Wood rot is a process of deteriorating wood with the help of moisture and fungi. It is a natural process that helps in the decomposition of the Wood in the forest. But in human societies, it becomes a problem. House owners who spend a lot to make their bathroom look clean and lavish panic when they find rot in their bathroom door. Their concern is genuine as door rot can invite some serious structural damages too. However, it is preventable, only if you know the reasons behind the bathroom door rot.

1.  Types of bathroom wood rot

Brown rot: This is a common and most damaging rot that occurs in almost every door made of wood. Brown rot happens due to cellulose destruction in timber. Fungi eat the cellulose available in the timber, turning the wood into brown color.

White rot: Not only brown rot but white-rot also arise due to fungi. White-rot takes place when fungi break down lignin (an element of wood) available in timber. A yellow colored rot can also take place due to this lignin termination.

Soft rot: Soft rot can come about in houses due to the existing atmosphere too. Soft rot often appears only fallen logs and woods but it can appear in the houses if the atmosphere provides sufficient conditions to grow on. It only happens between 0 and 110 degrees Fahrenheit making the process of soft rot very slow than white rot and brown rot.

2.  Reason for the bathroom door frame Rot

An issue can be solved only if you know the reason behind it. Bathroom doors are no exception to this. The following are the most prevailing reasons responsible for wood rot:

1. Too much Water Contact: Water is the most common factor that incites wood rot in the bathroom door. The uninterrupted disperse of water on the Bathroom Door makes the wood moist that eventually creates a good atmosphere for fungi to grow up and eat your door. Based on the type of rot, the signs can be seen too far or too late.
2. The humidity of Weather: Not just water, but the weather also contributes to the bathroom door rot. Places with heavy humidity in the air tend to get wooden doors to rot more easily. Water particles in the air help to develop fungi in the bathroom. The combination of fungi and water starts the process of decay and when this continues to happen enough period of time, the wood begins to rot.
3. Wood-boring Insects: Yes!Insects are also responsible for developing wood rot in the bathroom. Wood-boring insects are seen as pests due to the damage they create in both urban, and rural areas. In an urban environment, wood-boring insects cause a huge amount of damage to residential furniture such as armoire, dresser, wardrobe, bureau, and doors. They make holes in the bathroom wood and live in it, slowly eating the wood and making it hollow from inside. There’s no possibility to know about the wood rot because the door looks normal form the external point.
4. Poor Paint Quality. Paint is made to create a layer between the water and the original wood. But by applying a poor quality of paint on wood, homeowners compromise with the life of the bathroom doors and then complain about the wood rot after some years. Poor quality of paint cannot resist the water abuse for so long. After some years when the layer becomes weak, moisture gets in and finally instigates the wood rot.
5. Poor wood quality: Not only the poor quality paint, poor choice of wood for making the bathroom doors are also held accountable for wood rot. A bathroom is a place where water splashes on the door almost every day. This starts a decay of the bathroom door triggered by the mixture of moisture and fungi.  It is seen that the bathroom door made with poor quality of wood rot more frequently and easily than other doors of the home.
6. Improper installation: The improper installation of the shower in the bathroom also cause the door to rot more. Installing a shower near to the bathroom door invites wood rot.  With every shower you take, water runs to the door. So, there’s no better option than changing the position of your shower to stop the water from getting onto the bathroom door.

3. Ways to prevent Bathroom door rot

Use good quality paint: The easiest way to prevent the bathroom door rot is to use a good quality of paint on it. Make sure the paint you use is waterproof so that it does not wipe off easily. Good quality paint will strongly resist the water from getting inside the wood and prevent the commencement of fungi in it.

Use Oakwood: Not just good quality of paint, good quality of wood is also recommendable to stop the bathroom door rot. This will increase the life of the bathroom door. Oakwood is best available option to make any furniture as they are very good at stopping moisture and fungi to appear.

Do Correct installation: By doing a correct installation of the shower in the bathroom, door rot can be stopped.  Even After using good quality of wood and paint on bathroom doors, if water goes too much on top of the wood, the lifespan will definitely decrease. So consider the correct installation of the shower in the bathroom.

4. Conclusion

Bathroom wood rot is a serious problem that makes the entire bathroom to look odd and dull. But we believe that after going through this detailed guide about reasons for Bathroom wood rot. You will adopt all the preventive measures to stop this. Please visit MCL Flooring for more articles on wooden floors, wooden floor repair and wooden doors.