Door woes

[Juju]

I thought we'd resolved our front door woes last year when a carpenter repaired the door with a new section of wood at the bottom. Well, the problem was resolved as the rain no longer pours in under the door but now we have a new problem. The wood is cracking/splitting everywhere - at first I thought it was the paint but it's the actual wood as I can see daylight through some of them. The door looked in quite good nick before I painted it last year! Can these splits be repaired and if so, what's the best method or should we just give in and buy a new door (which'll be expensive and difficult to fit as we need to work with the existing door frame as the top bit has been boxed and plastered in on the inside). We do need a secure door as we're straight on the pavement and passers by occasionally kick or bang on the door as their evening entertainment and I'm worried that one of these days, it'll just fall apart (if all the cracks and splits join up!)

Ta.

 

[chuckey]

If its the panels that are cracking, its because when you painted the door, you inadvertently "glued" the panels to the frame. When the humidity dropped or the temperature rose , the panel tried to contract, found it could not, so cracked instead.
The easy repair is to V the cracks out with a knife or hacksaw blade and fill them and repaint the door.
Doors have mostly been made to a standard size since victorian times so you could measure up and try to find a door that is the "right" size - about 1/4" less then the opening size to allow for some clearance and some paint. Fitting Yale type locks or mortice locks (let into door edge) are a right pain. I would attempt a repair first about £100 cheaper and 5 Hrs shorter.
Frank

 

[Juju]

Thanks. The door is not a standard size unfortunately as it's a Victorian door in a seventeenth century doorway - low and wide and the door itself is thin (ie too thin for insurance-company approved mortice locks...)

 

[Penners]

I would attempt a repair

Me too.

 

[Juju]

Yes, looking at it again last night (and our finances!) I think I'll have a go with the wood filler and repainting. I was also wondering whether to stick some thin board on the inside panels to give them extra strength as the splitting is worse on the panels although it is everywhere else too... I use standard wood filler from DIY stores - is there anything better on the market?

 

[chuckey]

Sticking a panel on the inside could be a good move if done correctly (sorry!). 1, strip the paint of the panel and/or really mechanically abrade it. 2, go to a modeling shop (aero or trains not ladies and gents) and buy a piece of 3mm birch ply sufficient for the panel. Glue new ply bit in using a good wood glue* and lean some heavy things against it overnight to attempt to clamp the panels up.
* not a foaming glue
Frank

 

[Penners]

I use standard wood filler from DIY stores - is there anything better on the market?

This is my favourite woodfiller for any job that will subsequently be painted: http://www.ronseal.co.uk/products/product.jsp?id=51

It's a chemically hardened filler, identical to some car body fillers. You mix the paste and the catalyst together, then stuff it into the hole/crack - no matter how deep. Leave it a bit proud for sanding down flush (it sands and drills quite easily). It hardens in just a few minutes. Sand it down flush with the surrounding wood and, once painted, you won't know it's there.

 

[Flyfisher]

Sounds like it does exactly what it says on the tin. :wink:

 

[Penners]

That would make a good advertising slogan. :wink:

 

[Juju]

Thanks Penners. I think I'll get some of that. I can think of lots of other repairs where it will come in handy. On a not unrelated note, our windows are also in a bad way. A quote for painting 3 outside upstairs windows last year was £700 which I thought a bit steep! Just got another quote - £180... The cheaper quote is from a large local well-respected company - maybe they can keep costs down. I know that the person who gave the expensive quote is an absolute perfectionist but I'm sure we'll still get a good job done. We'd do outside painting ourselves but with our house being straight on to a narrow pavement, I'd rather pay someone to deal with the hassle of ladders and pedestrians (and cars).

 

[Penners]

I'd rather pay someone to deal with the hassle of ladders and pedestrians (and cars).

The problem with that nowadays is that so many ladder jobs have become scaffolding jobs, due to the Elfan Safety Rools. In situations where you or I would bung up a ladder for a couple of hours, Mr Tradesman shakes his head and insists on a week of scaffold hire (not his fault; "it's the regulations, mate".)

 

[Flyfisher]

In addition, I would check very carefully what the two quotes entail. One might be a quick rub down with a damp cloth followed by a single top coat, the other might be removing all loose paint, sanding everything smooth, priming any bare wood thus exposed, filling any cracks, followed by the painting itself.

I'm not saying that is the difference in the two very different prices, just that it's important to be sure there is a like-for-like comparison.