Photo: Monstera

How do you straighten a bowed door?

To unwarp, take the door off its hinges, and place it on two sawhorses, with each end on a sawhorse and the rest suspended in mid-air. Then put heavy weights on it so the bend is just a bit reversed. Leave it for several days or weeks. It should straighten out, but not in the opposite direction.

sfgate.com - Relieving warp in wooden door - SFGATE

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Q:One of my wood doors is warped, and the top hits the opening before the bottom does, making it difficult to latch. Can I straighten it? If so, how can I keep it straight?

A: The door warped because moisture got into the wood, then dried out. Any warped door can be straightened, interior or exterior. To unwarp, take the door off its hinges, and place it on two sawhorses, with each end on a sawhorse and the rest suspended in mid-air. Then put heavy weights on it so the bend is just a bit reversed. Leave it for several days or weeks. It should straighten out, but not in the opposite direction. Once straightened, sand all surfaces, including side, top, and bottom edges, apply an oil-based primer, and finish with any kind of paint. If the door is unfinished, cover it with wet cloths, which might hasten the straightening. The primer and paint will keep moisture out and the door dry, and straight. If the door is an interior door and the warp is not severe, you might be able to move the stops to match the warp. The stops are the wood strips that keep the door from swinging too far into the jamb. If you do this, you may also have to move the latch keeper, the hole in the jamb that holds the latch in place. Q: My kitchen exhaust fan is in an interior wall going 18 inches in one direction to a solarium, then 5 feet to the outdoors. It smells. How can I clean it? I know there may be some oils collected in the duct since it exhausts the stove. A: You can clean it this way: Buy a long-handled duct brush; such brushes are usually used for dryer ducts but can work for this exhaust duct as well. Wrap a cloth around the brush and soak it with bleach and water, and shove the brush into the long part of the duct. Do this several times, renewing the bleach and water. Wear skin and eye protection when working with bleach. The bleach will dissolve the grease. Or, soak the cloth in ammonia and water; the ammonia will also dissolve the oil. Do not mix ammonia and bleach; combining the two creates deadly chlorine gas.

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These are! They guide you every step of the way to complete your dream shed.

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To get to the short part of the duct, which is probably the most oily and the smelliest, try opening the hood outlet.

You can buy the brush in the Improvements Catalog, (800)-642-2112.

Q: I plan to install acoustic blankets on my house to try to reduce the sharp sound of dogs barking. A friend said this would reduce sound transmission by 20 percent, which to me will not be enough. Is there a better way? I already tried window quilts. A: If by acoustic blankets you mean some kind of covering for your windows, or even Window Quilts, they can work if they are done right, and that means they are secured to the window casing (the frame around the window opening, indoors) on all four sides of the frame: top, bottom, and sides. This will also reduce heat loss, and they only have to go on the side of the house where the yapping mutts are housed. Standard Window Quilts will darken the room, but you can get translucent ones that will let in some light. Another good sound deterrent is inside storms, or outside storms, or both. The added layer of glass will retard sound considerably. If the walls are insulated and reasonably tight, that should be enough of a sound deterrent. Putting sound-absorbing board on the walls would help, too, but would look pretty awful.

sfgate.com - Relieving warp in wooden door - SFGATE

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