The frame around the front door to our house is starting to rot. The local shop wants a bit over a $1000 for a replacement door. (It has 2 sidelights, and my wife choose a fancy door with glass panels.) I figure I can rebuild the frame for a LOT less. Being a new woodworker I’m not 100% sure what wood to use. I figured I’d just go to the local lumber yard and order a bunch of 2x6s and cut them into the right shape. Well the lumber they delivered is twisted and cupped and just not useable. Should I try to square this lumber? Should I return it and pick some good boards myself? (Like a dope, I let them choose.) Should I just get milled 1x6s and glue them togther to get the width I need? Should I use some other wood besides 2×6 pine?
I don’t own a jointer or thickness planer so if I decide to square the wood I have I’ll need to get at least a jointer. I think.
Replies
Are you talking about rebuilding the door itself?
No, not the door itself. Just the frame around the outside, including the sill.As near as I can tell it is a relatively inexpensive steel exterior door. At sometime I'd like to build a new door. Something nice in maple maybe. I need to get a few more woodworking projects under my belt before I try tackling an exterior door.
If you know the manufacturer of the door, possibly from a sticker on one of its edges, you may be able to buy replacement frame parts from a local distributor.
Failing that, most exterior steel door frames are made from 5/4 finger-jointed pine. You can make replacements from pine. Clear will cost a lot, and #2 will have knots that bleed through the paint and frustrate you. Where I live in CT, I can buy meranti, a hard tropical wood that's more rot resistant than pine, for the same money as clear pine. If you use pine, buy some Boracare pellets and put them in the wood as instructed. Also, seal the endgrain or it will suck up water and rot in about 5 minutes. I like to mix up epoxy and dissolve it in alcohol for this purpose.
Steel doors have proprietary sills, so you may have to reuse the existing. If you don't go that route, a good lumberyard will have oak sill available. Don't confuse sill and saddle. Saddle is for interior use and not what you want.Andy Engel
Senior editor, Fine Woodworking magazine
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Hi Andy,Thanks for the information. I'm rebuilding the frame as an excuse to get more into woodworking and buy some tools. :)The information on sealing the endgrain is good. I didn't know that. It's probably why the old frame rotted.I got a premade oak sill. I'm pretty sure I could build one on my own, but the lumber place wanted to sell me a 6' oak board for $75 vs. $35, or so, for a premade sill.thnaks,geoff
The local shop wants a bit over a $1000 for a replacement door..
Not sure what you have but the price does not seem that unreasonable if it is a quality door...
I have made hundreds of custom doors and the for some doors the wood alone can cost that.. Well, not every door but quality wood for a good thick door gets pretty expensive..
PLEASE do not try it with Big Box wood... I'm sure you will have more problems that it is worth...
Sorry but.. Good luck with your project..
EDIT:: Geeeeee I thought I learnt' to read long ago... I guess not!
No, not the door itself. Just the frame around the outside, including the sill.
Sorry...
Edited 8/19/2005 11:08 am ET by WillGeorge
This is probably not what you want to hear, but that is one tough repair. You will end up removing the existing jambset and door and secondary sash just to replace the jambs. Then you will have refit hinge and latch the door. Then there is weatherstrip. And security as far as that big hole in the front of the house that needs to be closed over at night to keep the raccoons out.
Wood species is important - select rot resistant species such as Honduras Mahogany, W Red Cedar, Cypress, Spanish Cedar, etc. The stock should be faced and edged, then milled to create the rabbets.
We have built doors for 30 years, and we would never repair that jamb, we'd just replace it. We would still have to fit and hang and latch and w-strip, but we could open and close the wall in a day with 2 experienced men working well together.
$1,000.00 for an new entry is very cheap - Chinese cheap.
As for an excuse to buy tools, find a nice table or stool....
Having done my share of repairs just as you describe,I would agree with some of the previous posters,they can be rough . Mahogany and douglas fir are premium wood choices.I would suggest you patch-up the rot as best you can for the time being ,and build yourself an entire new unit in the shop.Once complete do the switch in one shot(you may want to enlist some help that day).Know that you'll most likely spend over the thousand by the time you finish,but you will gain the experience , satisfaction and maybe even a little frustration of having done it yourself.
Aloha,
If the rot that you see still has some wood cells there, even if mushy, there is a product called "Git Rot" that may be of some help to you. It is a penetrating epoxy that is used extensively in marine repair. Visit your local marine shop or you can order it on line from someone like West Marine. I've used it a lot back in my boating days and it makes an inexpensive permanent repair. It soaks into rotten wood like water soaks into a sponge, then sets up hard.
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