A common issue in areas where the weather is damp or wet for a good portion of the year is doors and drawers that stick. How to fix the problem effectively without leaving a gaping hole at other times of the year can be a problem. Knowing a few tips and basic DIY should help you solve this problem wherever it occurs.

Doors and drawers are usually made from wood, along with their surrounds. Wood is a natural substance, and as such it expands and contracts in response to changes in atmospheric conditions. This expansion and contraction is constant though can be of minute proportions, depending on the type of wood and the amount of heat or moisture present. This should always be born in mind when attempting to fix any doors, windows or drawers that stick.

A simple remedy for sticking doors and drawers that does not involved reducing the actual plane of contact between surfaces at all is to administer wax as a lubricant. Take a wax candle and rub both of the surfaces to coat them in the wax. If the sticking is only slight, this should reduce the traction and thus decrease the sticking. The wax also acts as a protector for the wood, and the friction caused by opening and closing the drawer or door will eventually cause the wax to melt so you may need to reapply the wax every few months.

If the sticking problem cannot be fixed by application of wax, you may need to remove a small portion of one of the surfaces to allow the door or drawer to move more easily. This must be carried out with great care, so as not to remove too much of the wood and leave a gap that creates a draft at other times of the year. The first step is to remove the drawer or open the door wide and put down either a dust sheet or some old newspaper. Then take some very fine grade sandpaper and gently rub the surface of both the door or drawer and the frame in the area that appears to be sticking. Rub for just a few seconds, and then replace the drawer or close the door and see if the problem persists. Continue this process until you can open and close the door or drawer with ease, but a little resistance should be allowed to remain for when the wood contracts again.

If the problem appears to be a serious one with a door, and you feel that sandpaper will take a long time to achieve the results you want, you can remove the door completely and use a plane. Again, care should be take to not remove too much of the wood. Shave off a few millimeters of the surface of the door, and then use sandpaper to take off any rough edges. Re-hang the door and see how close to a perfect fit you are. It is likely that any more planning will remove too much wood at this point, so using sand paper is a better option.

However, if the door has warped, or the supporting wall and frame have settled out of shape, it may be a case of having to remove the door, rebuild the frame and then re-fit the door afterwards. If this is the situation, you may wish to consult a builder before taking any further action.

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