I have an exterior door facing SSW up here in the Pacific Northwest. It was installed about 12 years ago. There is enough roof overhang so the door is protected from rain and direct sunlight (at least during the summer months). On the inside, there is a wood burning stove further down the hinge-side wall, about 6ft away. The stove is in use pretty much every night during the winter months. The door is a std 1-3/4″ stile & rail and painted with a few layers of latex paint, wood looks like maybe hemlock. Temperature inside is usually around 65 deg and 40% RH.
The door is warped on the lock side, about 1/4″ towards the inside on top and bottom. When I just measured the moisture content of the door I got about 12% on the inside and 10% on the outside. This is puzzling to me, I expected MC to be higher on the outside than inside because the of how the door is warped and just because it is generally more moist outside.
Does anybody have an explanation for this? It could be a fluke because I haven’t been measuring over a longer period but still…
I am planning to replace the door this summer and was looking around at local lumber yards for good wood choices. The best I found was air-dried CVG doug-fir. It’s been sitting outdoors but protected from rain and sun for at least 15 years. It has really tight and straigt grain and of course they want an arm & a leg for it. It comes in 3 x 8 x 30′ boards.
I am planning to make the new door 2-3/4, same style as the old one. I’m also planning on putting in a multipoint lock with shoot bolts top and bottom. Do you think the doug-fir would work for this door?
Thanks for any insights!