I guess my real question is input on how to address a couple of issues. I'm doing some prep work on my house it get ready for paint and some other exterior work. My task this 3 day weekend was to strip the exterior of my Front entry.

Here is the "during" picture.



I'm stripping both the sidelights and the doors. Once the door was stripped, I found some "issues". From a distance the door looks OK.



First thing I found was that the knobs and hinges were swapped around. Basically the door was swapped where the inside is now on the outside. A new modern lockset was installed so I have the holes from the old mortise lock.



The old hinges were attached to the door on the opposite side leaving the original holes from the hinges (they are 1/2 mortise hinges so the side of the hinge that attaches to the door is attached on the face of the door)



The biggest issue is that I have a lot of splits in the wood surface. The door does have a veneer piece over the core and the veneer has a lot of splits. Since I've not dealt with this yet, I'm not sure how to address the cracks. Here's a close up of the splits. This is just one shot; the splits are pretty much all over the door.



I'm debating just repainting the door. It's original to the house. You see this style of door in its original un-painted state on a lot of the bungalows in my neighborhood. I'd really like to keep it if I can.

Diane

PS. I was planning on stripping and finishing the sidelights but I think that I will repaint them. It seems that it was originally painted with some in a very dark color. I had hoped to stain that as well but it a different species that the door and I’m not sure if it would come out right.

I'm definitely not a woodworking expert but, from a distance, your stripped door looks good. The wood color of both the door and the sidelights look natural on your house. Given that, is there any way to use wood filler to fill the cracks so that you could restain and keep the door natural? I know you mentioned the species are different but, with experimenting with stain, you might be able to get the colors to match. I was at Grove Park Inn this past weekend and the woodworking expert mentioned www.hoodfinishing.com as a source for woodworking products but he also said that they are willing to answer questions. You might want to check with a them or another wood refinisher to see your options before you reapply paint. That doorway looks great stained!
Kitty

Diane-

You mention that the door has been turned around, and in looking at the pictures, is there putty around the windows on the inside of door now? It looks in one picture as though that may be the case. I'm curious though, because the varnished side would have been to the inside originally and maybe the door was painted on the exterior? It looks good and I think that patching the veneer cracks would be the way to go.

I think I'd also patch the cracks and repaint. The thing about those cracks is that if they are left uncovered, moisture can enter them and the veneer will further deteriorate. Maybe the door a darker color than the sides. I love how the windows in the door mirror the side windows.

You could also get the exterior of the door reveneered. I'd have a pro do that. I have had antique furniture reveneered and they can do some wonderful things.

Kind fo cool that they reused the door.....you know many owners would have tossed that door rather than turn it around. Have you seen those black strap hinges that are some of the old a&c houses? If you could hunt some of those down....and then find a matchins entryset, that could cover those old holes. If you have the book "Bungalow Details: Exterior" there is a nice section on entryway hardware that includes some photos.

I like the idea of reveneering the door. That would resolve some of the issues with the hinge holes as they'd be covered up. I'd think about using some fairly thick veneer, about an 1/8" or better which would be pretty durable if properly sealed and maintained. You didn't say much about the condition of the interior side of the door. Are you happy with that?

Mike:

good point. My next step was to strip the "inside" (originally the outside) and see what condition that is in. I want to have both sides stripped and finished similar to other doors in the neighborhood.

The diamond insets in the door are held in on both sides by wood mullions (is that the right word?) so there is no puttty on either side. I think that with both sides stripped, I'll get a better picure on the overall door condition and if it's worth putting in more work.

I haven't stripped the inside yet. That's next on the list. I'll have to check on the veasibility to get it re-veneered. I don't what it would take on a big door. The existing veneeer is about 1/8" thick and is one big piece.

Diane

I think it would be a shame to scrap the existing door. I love how the door has the same window detail as the sidelights. Reveneering sounds like a great idea, if you put on enough sealer wouldn't that fill in the cracks somewhat? I think it would add to the character of the door and door. As for the old holes I guess the only thing I can come up with is to use wood putty. I read in I believe my was my Woodworker magazine that you should go darker than the stain because it will blend in better than lighter. I don't know how that would work with larger holes like yours though. I would look into a refinisher, didn't Kevin have a great guy in his neck of the woods? Maybe you'll have to give them a try.

My vote is to save the door.

tanya

Don't think you want to use wood putty on a hole that size in an exterior door. I'd use a Dutchman wood patch and then epoxy to fill in any gaps.

I'm not so crazy about the door itself. Everything that's around it is amazing! Wish I had that. Not so crazy about the windows on the door, and the wood on the door itself looks a bit like plywood. Sorry. Just my opinion. Go with what you like!

Probably not a good idea to reveneer the door. The veneer would then be to thick and that will lead to movement and cracking. Also to have a professional shop do this would be way to expensive for what you would end up with. Perhaps applying moldings to resemble a paneled would be a better approach.

Another vote to keep the door, especially since it matches the sidelights so well. Unless you could get one custom made to match... and that probably would be pretty pricey.

I just saw a letter to the editor in my TOH about a company in my home state that will make up a door. You pick the specie and give them a pattern (or pic?) and they make it. It is called "The Pine Door Company" (pine-door.com) located in Darby MT and only do custom work. Maybe you can give them a try if you still feel that the door is beyond hope for exterior use. I'd save it and use it in the house as an architectural interest piece.

tanya

Resurrecting a way old thread just to give an update. A couple of years later (procrastination is my middle name)I finally wrapped up my exterior doorway. Moral of the story, don't give up when things look bad

As a refresher, here is the before


Here is the after (some touch up still outstanding)



The ol' gal still has some "wrinkles" but I'm glad I kept the original door. I replace a replacement cylinder lock with a full mortise lock. I found some old mill work catalogs that had "flat front entry doors" from the 10s and 20s which match the door in my 1915 house.

Anyway, on to the next project on the never ending list of projects.

Diane

The door looks great. And the side lights too!
I like a litle patina and flaws.