Reclaimed doors - Part 2

Reclaimed Doors - Part 2

In this lesson, we discuss the common issues that arise with using salvaged doors, and options for solving them.

Disguising Damage

If the original ironmongery has been removed from a door, you will have holes. There are a couple of ways to tackle this.

• If you have a good joiner, it is normally quite simple for them to plug and fill. They might find it tricky to source a timber that matches exactly, but this adds to the charm of the piece.
• A cheaper solution is to salvage old push plates in a nice material such as brass or ceramic, and they can be screwed on to hide the damage.

Working with an Existing Door Opening

There can be many reasons why you aren't able to change the opening to suit the door, from financial implications to structural reasons. In these instances, I would always prefer to avoid resizing a door, as it can be incredibly difficult.

Instead, you can do what I call 'face planting', where you install the doors onto a surface-mounted track above the opening. The doors can then slide open, and the size of the opening becomes irrelevant.