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desertdance

Weathered Door Repair

If the house wasn't 2 hours from our current home, I'd rush over and get another picture. You can only see one door, but the bottoms of both have severe weather damage.

The contractor says his sub contractor says we'll be mad at him at the results if he sands and refinishes because the damage is too great.

We love the doors. Can they be veneered?

Thanks!

Suzi

Comments (5)

  • handymac
    10 years ago

    Veneering for exterior use is a guarantee of failure as a rule.

    Need much better pictures of the damage to offer much advice because there are ways to fix some kinds of damage.

    It looks like necessary maintenance was not done---the finish degraded and was not redone.

    If the wood is cracked or rotting, the only sensible(inexpensive) repair is filling and adding a toe kick. Or repqair the damage and paint.

    An experienced craftsman in a millwork(or similarly equipped) shop could replace the damaged wood, strip the old finish, and refinish. That would cost more than two new doors.

  • Suzi AKA DesertDance So CA Zone 9b
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    handymac, thanks for your reply.

    We were afraid that the answer would be to just buy two new doors, BUT I CAN'T FIND ANY THAT LOOK LIKE THESE, AND WE LOVE THESE!

    It's a huge dilemma. The doors are from mid 80's and of course there is no maker or label on them.

    DH is willing to pay to stain them, but the toe kick would look too commercial, right? I thought, maybe in brass to match the hardware, but do they make them in brass?

    We had a calm conversation and decided last option, we could paint them. Can any paint replicate real wood?

    If we do replace them, God forbid, I have claimed them for the fanciest chicken coop in Riverside County, CA! I will NEVER get rid of these doors!

    Thanks, and please know, this house is in county, not city, and there are not a lot of options for woodworkers.

    Suzi

  • annzgw
    10 years ago

    Since you're in Riverside Co. I would doubt these doors suffered a lot of water damage but more sun and general abuse. Also, it appears they have covered protection?
    Even so, as handymac said, it all depends on how extensive the damage is. If veneer is peeling and rotted then it's a more difficult repair. If the damage is from general wear and varnish degrading then the question is, will you be happy with some nicks and a little uneven stain at the bottom of the door?

    No, I don't think a toe kick is commercial, and I'd paint them solid before I'd try to do a faux wood paint.

  • krayers
    10 years ago

    It's hard to tell from your photo, but they look very much like my doors after just normal weathering under my covered porch. We took the door down, stripped the finish, restained & resealed. They did fine for a few years & then we had to repeat the process. The damage on ours was to the finish which was flaking off, but the wood itself was still solid. Our door was solid wood and not veneered though.

  • Suzi AKA DesertDance So CA Zone 9b
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    The doors do have covered protection, and DH wondered if that was always there. Neighbor across the street knew the builder/owner and assured us that the cover was always there. It's East facing, so it gets morning sun.

    Neglected, yes! For 25 years. Entire custom home property is neglected. First a Foreclosure sale, then new owners had no time to fix anything, lost it to gambling debts, and now we got it!

    If you know a Benjamin More color stories paint that will work, we will go with that. I have been convinced, not hard (a fine art artist) that the lack of blacks and grays in paint color brings life. BM Color Stories does that.

    House has amazing bones and a lot of issues! I will not mention the snakes (legion).

    Suzi

    I probably won't be able to post another photo for a week or so. The drive is long. Contractor crews are there and working. No place to chill.

    This post was edited by desertdance on Thu, Apr 25, 13 at 15:00