Nowadays, they\u2019re available in a raft of different materials, including powder-coated aluminium. But for that iconic, traditional look, it\u2019s still difficult to beat high-quality timber. Like anything wooden, however, doors of this sort require maintenance. If those fibres are exposed directly to the elements over a long period of time, then tiny variations in pressure and moisture will begin to wear them out. In some cases, this will make the door look a bit on the shabby side; in others, it\u2019ll accelerate the warping process and prematurely age the door.<\/span><\/p>\n If you\u2019ve already allowed your French doors to get into a bit of a state, then don\u2019t worry \u2013 there are things we can do to get them looking great again. Restoring doors of this sort is often preferable to an outright replacement \u2013 especially where the damage is superficial. It might be that you\u2019re looking to maintain the original look of the property, and therefore willing to get your existing doors repaired even if a replacement would be cheaper.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n If the glasswork needs replacing, then professional help is more or less required; we\u2019re not going to be covering that here. What we will do is explain how to refinish wooden doors.<\/span><\/p>\n Before getting started, you\u2019ll need to assemble a few materials. This will save you the trouble of having to track down items when the job is only part-way complete.<\/span><\/p>\n For an easy life, we\u2019d suggest also securing the aid of a volunteer; their help will prove invaluable, particularly when you come to take down and reattach the door.<\/span><\/p>\n For each of the phases we\u2019ll outline, we need to do both sides of the door. For the stripping, cleaning, and actual finishing phases, this means turning the door over, waiting for it to dry, and then turning it over again. Depending on the ambient temperature, drying time can be six, seven, or even eight hours, during which you\u2019ll not have a door there to keep intruders out. As such, we\u2019d suggest performing this operation during summer. You should set aside an entire weekend to get it done and get started early Saturday morning to allow enough time.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Let\u2019s run through the entire procedure, step by step. We\u2019ll assume we\u2019re dealing with an exterior door, but the process is much the same for an interior one. If yours has a natural finish rather than a painted one, then you\u2019ll be able to skip the paint-stripping step.<\/span><\/p>\n First, we\u2019re going to get rid of all of the existing hardware. This means handles, bolts, and all of the other stuff which isn\u2019t made from wood. You might decide that these pieces can be replaced, but if they\u2019re authentic period pieces, a better option might be to get it restored professionally (or at the very least, polished). For the time being, set them aside. Remove the hinges and lay the doors flat. If you have sawhorses available, then be sure to use them.<\/span><\/p>\n We\u2019re going to strip the paint, next. You have two options, here. You can either do it with a sander or with a chemical paint stripper. If you use a sander, then bear in mind that you\u2019ll create a lot of dust. If you use a chemical stripper, then be sure that the area is adequately ventilated \u2013 or, better yet, outside. Allow the stripper to do its work, and then scrape away the paint, making sure all the while that you move in the direction of the grain rather than against it. You might need to use a wire brush to get into the moulding, but for most of us, a scraper is sufficient.<\/span><\/p>\n Before we go any further, we need to clean the surface with our rag and mineral spirits. Again, work in the direction of the grain. Leave the door to dry entirely before moving on to the next step.<\/span><\/p>\n It\u2019s now time to sand. We\u2019ll be starting with a medium-grade paper and then moving onto a fine-detail one. Remove any dust that\u2019s built up using a dry cloth, or an air-duster.<\/span><\/p>\n You might find that you have cracks in your door which can\u2019t be sanded down. Use your wood-filler to deal with these. Apply a little bit and then allow it to dry before applying another coat. Ensure that it\u2019s adequately compacted and that it stands a little bit proud of the surface. That way, when it dries, you\u2019ll be able to sand it totally smooth. You can find woodfiller that matches the colour of your wood, so this will work even if you\u2019re going for a natural-style finish.<\/span><\/p>\n Here\u2019s where we apply our choice of finish. Whether you opt for paint or natural wood-stain, you\u2019ll be applying several coats, and leaving each to dry. Don\u2019t lash it on too thick, and work the brush into the grain. If you\u2019re painting, then you\u2019ll need to start with primer; this will help the colours to effectively \u2018pop\u2019, and disguise the natural colour of the wood.<\/span><\/p>\n Once you\u2019ve got a look you\u2019re happy with, it\u2019s time to reattach the door to its frame. If you\u2019ve set aside all of the hardware, then this is usually a simple matter of screwing the hinges back into place. Get your partner to hold the door steady while you take care of this. Be sure that the door is able to swing freely, and that it doesn\u2019t catch before you declare the job finished with!<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Last updated on July 22nd, 2020 at 12:41 pmWooden French doors are a great way to inject character into the home. They\u2019re compact enough to fit into a double-door space, but, with the addition of some sidelights, they can also take the place of a larger set of folding or sliding doors. French doors have […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":774,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-772","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-how-to"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.expressdoorsdirect.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/772","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.expressdoorsdirect.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.expressdoorsdirect.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.expressdoorsdirect.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.expressdoorsdirect.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=772"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.expressdoorsdirect.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/772\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":978,"href":"https:\/\/www.expressdoorsdirect.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/772\/revisions\/978"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.expressdoorsdirect.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/774"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.expressdoorsdirect.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=772"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.expressdoorsdirect.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=772"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.expressdoorsdirect.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=772"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}What Materials do I Need?<\/span><\/h2>\n
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How Long Does it Take?<\/span><\/h2>\n
![\"old](\"https:\/\/www.expressdoorsdirect.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/old-door-2325642_640.jpg\")
<\/p>\nThe Process<\/span><\/h2>\n
Step 1.\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n
Step 2.<\/span><\/h3>\n
Step 3.<\/span><\/h3>\n
Step 4.<\/span><\/h3>\n
Step 5.\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n
Step 6.<\/span><\/h3>\n
Step 7.\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n