So I washed 6 houses yesterday, came up like new. I was very happy until I got two calls to say the doors have swollen?
They were all fine before I washed them…I just don’t get why out of hundreds of houses, this happened?
5 out of the 6 are like this???
MDF exterior doors??? No solution but to buy new slabs. Have never seen an mdf exterior door around here
I was hoping not to hear that. A door here will cost $1000 to supply, fit and paint. Plus locks.
That’s over $6000.
Being external doors, they are supposed to get wet, not soak up water like an internal door would. How could I have known this?
Surely I was asked to wash the house, so I did - applies here?
Wondering if these are internal doors put on the outside?!
They are not exterior grade doors. MDF/pressboard soaked up water like a sponge. You have insurance? Even tho you should have every reason to believe the house is built correctly.
I was wondering the same thing. Are they hollow cores too? Yikes
That’s what I was wanting to hear! Ha ha.
Seriously though - if I’d ripped the paint off, or any other damage etc. sure, I’d fix it promptly.
I just can’t fathom how this is my fault, being that the doors soak up water around the locks etc? How else was I supposed to wash it?
Were they all nextdoor to one another? Do they have the same handyman?
Yes, they are all in a row, in a complex. All the same.
Just one of the doors is perfect. That particular one has a hardwood face, not that MDF fibre rubbish.
Oh, yes, I’m insured, sorry.
Idk how you can be held liable for improper construction. There should have been no reason to check the door material imo. But what do I know, its 2018 and everyone is entitled to what someone else “owes” them.
Straight up shoddy, cheap construction. Would be illegal here.
I have to find out for sure if these doors are internal or external doors.
I thought external would have to be water resistant and fire proof bare minimum. These completely are hollow.
Even if they are to standard, mdf exterior (!) doors, how can wetting your front door ruin it?!
Sigh. What to do next…
Not sure bout codes over their, but here exterior doors are 1 hr fire rated minimum, solid or insulated, weather resistant. Supposedly.
If they are hollow core they are interior only. No way you should be held responsible. If it wasn’t you, rain would have done it. Worse comes to worse replace them yourself with the same door. Its easy to do with just a few tools slabs here are 70-80 bucks
I guess like for like is fair, should it go that way.
Being fair, they can’t expect you to be responsible for a weather proof door soaking up water.
They engaged me to wash it. I washed it.
Arrrgh!
Right, replace with like doors. Can’t cost all that much. Get with a contractor and get it in writing the opinion that exterior doors are supposed to be hardwood or steel, not that MDF stuff.
MDF doors are only $50-60 from Bunnings, get a local handy man to install them, next time they get wet it will happen again. Those are clearly internal doors, do they have a large patio or something so they don’t get weather?
So you think it’s my fault for washing the doors on a house wash where the doors were asked to be washed?
I’m respect to cost. It’s $1000 for an external door to be fitted and painted. The locks will need to be removed and replaced too, some have two.
The minimum this will cost is $6000.
As I’m not a carpenter by trade, this work can not be done by myself or any handy man type.
In Australia when you work for a Body Corporate or Strata Management company as I do, you have to be qualified to complete such work.
Obviously this is for the benefit of the owner, as this very same thing could happen again if a handy man was doing the job.
Anyway, thanks for the input all the same 
Oops - I didn’t see the “get in with a contractor” bit - sorry. But stressed right now 
Hi @steve076 I can’t find an external door at Bunnings with a pattern like those. Just plain.
I can’t replace them with internal doors either. That’s false economy and a waste of time. I have some loyalty to the customer and it wouldn’t sit right with me doing it that way when I think about it.
Cheers
Think I’ll have to talk it out with them. Yes, the damage is done, but what could I have done to prevent it? Nothing.
