Shadyside doors that stick in summer humidity

A door that sticks in August and rattles in January is often a seasonal wood movement, not a new door.

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Wood slabs in older Shadyside houses move with the seasons. Planing a door in August can leave a winter gap that's hard to live with. The first looks are usually hinges, the strike, and whether the slab is hitting at one corner only.

A door you have to lift to lock is a securing problem if it won't stay closed. That's a repair, and at night it can be urgent — the same idea as board-up and door securing, without turning every sticky summer door into an emergency.

Weatherstrip that's painted shut or missing at the sill is a comfort issue you can schedule. It will not make a twisted frame square, and we'll say so.

If you're also dealing with window hardware in the same hall, put both on the list so the visit isn't two trips for the same short walk.

Mt. Lebanon entries and sliders have the same seasonal swell and strike story; see Mt. Lebanon window and door repair if you want the later-door version of this advice.

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