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Repairing Wooden Doors

Repairing Wooden Doors

You may have a wooden front door or wooden interior doors. Wood is wonderful as with a little love and attention it will last years. If you don't believe us think about how old tudor houses are and how well some of them have survived!

Think about how your front door gives an impression about you. Is it smart and tidy or is a bit scruffy with kick marks at the bottom. By improving your front door you improve the first impresssion you give people who visit you at home.

Making simple repairs to a wooden door is easy. You could easily sort out your front door and get it looking very smart in a weekend.

If this door is your front door then you are likely to have more door "furniture" than any other door.

Most items can be unscrewed or undone and removed and this allows you to deal with the wooden door itself.

Don't neglect the letterbox, handles and and locks.

However if you're spreading your work over a weekend then ensure your door will be lockable!

Brass Fittings

If you have brass fittings then they might need cleaning. Once they are shining clean you can apply a clear laquer to protect them.

Brass weathers and deteriates over time. The extent of the problem will be obvious to you.

Initially the brass goes a dirty brown colour which can be buffed
After that you may need a salt and vinegar solution to clean then
Bad corrosion leads to putting.

Rinse the brass in hot water when you have finished before drying it with a soft cloth, then polish.

Burnish brass door furniture with a long-term brass polish that leaves an invisible chemical barrier on the metal. This inhibits corrosion so that the metal needs cleaning less frequently.

Chrome Fittings

Clean grimy chrome-plated furniture with lighter fluid, or wash it in warm soapy water containing a few drops of household ammonia. Then burnish the metal with a mild cream chrome polish.
Lighter fluid can also be used to clean chrome plated door fittings. Burnish the metal afterwards with a chrome polish.

Plated Fittings

Metal polishes should be used sparingly on plated fittings as consistent polishing will eventually wear through to the base metal.

Polishing Hints

Having polished the metal to a high gloss you can then lacquer it for longer life protection. This will mean you have less work to do to keep your door looking great!

Polishing without removing the fittings - don't get polish on the door, either use some masking tape to put round the edges or make a cardboard template whcih will simply slip over and protect the door.

Cast Iron

Cast iron door knockers are often painted black.

If you have cast-iron door knockers or letter plates which have rusted you will have to soak them in paraffin for 3 to 4 hours to soften the corrosion. Ensure you do this outside or in a very well ventilated place where no one will be using matches or smoking.

Once you have soaked them you can clean the metal more easily with wire wool and then coat it with a rust inhibitor.

Follow the instructions given on the primer.

Finally apply a coat of matt or semi-matt black paint.

Overpainted door fittings

After years of redecorating, door fittings can become so clogged with paint that it is no longer possible to distinguish their true form and detail. At this stage, it pays to remove the layers of old paint with a chemical stripper.

On this occasion it is best to remove the fittings and strip them separately.

Wash the stripped metal with hot water and dry it thoroughly with thick paper towels. If the fitting is hollow, stand it on a wad of newspaper to allow any water trapped inside to drain away before priming and painting it.

The door itself.

• Once you've removed everything you're ready to begin.
• Use a wire brush to remove any flakes of paint.
• Sand down to smooth out any problems in the old painwork. New paint requires a good surface to fix to.
• Extreme cases will need dip stripping (professionals do it cheaper, quicker and more safely)
• Fill any gaps or cracks in the door. Use something hard wearing - either exterior quality filler or even car filler.
  Leave to dry and re-sand.
• If you've stripped the door it'll need sealing.
• Prime and then paint.
• Wait until completely dry and then replace the door furniture.
• Any major damage may need new pieces of wood splicing in, as will any rotten sections need replacing.

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