Question: My new paneled wood front door gets lots of sun and is painted black, under a storm. A panel cracked, and I can see daylight through it. How can I fix it and keep the door black? -- Leslie Hausman, Belmont, Mass.Answer: The wood in the door contracted when it dried out, and the panel, set too tightly in the frame, cracked when it shrank. It wasn't supposed to do that, but it was so tight in the frame that it could not move with the shrinkage. Result, a crack. Panels in such doors are free-floating in their frames, so they can expand and contract without cracking. But yours was too tight.
Short of replacing the panel (a horrendous job in itself), you can do this: Caulk that crack with a flexible caulking material; put a bead of this caulk on the crack and press it in with your fingers. Avoid splinters by wearing gloves. Do the same on the other side, and scrape and wash off any residue that remains. Repaint. The caulking, being flexible, will expand and contract with the movement on the panel and should look good for years.
Question: My cedar deck was installed two years ago. I was told to apply Thompson's Water Seal, but it wore off. I pressure-washed it and applied Clear Wood Finish (CWF). I later pressure-washed this in an attempt to clean it, and now the deck is an ugly gray. And, the boards are creaking when I walk on them. How can I stop the creaking and make the cedar look good for at least longer than in the past? -- Kay Carley, Reading, Mass.
Answer: We have been brainwashed into thinking that we should apply sealer or other finish such as Clear Wood Finish to protect the wood and keep it looking new. There is some truth to the fact that such sealing will make the wood water resistant (the water beads up, doesn't it?) to prevent spalling (little flat chips of wood coming out of the boards), and cracking.
This waterproofing usually works, especially with pressure-treated wood, but cedar doesn't always need such sealing, and no one tells us that the sealer and CWF will wear off in a year or two and must be applied that often. So much for a maintenance-free deck.
The best answer is a semitransparent stain. Colors are limited, but such stains will last three to five years. Only one coat is needed at a time. While semitransparent stains are designed to go on wood siding (clapboards and shingles), they will work quite well on a deck floor. Avoid paint and solid stains; they do not work on floors.
For the creaking, drive an extra deck screw through the boards into each joist, using a power driver. If that does not work, the superstructure is loose. It would be difficult to reinforce the superstructure, so unless the frame is racking or swaying, live with the creaks.
Globe Handyman on Call Peter Hotton will answer reader questions. Write him at the Boston Globe, Boston, MA 02107.