Internal door rot repair

[anxious_ant]

I've noticed that the doors for my ensuite toilet and bathroom have, what appears to me as dry rot. I don't notice any fungus, looks like some of the wood "burst out". Perhaps from all the excessive steam from those long, hot baths/showers the missus and daughter likes to take... but I digress.

Is this something that can be repaired using medium grit sandpaper, some wood hardener and a lick of paint?
I believe the hardener will seal the rot, but will not shape it. Do I also need some wood filler here?

Realise it won't look as good as new, but would it be something a novice like me could repair?
Or is it time for new doors?

TIA for all the friendly advice

[Djtemeka]

It’s an mdf door. They will all do that in a bathroom. £20 for a new door

[t400ble]

Yeah cheap as chips

[anxious_ant]

Djtemeka said:

It’s an mdf door. They will all do that in a bathroom. £20 for a new door

Understood I didn't realise its an MDF door, thought it wood but hey, live and let learn!

£20 not too bad. Time to get shopping.

[anxious_ant]

t400ble said:

Yeah cheap as chips

Glad to hear that as have 2-3 doors to swap. Also have to saw off bottom edge as I have raised flooring but that should be easier with MDF.

[WyrleyD]

My bathroom door did that due to excessive team I believe. I removed the door and repaired with wood filler as it was very much worse than yours, it's an odd size and couldn't find anything close in size and cutting would exceed the advised trimming limits. I've no idea where the previous owner sourced the doors as every one in the house is a different size!

[anxious_ant]

WyrleyD said:

My bathroom door did that due to excessive team I believe. I removed the door and repaired with wood filler as it was very much worse than yours, it's an odd size and couldn't find anything close in size and cutting would exceed the advised trimming limits. I've no idea where the previous owner sourced the doors as every one in the house is a different size!

Yes, my door is an odd size as well.
I’ve had a look at MDF doors and it looks like I would have to cut them down to size and also create the holes for the handles.

Can MDF doors be repaired?
I am thinking of repairing them without removing as most of the damage can be repaired without removing.

I believe it’s just cosmetic as definitely doesn’t look like rot to me.

[ro250]

It's just what MDF does when it gets wet - it blows out as it's so absorbent.

Yes, the frustration is that whilst the door is cheap, hanging them is a skill. Might be inclined to get a 'proper' wooden door for the bathroom and it'll last longer.

[jamm13dodger]

You might also want to investigate your bathroom ventilation - if the door is doing that, what's happening to the walls, ceiling, floors, etc?

[anxious_ant]

jamm13dodger said:

You might also want to investigate your bathroom ventilation - if the door is doing that, what's happening to the walls, ceiling, floors, etc?

The walls on the en-suite does get a bit damp in the en-suite.
I’ve used a damp resistant paint which does the job fighting occasional mold, just have to reapply every 5 years of so.

I’ve already changed the extractor to a centrifugal one which helped, but without drilling a larger hole (not ideal) I don’t think we can totally eliminate the excess steam.

I also have same issue downstairs toilet (not as bad). No steam there so perhaps from the occasional splash. I am bit OCD in cleaning so would use wet sponge on the door, perhaps I should stop that

There is no ventilation in the bathroom, but there is a window.

The doors are about 10 years old though, so maybe wear and tear?

I am wondering if I can repair using wood hardener or filler, and perhaps use a better paint?

Other option is to get tradesmen to do it, as this is beyond my skill level

[anonymous-user]

ro250 said:

It's just what MDF does when it gets wet - it blows out as it's so absorbent.

Yes, the frustration is that whilst the door is cheap, hanging them is a skill. Might be inclined to get a 'proper' wooden door for the bathroom and it'll last longer.

Exactly what I would do, those egg box doors are rubbish

[anxious_ant]

Joey Deacon said:

ro250 said:

It's just what MDF does when it gets wet - it blows out as it's so absorbent.

Yes, the frustration is that whilst the door is cheap, hanging them is a skill. Might be inclined to get a 'proper' wooden door for the bathroom and it'll last longer.

Exactly what I would do, those egg box doors are rubbish

Yes, as above the other option is to get a tradesmen to do it.
I’ve measured and the doors are not standard size so will definitely need some cutting. Also need to trim the bottom off due to flooring, and then cut holes for the handles/locks.

Good news is damage is not rot
Wonder why the builders installed MDF doors in bathrooms and en-suite knowing this but it is what it is.

I think if I repair it will just happen again plus it won’t look good, so might as well get new doors.

[ro250]

anxious_ant said:

Yes, as above the other option is to get a tradesmen to do it.
I’ve measured and the doors are not standard size so will definitely need some cutting. Also need to trim the bottom off due to flooring, and then cut holes for the handles/locks.

Good news is damage is not rot
Wonder why the builders installed MDF doors in bathrooms and en-suite knowing this but it is what it is.

I think if I repair it will just happen again plus it won’t look good, so might as well get new doors.

Because they're cheap as chips and look decent for a while.

Good luck with the new door. A chippie might charge you £50 to hang it but worth it.

[C Lee Farquar]

And should you get dry rot elsewhere in the future, trying to kill it with wood filler is unlikely to end well.

[WyrleyD]

My house had been rented out for a number of years and the woman renter never opened the windows, when we moved in there was black mould everywhere due to always drying clothes indoors and using all the radiators to do this, including the bathroom. I repaired the bathroom door as I said and used Zinser BIN to coat the door when I'd got all the profiles to an acceptable form and then used waterproof paint for the top coat, been OK for the last two years and no sign of the previous problem. Also, treated everywhere where there had been black mould with Zinser and no mould has come back but we do ventilate the house summer and winter.

[anxious_ant]

C Lee Farquar said:

And should you get dry rot elsewhere in the future, trying to kill it with wood filler is unlikely to end well.

Got wet rot on bottom of the the garage side door. This is a simple flat wooden door, no patterns etc.
Chiselled out as much rotted wood as I could, and filled it in with...epoxy No wood filler at hand that time, and wanted to make hay whilst sun shone (mini heatwave).

It wasn't perfect finish as still a bit of a crater but at least no more rot. Finished off with few layers of waterproof paint. Looks ok but wanting to hang a proper door with frosted glass panels to get some light in the garage when funds allows. Those doors are 300-400 quid so not cheap.

[agent006]

Leave the bathroom door open after a shower and the extractor will have a much easier time of clearing the steam.

[Pothole]

agent006 said:

Leave the bathroom door open after a shower and the extractor will have a much easier time of clearing the steam.

And/or put a vent in the door

[anxious_ant]

Sorry for thread revival

I have found decent enough 4 panel internal MDF doors at around £35 from Wickes which closely matches what we have.
I've asked around for chippy for cost to hang 5 doors, and cheapest quote I got was £70 per door. I have about 5 doors to hang so this is a bit costly.

So I am thinking of trying to the doors myself. I have seen a few YouTube videos to learn about hanging doors.
Looks like I would need decent set of chisel, planer and correct diameter drill bits for the handle and locks. I am planning of using the original hinges and locks.

Can anyone offer any tips and advice or perhaps any other tools that might help?

[Nico Adie]

Having hung a few doors in my time, if I had to do multiple at one time I'd be getting a router hinge jig/template and doing it that way, no question about it.

And a couple of inflatable door wedges.