Filling crack in a wood door is easier with a putty stick

Q. Is there a way to insert wood filler in a crack in an exterior door? Can it be done without removing the door?

Mrs. Elsie Bousquet Ashland, Ore.

A. It's likely that the wood door shows no crack when the seasonal rains keep the wood expanded. Right?

Come summer and drier weather, rub a putty stick on both sides of the open crack until the crack is filled. Select a putty stick in color matching the paint already on the door. Then you may not have to repaint the door.

Applied with a putty knife, plastic wood might also be used, but then you'd have to repaint the door. Also, this process is fussier than the putty-stick method.