I’m getting ready to strip and refinish the inside of my c. 1912 front door. As far as I can tell, this is pine finished to look like oak – I thought it was oak, until I chiseled into it to widen the opening for a mail slot and yellow pine shavings came out.
I wouldn’t touch it, except that there are a number of holes and deep scrapes which should really be fixed.
I don’t know much about finish, really, other than liking the results from tung oil and wax, but I think this calls for something more formal, which is why I’m appealing to the experts. I’m not sure what the original finish is – varnish? shellac?
I’m open to being talked out of stripping it, if that would ruin the wood effect – the repairs and refinishing them to match are the more important part of the project.
Here’s the outside of the door, which is the same sort of idea as the inside:
Edited 2/24/2006 6:54 pm ET by pcain
Replies
I really wish I knew of a way, other than stripping, since I'm in the same boat with my 1920 front door. The finish has completely failed, it's just a bunch of crackles that flake off at the lightest touch and I know I need to refinish it. I've been putting off replacing the locking mechanism as well since it's an ancient mortise lock and all of the replacements I've found are either ridiculously expensive or really awful looking, or both. Usually both.
First, to me this looks like quartersawn oak, finished to look like old oak. Perhaps it is a thick veneer over SYP.
If you just need to repair dings and scrapes, use shellac sticks, and then paint on the grain with pigment powders moistened in shellac. When the repairs are complete, add a coat or two of a good marine spar varnish, and rub to satin with steel wool. If this is an 1912 door it can't live in much sun, and so doesn't need the full UV resistant finish treatment.
very useful. thx.
Considering the door's design, age and appearance, I agree that this is QSW Oak veneer over a substrate of secondary wood. In fact, I'll bet lunch that it is thick veneer (1/8" or so) on a core. Doors like this were made by the 100's of thousands in the early 20th century with the advent of higher production veneer slicers, lessening supply of wide wood, and expanding shops that focused on adding value to a product. Many of these doors are now salvaged (good) and put to reuse (also good), but if used in exposed exterior situations, will fail by peeling veneer (not so good). The hide glue does not hold when wet and warm.
I have restored/repaired any number of theses doors over the years. Remove the door, lay it flat and chemically remove the old varnish. Black stains from iron will have to be removed by oxalic acid. Then it is relatively easy to remove the loose veneer and clean off the crystallized hide glue and reapply with urethane (low water content) glue. As the faces are stabilized, it is easy to sand flat and make surface repairs. Fill edge mortise holes as best as possible. Holes in the faces can be hidden by making a new QSW Oak escutcheon plate of 3/16" x w x l to cover the area, then drill for hardware. Use Sikkens or a similar long molecule varnish - not poly- for the exterior side and enjoy.
If I'm right, you can send lunch to the shop:
http://www.acornwoodworks.com
Dave S
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