Restoring old doors

[HomeRacingWorld]

Is there anything new in the world of restoring wood?

Any new types of filler/putty that looks good?

The General found an old door from a house being torn down. I am betting it is from the 40's. It has seen some wear but still looks like it could be brought back to life.

Any suggestions welcome :) And thank you.

[HomeRacingWorld]

Yes I will get those today.

It is rough as a cob, but under all the ugly there is a nice piece I am sure.

[waaytoomuchintothis]

Man yeah. I've been woodworking and restoring old stuff for 40 years. When we were newlyweds, we bought old houses (1922-1934), in Midtown Memphis and fixed them up, moving up each time, until we had a house we could raise kids in. You wouldn't believe the things from the old days that will come back beautifully. Doors are fairly easy, especially if its an interior door or a protected exterior door, like on a porch.

As soon as I study the pictures, I'll write you what I know.

[RazorJon]

you going to stain them or paint?

[GENERAL MY WAY]

You are so busted dear! The key word here is HER door.

Yes I like making things out of old things. I have a plan and yes it will take awhile to get it done. I will share when I get it finished.
From the looks of it there is probably only 2 coats of paint. I know it will be a challenge but hopefully most of it will chip of with some scraping.

It was an exterior door originally but then an interior door. When I finish it, I will just varnish it and continue the project. :lol:

[whitworthnut]

Try a heat gun to remove the paint, then a quick wash with paint remover and steel wool dipped in soapy water to remove the residue. If it is an old door (40's) it was likely originally varnished. This makes it easy to remove with the heat gun. Wear a mask while using the heat gun, as the subsequent layers are most definitely lead paint.

[HomeRacingWorld]

Ummm oh oh :)

Thanks guys for all the help!

[waaytoomuchintothis]

Okay, here we go. First, Peter is right. Careful scraping of loose stuff will be the first step, followed by a water wash type stripper. Do not use the stripper in direct sunlight, it will make it work too fast and make a mess. Used properly, you can gently scrape the dissolved paint off with a taping knife (look for it in the sheet rock section of the hardware store- its used to tape seams in sheet rock the old fashioned way.) The reason for the broad taping knife to distribute the force in such a way as to help you avoid gouges in the wood that are a pain later when you are sanding. When you wash off the remaining stripper and the little bits of paint that are left, (use a high pressure nozzle to blast it- not a pressure washer, no matter what anyone tells you. Let the whole piece bake in the sun for a couple of days, checking for any problems with warpage from excess heat each day.

I'll PM the sanding chat and when that's done, we'll use Harry's fancy new camera for some detail macro shots to make decisions about what kind of wood it is and how it was cut and what kind of sealer and stain to use, etc. I'll also ask you about the glass inserts. Yeehah! This is going to be fun. I've seen you work years ago, so I already have a good idea about what you are prepared to do.

[2FER SLOTS]

We have done a few of the doors in our 118 year old house using the methods described......lots of stinkies!

Have you considered leaving some of the "old" on the door,you can't get that back ;)

[OldDogMotorsports]

[waaytoomuchintothis]

Some of the older doors that had a lot of millwork on them, like those arched top glass panels, were made from red oak, with inserts made from other woods, like the maple that Jeremy mentioned. They were sold as paint grade, and saved big money for the builder. These paint grade doors were almost always intended for interior use, or in situations where an exterior door was used in a protected area, like a large porch or mud room. Still others were made from red oak or maple entirely, and they were stain grade, which also meant that the cut of the lumber used to build the door was intended for display. Quarter sawn oak was very popular from 1880-1940, and was actually an essential element of several important styles (Mission, Craftsman, Morris, Stickley, etc). If that is a quarter sawn oak door under that paint, you have something very fine and valuable, not to mention beautiful.

Windowed doors of that era frequently had etched, stained, or cut glass inserts which allowed light to come through, but distorted the view, allowing privacy. The ones that had plate glass usually had curtains made from a sheer material, which was very expensive to make until the early 1900's. In the West, with fewer trees to give significant shade, some houses had Isinglas curtains, which were flexible panels of fish bladder sewn into rollup shades. I only mention it because all of these things produce marks on the door, which you may well want to avoid filling because they are historic.

[HomeRacingWorld]

Some shots of the wood exposed. Will get some better ones in the daylight.

[GENERAL MY WAY]

Ok wood experts, what kind of wood do you think it is?

I am not going to refinish it and use it for a door, it is going to be part of a project.

Hopefully I will get a lot of it done next week.

[waaytoomuchintothis]

Maple's a good bet, but that straight grain makes me think of old growth heartwood pine, which is actually harder. Is the door heavy? It could be hickory.

And have you knocked a splinter off it? If you put a spinter in boiling water for a few seconds, then take it out and sniff it, you might get a pine smell. Old growth heartwood pine was very sappy and dense. A century later, it will retain the sap. The same will show if its sugar maple, but you have to taste it. DO NOT put any trace of that white paint in your mouth. Remember the warning above in this thread about white lead based paint. Look in the pocket that was cut out for the lock to avoid paint.

I forgot to mention other woods. In the old days, there was a lot of lumber available that isn't worth the bother to work with today (me and Jethro Gibbs are the only ones who use hand tools). Beech, straight-grain white oak, pearwood (it actually does look like pearwood), all kinds of stuff. For an excellent look at woods, check out online catalogs for gunstocks. Usually, they give a very nice view.