a day, and then replace the towel or blanket with a dry one, leaving the weight in place.
If the door is now flat and level, the warp problem has been cured. Yes, it means a refinish job, but the door is available for use once again when that is done. You may decide it would be easier simply to replace the door and match the finish to the rest of the cabinets. But, at least you have the option of doing either.
It’s difficult to remove all sources of moisture in the kitchen or bathroom. The kitchen sink, the stovetop that creates steam, the water kettle for coffee or tea, and other appliances will add more moisture to the air. The bathroom sink, the tub, and the shower are all pushing moisture into the air, too.
Some woodworkers subscribe to heat rather than moisture, and a heat gun is used to remove the box. We have never tried this with warped wood, so can not offer an opinion. However, we did find a number of discussions on woodworking bulletin boards about the use of heat guns and their efficacy in this process.
So, it may happen again. All you can do is make sure both sides of the door are finished and top-coated, as well as the top and bottom, to remove all entry points for that moisture. Varathane or Minwax Poly can protect cabinet doors from moisture entry, and they are common finishes for cabinet doors. Varnish and lacquer are also waterproofing sealants that can protect your cabinets from the moisture that is all around them.
When a Misaligned Hinge Is the Cause
Even a cm of misalignment can, over time, lead to a warp. Just think how many times a cabinet door is opened and closed, each time giving that misalignment an opportunity to cause mischief with the door.
- Check for loose screws or broken screw heads that can affect the hinge’s performance in those openings and closings.
- Double-check measurements and levels of the hinges as they attach to both the door and to the cabinet face.
- Most cabinet door hinges (cup hinges) are mortised into the cabinet face, so double-check the flush of the hinge with the face’s surface.
- Double-check the level of the hinges.
We mentioned the twisting of a door earlier, and this may also have to do with a hinge misalignment. There’s no bow or cup, just a twist that prevents the door top or bottom from closing fully against the face. Follow the same process in examining the hinges to determine the cause of the twist, and adjust accordingly.
You may be able to twist the door back into flat by bending it gently against a 1” piece of strapping as you close the door. Gently.
Or, a piece of 1” could be used as a cleat on the back side of the door, corner to corner diagonally, to straighten the twist. Be careful with the tension you create so as not to crack the door. If the twist is too pronounced, though, neither of these techniques might work. They are worth a try, though.
In short, determine the cause of any misalignment in hinge connections and take corrective action to cure it. Then, follow the steps outlined above to remove the warp and reinstall it or the steps outlined to remove a twist.
In woodworking, there are as many ways to approach a problem as there are woodworkers. Repairing a warped cabinet door is no different. Here’s an alternative to our suggestions that you might consider, too.
In short, our message is that a warped cabinet door is not a fatal problem. There are ways to fix that warp short of replacing the door entirely. We woodworkers do like challenges, and we like to be self-sufficient and not rely on a new purchase to cure a problem.