All carpentry in an old house is prone to aging over time, which is caused by the influence of various external factors. Most often, this becomes noticeable after drying and cracking of wood, clouding of its surface and bulging of knots, as well as the appearance of cracks and dark spots on the paint coating. In order to get rid of this unpleasant phenomenon, and to restore a decent appearance to the door leaf or window frames, home craftsmen use simple restoration of wooden doors with their own hands, which can be performed in the conditions of a home workshop with the help of an ordinary set of household carpentry tools.
Features of restoration and repair of old doors
Probably many homeowners, who have an apartment in an old housing stock, faced the need to renew wooden interior doors with numerous layers of oil paint for wooden surfaces, which darkened from old age and became covered with a dense network of small cracks, during capital repairs. The easiest way to solve this issue is to install new interior doors, but their total price can cost a penny, especially if it concerns a multi-room apartment.
In many cases, it will be cheaper to do the restoration yourself, and in order to have a complete idea of how to restore a wooden door covered with varnish or painted with several layers of paint, a detailed instruction is presented, which describes in detail all the steps for performing such work.
Removal of old coating
Before restoring a wooden door , it is necessary to remove it from the hinges and place it on a flat horizontal surface at a level of 700-800 mm from the floor in such a way as to ensure free access to it from all sides.
A work machine in a home workshop is best suited for this, but as a last resort, you can use an ordinary kitchen table, having previously covered it with paper or polyethylene film.
- The first thing to do is to completely remove the remaining parts of the hinges, locks, handles, overlays on the keyhole, as well as all other fastening elements and accessories from the door leaf.
- With the help of a metal spatula or a sharp knife, remove the remnants of the peeling paint coating, trying not to damage the surface of the wood.
- Dried dirt, paint or enamel, which is usually applied in several thick layers, is best removed with a construction hair dryer. To do this, the surface should be heated evenly with a jet of hot air, keeping the outlet nozzle of the hairdryer at a distance of 50-100 mm, and immediately scrape off the softened paint with a metal spatula.
- Special attention should be paid to the inner corners and foil overlays, since it is in their depressions that the thickest layer of paint is usually formed. For such cases, it is best to use different nozzles for the outlet nozzle of the hair dryer that come with it.
- To clean very dry areas and hard-to-reach places, you can use a special old paint wash, which can be bought at any hardware or hardware store.
Pay attention !
The hot air at the outlet of the construction hair dryer has a very high temperature, so the work must be performed in protective gloves, and do not direct the air jet to the same place for a long time, otherwise it can lead to burning and charring of wood.
Restoration and restoration of the surface
After complete removal of the old paint coating, the surface of the door must be carefully sanded with a coarse-grained abrasive peel. For the finishing of paneled doors with carved or figured decorative overlays, this work will have to be done manually, and for sanding the ends and a smooth solid door leaf, you can use an electric sander.
Before restoring a wooden door, you need to carefully inspect it for visible damage, dents, cracks or other surface defects, and then during the restoration process, eliminate them using the methods described below.
- To eliminate obvious damage to the door leaf in the form of through-holes, cracks, cracks or unnecessary keyholes, you should use bars or slats from the same or similar wood, cutting plugs from it in the shape of the holes, and fixing them in the thickness of the door with the help of carpenter’s glue.
- Areas of wood damaged by mold or rot, as well as eaten by insects and pests, must be completely cut out with a hand saw or electric jigsaw, and new wooden bars or slats must be installed in their place using self-tapping screws and carpenter’s glue.
- After grinding, many different dents, chips or other small irregularities will appear on the surface of the door leaf. To eliminate them, a special wood putty is used, which must be applied with a metal paint spatula, and after complete drying, sanded with a fine-grained sandpaper.
- Protruding knots from dried wood should be carefully cut with a sharp knife, and the dents around them should also be filled with putty, after which they should be sanded with fine sandpaper.
- At the end of everything, when the restoration of the wooden interior door will come to an end, it must be completely sanded on all sides, first with a coarse, then with a fine-grained peel, and then processed with zero sandpaper to eliminate fine wood lint.
Advice !
If it is planned to apply transparent or tinted varnish as a finishing coating, special attention should be paid to the quality of grinding, since any irregularities and poorly sanded areas on the varnished surface will be immediately noticeable.
Glass inlay
Many interior doors have glass inserts. Similar structural elements can also be restored. When using a solid canvas, you will be able to cut into the glass without outside help.
The sequence of works in the restoration of glass inserts of wooden doors is as follows:
- remove the clips that hold the glass and remove it from the hole
- if it is necessary to use the same letter, it is necessary to put it in order. Drops of paint can be removed with a special scraper, acetone or a blade. You can polish scratches with toothpaste. In addition, you can apply a film with a pattern on the glass, paint it or make a stained glass window out of it
- a new glass needs to be inserted into a completely finished, restored canvas. It is attached with the help of staples.
Installation of new accessories
A complete renovation of an old wooden door, made with your own hands, also involves the replacement of auxiliary parts. In that case, if mortise fittings were previously used, then it is worth choosing similar models. Cuts must match. In particular, this applies to mechanisms such as knobs, where a large hole needs to be drilled. After that, the process of restoration of wooden doors can be considered finished.
Painting and varnishing
Any restoration of a wooden entrance door is completed by applying a finishing decorative and protective coating. It should be applied in several layers using a paint roller or brush, allowing the necessary time for complete drying of each layer.
Depending on how the door should look after restoration, you can use one of the proposed types of paint and varnish materials for this.
- Film-forming alkyd or pentaphthalic enamels form a strong decorative and protective film of the selected color or shade on the surface, which completely covers the wood with a continuous thin layer.
- Stains, water or oil impregnations and other loess compositions penetrate between the fibers of the wood without remaining on its surface, and thereby provide it with reliable protection against moisture, and emphasize or shade the natural structure of the wood.
- Transparent or tinted varnishes form a transparent thin protective and decorative film on the surface, leaving the natural texture of the wood visible.
Advice !
Most of the paint and varnish materials used in the work process are flammable and toxic, so the restoration of old wooden doors should be carried out in a well-ventilated room, using personal protective equipment and observing fire safety rules. conclusion
Using the example of the description of how to restore a wooden door , following the advice and instructions of this manual, you can also restore and repair any other items and details of the home interior made of natural wood.
Frequently asked questions
How does the door repair and restoration process work?
The process of door repair and restoration is divided into several stages and depends on several factors (volume, complexity, etc.). To begin with, a consultation is carried out by phone or email. If the previous conditions suit the client, then the master leaves for a personal inspection of the door and calculation of the cost. Then several options are possible. A small breakdown is repaired on the spot, a warranty is provided, and the repair is considered complete. However, there are cases when it is necessary to transport the canvas to the workshop for a more thorough and large-scale restoration. Then the repair takes two days or more.
Which door do you work with?
Since springfield deck builder specializes in doors, we repair canvases from almost all common materials. Most often, you have to deal with metal and wood (entrance and interior doors, respectively).
How do you pay for door repairs?
When small repairs are carried out (replacement of a handle, lock), payment is made after the customer inspects the door. Prepayment may be required for restoration in the workshop. The exact payment procedure is agreed upon after assessing the scope of work.
How long does the warranty for restored doors last?
Standard warranty for restoration of doors and handles – 1 year. For certain types of repairs, the term can be reduced or increased.
