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A damaged door leads homeowners to ask if it needs to be replaced or if it can be repaired. My answer is that it depends. If the door is an interior door and you can glue the split back together, I would say it is worth repairing. However, if it is an exterior door with a split, I would replace it. You don’t want to compromise safety.
Repairing a split in an interior door requires some adhesive and clamps. Most interior doors are hollow core doors with a wood perimeter. Realize that the perimeter may not be solid wood, but rather a fiberboard product like MDF (medium density fiberboard).
You want to get the wood glue down into the split so that the repair holds. A split in a door usually occurs along the edge. It may be necessary to slightly open the split with a putty knife or standard screwdriver and squirt some glue into the crevice. Apply more glue than you think you need so that the split is full. You can squeeze the damaged area with your hand to work the glue down into the area.
Use clamps to clamp the damaged area closed. I like mini bar clamps because you can operate them with one hand and they have great holding power. They also have cushioned jaws so that they will not damage the surface. You can also use “C” clamps, but be careful not to squeeze them too hard or you will damage the door. If you are going to use C-clamps, you can use wood strips along the edge and clamp the strips to the door edge. This will distribute the clamping pressure uniformly along the entire length of the edge. Let the glue dry for at least 24 hours before removing the clamps.
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