12 elderly doors- how to restore?

[Nigel Watts]

All is much clearer now! These are pukka framed and paneled doors which I would definitely keep.

The panel is like on my shutters, set back on the posh side and flush on the back - made this way in the case of my shutters because they are quite thin, and the panel would have been too weak if recessed on both sides. I would keep them and not attempt to alter the panels. If the recessed side is facing the wrong way (into the loo) I would rehang the door so that it faces the hall.

The only question then is whether to add mouldings to emulate the other doors. I think on balance I probably wouldn't. The lack of mouldings will say "I am a humble loo and not worthy of the fancy mouldings on the door next to me which leads to 'er Ladyship's Drawing Room"

In my basement the door to the kitchen has no mouldings, unlike the one next to it which led to the former servants' hall (now my dining room, knocked through to the kitchen). Georgian and Victorian houses are full of such subtle differences of hiearchical detail.

 

[JoceAndChris]

I'm happy to hear you wouldn't consign them to the bonfire either!

I wouldn't want any unsuspecting guest to wander into the cupboard by accident. I had better leave something to differentiate between the status of the rooms as you say! You'e right, replicating that moulding on the cupboard and loo door is superfluous.

Thank you so much for your helpful remarks, that's great. Will see about just simply turning them round, before dad goes off on some great mission of reconstruction!

 

[Penners]

Will see about just simply turning them round, before dad goes off on some great mission of reconstruction!

Oh, there speaks a woman! I long ago banned the use of those two words, in relation to house repairs. There's a third forbidden word, too: "we". For example:-

Mrs P: "Could we just simply move that doorway a foot to the right, to make room for the side table in that corner?"

Translation:

We = You
Just = add an extra ten days' work to the schedule
Simply = tear out and ruin original architrave mouldings; go to immense trouble to block up old doorway; cut out original fabric to create new doorway; set in linings; make good plaster...etc. etc.

Seriously, though, turning a door round involves a fair bit of work, setting in hinges, filling old hinge rebates, possibly resetting door stops...

Better talk to Dad very nicely!

 

[JoceAndChris]

:lol: Your analysis of the situation is spot on! "Just simply" is a good example of softening vernacular designed to help us women get our way, Mrs P sounds like an expert...but you aren't meant to see through it!

We took Mum and Dad out for a very lovely slap up meal last Saturday, built up a fire in their bedroom and plied them with all their favourite things to say thanks, it has worked a treat and this week I'm overwhelmed with offers of help- had to stop him for Wed, Thurs, Fri as he mustn't be worn out! As it is he's taken some of these elderly doors off to do at his house! Dads are the best!

 

[Tom]

Will see about just simply turning them round, before dad goes off on some great mission of reconstruction!

Oh, there speaks a woman! I long ago banned the use of those two words, in relation to house repairs. There's a third forbidden word, too: "we". For example:-

Mrs P: "Could we just simply move that doorway a foot to the right, to make room for the side table in that corner?"

Ah, you see, that's where delegation comes into it. My builder calls me "Can You Just", as in "Can you just nip up the scaffolding and whip that corner stone out?" :lol:

 

[Moo]

Robgil's fireplace question reminded me of the time when, in our house-before-last, a girlfriend and I decided that the horrid little '40s fireplace in our huge sitting room just had to go.
When our respective husbands returned from the pub we'd reached a point of no return, with the remnants of the fireplace hanging off the wall surrounded by a fair pile of rubble. We could do no more without the aid and technical expertise of two strong men.

 

[Penners]

Mrs P sounds like an expert...but you aren't meant to see through it!

I've had 43 years of practice... :|

Dads are the best!

What an extraordinarily perceptive woman you are. It sounds as though your dear papa has carried out as much work on your house as I have on young Miss P's (otherwise known as Mrs M).

 

[Penners]

We could do no more without the aid and technical expertise of two strong men.

Ah, so men do still have a role in this world. Phew!

 

[Moo]

Of course they do, Penners.
In our first house, when I wanted cupboards built into alcoves to conceal some ugly radiators the quickest solution seemed to be d.i.m (do it myself). So I set to, measuring twice and cutting once and all that, but had great difficulty when it came to hanging the doors....

I believe it's known as 'man-management'.

 

[philpjuk100]

turning doors round can be tricky! phil.

 

[Penners]

Don't be cruel, Phil! Some lucky girl's daddy did that.

 

[JoceAndChris]

:lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[Toby Newell]

Hi

What an effort you are making! Anyway for my two pennies worth (cannot possibly read ALL of the threads) I would agree the raised and fielded panels would appear to be the 'posher' side. Also they appear to have been moved from somewhere else (as Nigel Watts explains) It would also appear that the little moldings on the four 'panelled' side were probably added after and could be removed.

Depending upon the size and feel of the rest of the building the doors could be either stripped or scraped and sanded very carefully back and repainted. In a larger style house (like Nigel's) they may have been grained but this may not be appropriate. Apart from being painted in a neutral colour white/off white (all lead whites went off white) they may have been coated with a shellac/copal varnish with some chestnut/dark brown pigment (not very pretty) to make them look like a darker wood if the owners could not afford to have them grained. Very rarely were these type of doors left 'natural'.

Toby

 

[JoceAndChris]

Dear Toby,

Thank you so much for your two pennorth, that's great! I do appreciate the encouragement. Certainly I've no intention of going for the stripped pine look, some things here have suffered in the caustic tank and I plan to paint them as soon as I can.

Wood graining has been done here (it's not the first layer of paint on the doors though- that's a muddy buff colour which might be the not very pretty finish you speak of.) I'm quite tempted to have a go at wood graining as Nigel has.

We are using a variety of methods to get a smooth surface to paint on - Nitromors - sanding - chiselling and filling. It's hard work and maybe I should relax about this a bit more, there was a lot of lumpy bumpy flaking paint on woodwork at the Soane's museum yesterday.

 

[Toby Newell]

Hmmm, you are talking to someone who has just finished stripping 100 years worth of old stain from two oak panelled rooms (to the plate rail) and as such need to throw away several items of clothing/shoes etc. It really is not very pleasant, but very satisfying when you stop. A bit like banging your head against a wall I presume.

 

[JoceAndChris]

How many days did it take you, and did you work alone? You must have the patience of a saint, and the lungs of a war victim in Vietnam!