Leaking timber front door - how to fix?

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fobos8

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Hi there

Our timber front door leaks when it rain, specifically around 1 side of the fielded panel. I'm surprised it leaks as it seems well made and there are 2 hidden drainage slots in the bottom bead.

Attached to the rebate in the door is a 2mm thick black gasket, which I guess is supposed to create a seal between the door and panel. The field panel appears to be solid timber and is not cupped or distorted.

What is the best way to fix it? I have spare beads and matching paint, but no spare gasket.

I'm thinking about removing the fielded panel, silicone the rebate, and re-fitting the panel and beads.

Anyone got any better ideas?

Cheers, Andrew

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Looks a decent door (Accoya?).

I guess the question is where is the water getting in, removing the beads and seeing what you find is a good place to start.
 
You should be able to take the panel out and reseal it without any problem.
Your arrow seems to indicate that the leak is coming in at the base of the inner side moulding. In which case, this would indicate that the inner beads have also been applied, rather than worked on the stiles, themselves Otherwise, how would the water be getting through at this point?
From a general point of view, fielded panels are not ideal for outside doors, unless they protected by a porch.There is something about the dynamic of fielded panels, driving rain, and wind,that invariably leads to leaks -think power-shower
 
I always thought the beads had to go on the inside for security?

I always think that is the case with plastic windows etc where the beads are easy to remove.

With wood the beads are generally harder to remove and also you can use security glazing tape.

External beads are easier to vent/drain.

I will leave it there as people have different opinions on this and it could end up like a sharpening thread 🙃
 
I think what I need to do is;

1, seal the panel to the internal rebate on the door
2, seal around the edge of the panel externally - like this the whole thing should be watertight in my opinon
3, apply the beads. These can be brad nailed in place, they are just there to cover up what's underneath. The bottom bead has drainage slots.

For step 1 I'd considered using some sort of black "gasket" as that's what's there now, but I'm open to using putty or anything else, "Sticks like Sh*t" or even frame sealant. For step 2 I can use putty or flexi sealant as well.

Cheers, Andrew
 
As others have suggested I'd take the bead out and reseat the panel with glazing tape - that stuff sticks like sheet to a shovel and even if someone went to the bother of attempting removing the beading from the outside the tape would prevent easy panel removal without breaking the panel itself.
I've in the past used 2mm thick tape for glazing and also for capping in a 1mm rebate the top of weather bars - the 1mm allows for the inevitable movement one will get with such an exposed part.
 
Looks a decent door (Accoya?).

I guess the question is where is the water getting in, removing the beads and seeing what you find is a good place to start.
I agree , strip down the door panel and look for the tell tale signs of water ingress before making any repairs . Water has a habit of travelling so where the leak occurs is not necessarily the root cause of the leak - a completely different issue but a housebound customer of mine was charged several hundred pounds for a leak under her suspended floor supposedly from the central heating. 6 months later she had a small lake causing damp and mould - I found the leak outside ( lead water main ) which I replaced. The water had tracked its way back into the house from nearly 25 ft away.
 
Thanks for all your replies.

Is there any reason why I shouldn't use a flexible adhesive like Sticks Like Sh*t instead of using glazing tape? I have plenty if it but don't have glazing tape.
 
hybrid silicone are good products and seem to have a large range of prices. upto £12! also around £5.50 and prices in between.
 
Other than silicone will fill every gap or recess within the rebate - it may prove difficult to remove the panel in the future-also paint will not adhere to silicone.
 
It could be difficult with a fielded panel, but I converted an old, heavily built interior door to exterior by (amongst other things) swapping the exterior moulding with bolection moulding. No leaks whatsoever.
 
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